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Texasmic
5th May 2006, 19:10
Any one know where I can find pictures of the Shuri Castle as it looked right before WWII?

I found these pic on the internet.

http://www.jahitchcock.com/shuri.gif
http://www.shurijo.com/about/img/shurijyo1.jpg
http://www.karatesites.net/dailey/shuricastle.gif

Could anyone supply aproximate dates for these photos?
As you can see they are all very different.

Brandon Fisher
12th May 2006, 06:17
Those might be prior to world war 2. Nice find.

Texasmic
12th May 2006, 15:15
Those might be prior to world war 2. Nice find.
Yes I think they are, but I would like to have approximate dates if anyone knows.

I don't read Japanese, and I realize the Shuri Castle burned down and was rebuilt several times.

It is my understanding that the Japanese had done some extensive renovation in the ?? late 20s or early 30s ?? I believe the style of the building was much more "Japanese" at that time. What I mean is more auster and simple and not so brightly colored as it is now.

Now, before the "Japaneseation" (like that word?) I think it had stages where it was bright as it is now.

I know almost all records on Okinawa were destroyed in WWII. There may be Japanese scholastic sites that might have a good picture or two of the Shurijo from the 1930s.

I am wanting to make a painting of the palace from the time period of the 1930s, and I need a reference photo, because I know it is different from how it looks now, and how it looked before the ?? late 1920s??

Brandon Fisher
12th May 2006, 16:05
Man I wish I could help you on that maybe Patrick McCarthy can help more.

Shorinman
12th May 2006, 21:38
Here is one from the early 1900's. What's interesting about this one is, notice which direction the dragon pillars are facing. Click on picture to view more.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/Shorinman99/058.jpg (http://www.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/academic/bull/photo/index.html)

I have two books on the Shuri castle and according to the one book, it states that in 1933, "Dismantling and repair of the former Seiden of Shurijo Castle was completed." I think that it started around not 1928 and was completed in 1933. If you compare this image and the 3rd one that you posted which is Shinpan Gusukuma, in 1937 with school kids, you can see differences in appearance of the castle - like the direction of the dragon pillars are facing.

Regards,
Larry

Texasmic
12th May 2006, 21:53
Here is one from the early 1900's. What's interesting about this one is, notice which direction the dragon pillars are facing. Click on picture to view more.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/Shorinman99/058.jpg (http://www.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/academic/bull/photo/index.html)

I have two books on the Shuri castle and according to the one book, it states that in 1933, "Dismantling and repair of the former Seiden of Shurijo Castle was completed." I think that it started around not 1928 and was completed in 1933. If you compare this image and the 3rd one that you posted which is Shinpan Gusukuma, in 1937 with school kids, you can see differences in appearance of the castle - like the direction of the dragon pillars are facing.

Regards,
Larry
Thank You!

This is great!

Texasmic
12th May 2006, 22:13
I found this one, can anyone translate what it says in the caption?
http://www.geocities.jp/shioji2002/seiden.gif

Shikiyanaka
24th May 2006, 19:32
Hi Michael,

the text reads something like:


The Shurijô Seiden (main hall of Shuri castle) was also called Kokuden (palace of the nation), Momourasoe and Karahafu (Chinese style gable) and was build in 1712 (in the third year of King Shô Eki's reign). Although it followed the Chinese style of construction it was accomplished with a distinctive Ryûkyûan style of architecture.

Great pics!

You can find a very good overview on the Seiden HERE (http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/001/001-e/002_26.html), and generally on Shuri castle HERE (http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/001/001-e/index.html)

For still images, take a look HERE (http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/001/009/e_index.html) and HERE (http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/001/009/e_002.html)

http://www.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/digia/tenji/tenji2002/m10_files/10-1.jpg
Picture from end of Meiji era

Texasmic
24th May 2006, 20:27
I contacted the http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/english/index.html and got this reply (looks like it was run through a Japanese to English translator);


Dear Philippus
I am really sorry to be late for an inquired answer from
you.
Restoration history information of Shuri Castle is out of
our section's line,so,I ask a expert of the information, and
our section has an answer as follows.
About "a matter of an inquiry, I think that the photograph
which a person asked a question watched is a prewar thing".
Because it is a basically monochromatic photograph, a color
does not become clear from a photograph. In the case of the
Shuri Castle reconstruction, I am restored to the original
state based on excavated tile and documents document.
Because I was in danger of a save state collapsing to a head
badly in Shuri Castle at the beginning of 1900's, the
dismantling of Shuri Castle main shrine was decided, but save
exercise worked, and repair of a main shrine began in 1923.
However, it is destroyed in 1945 by an air raid of U.S. forces.
A line of a roof of a main shrine seems to be different
from now in one asked you a question in old days, but a main
shrine changes by repair in 1923 now and is not. I change as
of a thing of the thing which went bad, and there is not a
main shrine before it either. A color of a main shrine is
the same red now.
Even if I make current Shuri Castle a model, and it is
drawn, about prewar Shuri Castle, there is not a hindrance
either. It is to say ". Would you have you understand such an
answer? If you have any questions, I want to help it
elsewhere. Then!
Sincerely,
¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡¢¡
¢¢
¢£¢¢ Akira Tomiyama<tomiyaak@pref.okinawa.jp>
¢£¢£¢¢ Okinawa Prefectural Government, JAPAN
¢£¢£¢£¢¢ TEL +81(98)866-2503 / FAX +81(98)866-2455

Texasmic
27th June 2006, 15:22
Dear Michael H. Philippus

Moreover, I am sorry to have taken time.

I asked our various sections, and though it was
regrettable,
I was not able to get the drawing on construction from the
problem of copyright.

But, there was a result just for a moment.Two facts became
clear.

The first fact is that the upper right photograph which wa
gotten from you is not the Shuri castle clearly.

This seems to be an another building called "Bu-toku-den"
and is said that this existed till recently.

The second is that it seems that a lower right photograph
was colored what was a black-and-white picture later.

However, although it is red about the color of a tile now,
according to testimony of a man of those days,
there is also an opinion of a gray tile.

It is related and this photograph differs from the thing of
the present [ direction / the dragon which is decoration of
an entrance ].

It means that after all, it hardly changes to the thing
from 1923 even if you draw the present Shuri castle.

Finally, since I think that the useful information cannot
be given to you any more,
if you have any other questions ,I recommend contacting to
the Shuri castle park
(mail
address:http://www.shurijo.com/english/inquiry/index.html).

Sincerely,
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=
=-=-= Akira Tomiyama<tomiyaak@pref.okinawa.lg.jp>
=-=-=-= Okinawa Prefectural Government, JAPAN





The picture he is talking about is this one
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/4096/shuri3cv.gif (http://imageshack.us)
it is NOT the Shurijo.

DustyMars
19th August 2008, 18:27
I have seen that photo several times and at first I thought it was the Naha Police Dojo. Not sure what the real name for it was but I think it was the Martial Arts Academy or the like. While I am not sure it is I wonder if it is not then dosn anyone have a photo of the Naha Police Dojo?

Woody
13th August 2009, 10:00
Speaking of Shuri Castle; I ran across this gentleman of some importance to the Okinawan Karate folks. Anybody recognize him and could tell me more about him?
http://gallery.me.com/gdandscompserv#100033