Рюкюские гусуку: замки и крепости островов Рюкю

Castles or fortresses in the Ryukyu Islands that feature stone wallsthe mountain

Gusuku (グスク, 城) often refers to castles or fortresses in the Ryukyu Islands that feature stone walls. However, the origin and essence of gusuku remain controversial. In the archaeology of Okinawa Prefecture, the Gusuku period refers to an archaeological epoch of the Okinawa Islands that follows the shell mound period and precedes the Sanzan period, when most gusuku are thought to have been built. Many gusuku and related cultural remains on Okinawa Island have been listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites under the title Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu.

The Yarazamori Gusuku Inscription (1554) contains phrases, "pile gusuku" (くすくつませ) and "pile up gusuku and " (くすくつみつけて); apparently, gusuku in these phrases refers to stone walls. In the Omoro Sōshi (16th–17th centuries), the term gusuku is written as "くすく," or "ぐすく" in hiragana. Occasionally, the Chinese character "城" (castle) is assigned to it. In later ryūka and kumi odori, the reading shiro is also used for the same Chinese character. The references to gusuku in the Omoro Sōshi are mostly about castles and fortresses, but sacred places and places of worship are called gusuku as well. In some cases, gusuku simply refers to Shuri Castle. The Liuqiu guan yiyu, a Chinese dictionary, maps Chinese "皇城" (imperial palace) to the transcription "姑速姑" (gu su gu). Similarly, the Yiyu yinshi assigns "窟宿孤" (ku su gu) to "皇城." Similarly, Higashionna Kanjun raised doubts over the analysis of gu since older records always used honorific u (< o) instead of gu (< go). Nakahara Zenchū identified gu as go (stone). Examples of each are Nakagusuku Castle, Nakijin Castle, Zakimi Castle, and parts of Shuri Castle. The shape of gusuku walls usually follows the contours of the land. They are usually thick, and sometimes have low parapets atop them. Some gusuku walls, like those of Nakagusuku Castle, were designed to resist cannon fire.

Gusuku have one or more baileys. The baileys of typical gusuku usually contained a residence, a well, an utaki, and storage buildings. Larger gusuku, like Nakijin Castle, could have more than five baileys, while smaller gusuku, like Iha Castle, had a single bailey.

Gusuku have one or more entrances, often guarded by a heavy gate or gatehouse. Gates were the strongpoints of gusuku. Many gusuku, like Nakijin Castle, were adapted to have gun ports next to their gates.

At the heart of most gusuku was the Great Hall (Main Hall). The Main Hall was typically the residence of a feudal lord (Aji). The palace at Shuri Castle is the most prominent Main Hall, being the only one remaining, but the site of the Main Hall is very obvious at other gusuku, such as Katsuren Castle.

Almost all gusuku contain or are near an utaki (御嶽), shrines and sites of religious importance in the Ryukyuan religion. The relationship between utaki and gusuku has led some experts to question the origin and essence of gusuku.