Tamaudun

photo by そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by 663highland · CC BY 2.5

Since December 2018 it has been the first building in Okinawa designated a National Treasure.

King Sho Shin had it built in 1501 to rebury his father's remains, and from then on it remained the dynasty's mausoleum for four centuries. Three chambers, cut into coral stone to imitate a thatched roof: the central one holds the remains not yet purified, the east one the king and queen after purification, the west one the chosen relatives. It is a stone's throw from Shuri Castle, but almost nobody goes in.

It belongs to the same group of Ryukyu sites inscribed by UNESCO in December 2000 together with Shuri, and it has been a National Historic Site since 1972. In December 2018 it became the first building in Okinawa to receive the designation of National Treasure (国宝), the highest level for a Japanese historic building.

ℹ️ Open every day 9:00–18:00, ticket office until 17:30. Adults 300 yen (annual pass 600), children 150 yen. A 15-minute walk from Shuri Station on the Yui Rail monorail.

🚉 Yamagawa · 6 min walk

Sources: city.naha.okinawa.jp · okinawastory.jp

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