A fire broke out in Shouli early Thursday morning, and the cause is unknown. Photo source: Japan Common News Agency)
A fire broke out at Shouli Castle on Okinawa, almost destroying the World Heritage site.
Television footage shows the main hall of (Shuri Castle), the first castle, burning to ashes and firefighters taking hours to contain the fire.
Temples in the castle complex have also been destroyed and local residents have been evacuated. There are no immediate reports of casualties.
Shouli City is a popular tourist destination, with a history of more than 500 years. It is the royal city of (Ryukyu Kingdom) in Ryukyu Kingdom.
The kingdom ruled Okinawa for about 450 years until it was annexed by Japan between 1429 and 1879.
The city was burned down in 1945 and rebuilt in 1992. Photo source: Japan Common News Agency)
Located on the top of the hill, the castle is surrounded by curved stone walls around (Naba), the castle and its surrounding buildings are painted bright red, and the sloping tile roof is still clearly discernible.
After many fires, it continues to experience destruction and reconstruction. In the most recent battle of Okinawa in 1945, about 200000 people, many of them civilians, were killed on the island.
The castle was rebuilt on a large scale as a national park in 1992 and designated as the UNESCO World Heritage site of the common country in 2000.
Okinawa was occupied by the United States for 20 years, in 1972, after full independence in other parts of Japan.
During the annual Mid-Autumn Festival, the fire swept through the castle. It was originally scheduled to be included in the Tokyo Olympic torch relay route in 2020.
