 Sonohyan Utaki Stone Gate (Sonohyan Utaki Ishimon) is located in Shuri Castle Park, roughly 50 meters to the rear of the Shureimon.
For centuries, prior to departing the grounds of Shuri Castle, the King of the Ryukyus stopped at Sonohyan Utaki to pray. In 1519, King Sho Shin ordered a gate to be constructed in front of this sacred grove of trees and commissioned a man named Nishito to accomplish the task. Nishito hailed from Taketomi Island, and his skills as a stonemason were respected and admired throughout the Ryukyu Islands. (He later assumed duties as a minister of the Yaeyama Islands.)
The gate is made of blocks of Ryukyu limestone. Under the archway are two wooden doors, and above it are 13 stone rafters supporting the stone-shingled roof. On the ridge of the roof is an ornament, each end of which has a carving shaped like a mythical sea animal called a shibi.
Sonohyan Utaki Stone Gate was designated a National Treasure in 1933. However, it sustained heavy damage during the Battle of Okinawa, when the grounds of Shuri Castle came under heavy fire due to use as the headquarters of the 32nd Division of the Japanese Imperial Army. Much of the gate was destroyed. However, the gate was reconstructed in 1957. Reconstruction was again undertaken in 1981 (and completed in 1986), as the gate had begun to deteriorate due to shifts in its foundation.
When Okinawa reverted to Japanese control in 1972, Japan designated the gate an Important Cultural Property. In 2000, UNESCO designated Sonohyan Utaki Ishimon one of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, making it a World Heritage Site.
Today, visitors can still be seen praying at the gate.
Sonohyan Utaki Stone Gate Photos
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Sonohyan Utaki Stone Gate
To get to Sonohyan Utaki Stone Gate, head south from Camp Foster on Highway 58 toward Naha. Follow the signs to Shuri Castle. The gate is located to the rear and left of the Shureimon, below the Kankaimon and the castle?s main entrance.
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