Walk the Gusuku Route in Kitanakagusuku

This is post 13 of 18 in the series “Discover Okinawa”

Discover Okinawa is a series of posts that has everything to do with all things Okinawa. Join us on our journey as we bike around islands, explore Okinawa’s wildlife, eat amazing food, and everything in between!

Looking for something fun to do in Okinawa that doesn’t take a whole lot of time? Why not walk the Gusuku Route in Kitanakagusuku. Along this short 2.01 km route, there are castle ruins, historic houses, and plenty of Shisa sculptures.

About the Gusuku Route in Kitanakagusuku

Prior to visiting the Nakamura House, I’ve never heard of the Gusuku Route. At the entrance of the Nakamura House was a large map of the route and all of the sites it crosses. The map even stated that the Gusuku Route is “One of the 500 best walks in Japan and Top 100 cultural walks.”

The route is estimated to be 2.01 km and takes the average person 40 minutes to walk, although it took us longer since I had to stop every 20 feet to take a photo. If stopping at all the attractions it could very well take a half day or longer.

According to the map, the start of the trail is at the Tomb of Lord Gosamaru and ends at the Nakamura House.

Notable Stops along the Gusuku Route

We followed the route suggested by the map and started at the Tomb of Lord Gosamaru. There is a fairly new parking area with ample parking, benches, and restrooms. We parked our car and began to walk the suggested Gusuku Route in Kitanakagusuku. From the parking lot, there was a board walk to the Tomb of Lord Gosamaru.

Lord Gosamaru was a Lord of the Ryukyu Kingdom in the 1400’s. Lord Gosamaru was the commander of the nearby Nakagusuku Castle.

After a brief stop at the tomb we made our way to the next stop, Nakagusuku Castle. I briefly mentioned this castle in my Okinawa World Heritage Sites post. Nakagusuku Castle lies in ruins and was originally built as a defense fortress against attacks from Katsuren Castle. After the defeat of Nakagusuku Castle, Lord Gosamaru, who was the commander of the castle, committed suicide in 1458.

Admission and Hours

Admission

¥400 for adults, ¥300 for Junior and High School, and ¥200 for Elementary Students

Hours

Daily from 8:30 until 17:00, May through September entrance is open until 18:00.

According to the map, the next stop along the Gusuku Route is the Monument to Seiho Oyama’s Birthplace. The monument was just a small monument alongside the road, not really worth spending to much time at.

From here the route goes to Agarinuka Park, but along the route there are several Shisa statues.

The Shisa is a symbol of Okinawa. These are traditional artifacts from the Ryukyuan Kingdom. The Shisa are based on similar artifacts from China that resemble Guardian Lions. The Shisa is a cross between a lion and a dog and are placed in pairs on gates and rooftops of homes and businesses to ward off evil spirits. The Shisa statues come in various sizes and today you can find some that are very serious to downright silly. There is a whole lot more to the history and what the Shisa represents but I will include this all in a future post.

The Gusuku Route continues along the main road and stops at other monuments, parks, and sculptures. Other then the castle, the main attraction is the Nakamura House, which marks the end of the Gusuku Route.

The Nakamura House is a perfectly preserved traditional Okinawan style house. This is what many houses looked like prior to WWII. Traditional architectural features include the red tiled roofs and high stone walls.

The Nakamura House dates back to the 18th century. There are eight rooms in total throughout the house all preserved in the traditional style. The grounds also include a store house, barn, pig pens, a pond, and gardens.

Admission and Hours

Admission

¥500 for adults, ¥300 for Junior and High School, and ¥200 for Elementary Students

Hours

Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9:00 until 17:00.

For more information, check out the Nakamura House Website

**Hours might differ because of Covid – 19.

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