Iha Castle

Uruma, Japan, Japan

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Iha CastleIha jō; Okinawan: Ifa Gushiku is a historic Ryukyuan gusuku fortification in Uruma City, Okinawa, Japan, located on a cliff that separates the Iha and Ishikawa areas and overlooking the Ishikawa Isthmus and the sea.

It was built in the early 14th century, probably by the Iha Anji, a branch of the Nakijin royal family who fled Hokuzan’s civil strife and established their stronghold here, and it remained in use through the 15th century as one of the important castles in central Okinawa during the Gusuku period.

As with most Okinawan gusuku, the castle was constructed mainly of Ryukyuan limestone walls and wooden structures, and it served as a local administrative and defensive center for the Misato Magiri region, with legends linking its founder to both rescue from war and the later unification of the Three Kingdoms of Hokuzan, Chūzan, and Nanzan.

Today, the castle is in ruins: no main buildings survive, but substantial stone walls and terrace-like enclosures remain, along with several small Ryukyuan shrines within the bailey, and the site is open to the public as a quiet, scenic historical spot with a torii gate and explanatory plaque erected by the Okinawa Prefectural government.