Katsuren Castle

Katsuren Castle 勝連城
Uruma, Okinawa
Ruins of Katsuren Castle
Type	Gusuku
Site information
Controlled by	Aji of Katsuren (13th century-1314) Chūzan (1314-1429) Ryūkyū Kingdom (1429-1879)  Empire of Japan (1879–1945) United States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands(1945-1950) United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands(1950-1972)  Japan(1972-present)
Open to the public	yes
Condition	ruins
Site history
Built	13th-14th century
Built by	Aji of Katsuren Magiri
In use	13th century-1611
Materials	Ryūkyūan limestone, wood
Battles/wars	attacked by Uni-Ufugusuku (1458)
Garrison information
Occupants	Aji of Katsuren Magiri, Amawari

Katsuren Castle (勝連城, Katsuren jō^?) is a Ryūkyūan gusuku in Uruma, Okinawa. In the Okinawan language the castle is known as Kacchin Gushiku.

Katsuren Castle was built on a large hill of Ryukyuan limestone, 98 meters (322 ft) above sea level on the Katsuren Peninsula. With the Pacific Ocean on two sides, it is also called the "Ocean Gusuku". Its "golden age" was in the mid-15th century, under the powerful Aji of Katsuren, Amawari. The castle was attacked in 1458 by the Ryūkyūan army. Precious tile and Chinese porcelain of the era have been excavated from Katsuren. Such remains testify to the magnificence of the ancient structure and the robust entrepôt trade between Japan, Korea, China, and Southeast Asia. The castle also has an active shrine of the Ryūkyūan religion within the first bailey dedicated to Kobazukasa. In the 2010 Okinawa earthquake an outer wall at the northeast of the third bailey of Katsuren Castle was damaged.

Katsuren Castle was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 as part of one of the nine Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. Katsuren Castle was designated an Designated Historical Monument (史跡, Shiseki^?) by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs in 1972.