Tamaudun
Encyclopedia
is a mausoleum in Shuri, Okinawa, built for Ryūkyūan
royalty in 1501 by King Shō Shin
, the third king of the second Shō dynasty a short distance from Shuri Castle
.
The site, covering an area of 2,442m², consists of two stone-walled enclosures, the three compartments of the mausoleum itself facing north and backed by a natural cliff to the south. A stone stele
in the outer enclosure memorializes the construction of the mausoleum, and lists the name of Shō Shin along with those of eight others involved in the construction. The three compartments of the mausoleum are laid out from east to west, with kings and queens in the eastern compartment and the princes and rest of the royal family in the western compartment, the central compartment used for the Ryukyuan tradition of senkotsu; remains would only be kept here for a limited time, after which the bones were washed and entombed. The shisa
(stone lions) guarding the tomb are examples of traditional Ryūkyūan stone sculpture. The architectural style of the mausoleum represents that of the royal palace at the time, which was a stone structure with a wooden roof.
Eighteen kings are entombed at Tamaudun, along with their queens and royal children. The first to be buried there was King Shō En
, for whom the mausoleum was constructed upon the orders of his son and successor, Shō Shin. The last was former Crown Prince Shō Ten
, son of the Ryūkyū Kingdom's last king, Shō Tai
, who was entombed there on September 26, 1920. The structure suffered extensive damage in the 1945 battle of Okinawa
, and was subsequently looted, but the tombs and royal remains themselves remain intact, and much of the structure has been restored in the years since the end of the war. It was designated a World Heritage Site
by UNESCO
on December 2, 2000, as a part of the site group Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu
.
Ryukyu Kingdom
The Ryūkyū Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Kings of Ryūkyū unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan...
royalty in 1501 by King Shō Shin
Sho Shin
' was a king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, the third of the line of the Second Shō Dynasty. Shō Shin's long reign has been described as "the Great Days of Chūzan", a period of great peace and relative prosperity. He was the son of Shō En, the founder of the dynasty, by Yosoidon, Shō En's second wife,...
, the third king of the second Shō dynasty a short distance from Shuri Castle
Shuri Castle
Shuri Castle is a gusuku in Shuri, Okinawa. It was the palace of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed...
.
The site, covering an area of 2,442m², consists of two stone-walled enclosures, the three compartments of the mausoleum itself facing north and backed by a natural cliff to the south. A stone stele
Stele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
in the outer enclosure memorializes the construction of the mausoleum, and lists the name of Shō Shin along with those of eight others involved in the construction. The three compartments of the mausoleum are laid out from east to west, with kings and queens in the eastern compartment and the princes and rest of the royal family in the western compartment, the central compartment used for the Ryukyuan tradition of senkotsu; remains would only be kept here for a limited time, after which the bones were washed and entombed. The shisa
Shisa
Shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. People place pairs of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some evils...
(stone lions) guarding the tomb are examples of traditional Ryūkyūan stone sculpture. The architectural style of the mausoleum represents that of the royal palace at the time, which was a stone structure with a wooden roof.
Eighteen kings are entombed at Tamaudun, along with their queens and royal children. The first to be buried there was King Shō En
Sho En
' was a king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, the founder of the Second Shō Dynasty. Prior to becoming king, he was known as '.-Early life and rise to power:...
, for whom the mausoleum was constructed upon the orders of his son and successor, Shō Shin. The last was former Crown Prince Shō Ten
Sho Ten
was the last crown prince of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. He lost that title upon the abolition of the kingdom and the abdication of the king, his father, Shō Tai, in 1879, and later succeeded to the title of in the kazoku peerage following his father's death in 1901.- Biography :Shō Ten was born in Shuri...
, son of the Ryūkyū Kingdom's last king, Shō Tai
Sho Tai
was the last king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom . His reign saw greatly increased interactions with travelers from abroad, particularly from Europe and the United States, as well as the eventual end of the kingdom and its annexation by Japan as Okinawa Prefecture.In 1879, the deposed king was forced to...
, who was entombed there on September 26, 1920. The structure suffered extensive damage in the 1945 battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
, and was subsequently looted, but the tombs and royal remains themselves remain intact, and much of the structure has been restored in the years since the end of the war. It was designated a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
on December 2, 2000, as a part of the site group Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu
Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu
The Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu is an UNESCO World Heritage Site which consists of nine sites all located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The heritage sites include two groves or utaki, the mausoleum Tamaudun, one garden, and five gusuku castles sites, most of which...
.
Royalty entombed
- Eastern Chamber
- Shō EnSho En' was a king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, the founder of the Second Shō Dynasty. Prior to becoming king, he was known as '.-Early life and rise to power:...
(1415–1476) - Shō ShinSho Shin' was a king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, the third of the line of the Second Shō Dynasty. Shō Shin's long reign has been described as "the Great Days of Chūzan", a period of great peace and relative prosperity. He was the son of Shō En, the founder of the dynasty, by Yosoidon, Shō En's second wife,...
(1465–1526) - Shō SeiSho Sei*For the 19th century king of Ryūkyū , see Shō Sei .Shō Sei was king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom from 1526 to 1555...
(1497–1555) - Shō GenSho GenShō Gen was king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom from 1556 to 1572. He was called "Gen, the mute." the king required considerable support from the Sanshikan , the chief council of royal advisors...
(1528–1572) - Shō Baigaku, Queen of Shō Gen (d. 1605)
- Shō Ei (1559–1588)
- Aoriya anjiAnji (Ryukyu)thumb|AjiAn aji, anji, or azu was a ruler of a petty kingdom in the history of the Ryukyu Islands. The word later became a title and rank of nobility in the Ryūkyū Kingdom. It is said to be related to the Japanese aruji , and the pronunciation varied throughout the islands. It ranked next below a...
Kanashi (dates unknown) - Shō Konkō, Queen of Shō Ei (1562–1637)
- Shō HōSho Ho', also known as Shengfeng, was a king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. He succeeded Shō Nei, whose reign saw the invasion of Ryūkyū by Japanese forces in 1609 and the subjugation of the kingdom to Satsuma Domain, and ruled from 1621 until 1640....
(1590–1640) - Shō Baigan, Queen of Shō Hō (dates unknown)
- Shō Kyō, eldest son of Shō Hō (1612–1631)
- Shō Rankei, Queen of Shō Hō (1588–1661)
- Shō Ken (1625–1647)
- Shō Kaho, Queen of Shō Ken (1630–1666)
- Shō ShitsuSho Shitsu' was a king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom who held the throne from 1648 until his death in 1668.The fourth son of King Shō Hō, he was named Prince of Sashiki in 1637, at the age of eight, and was granted Sashiki magiri as his domain...
(1629–1668) - Shō Hakusō, Queen of Shō Shitsu (1629–1699)
- Shō TeiShō Tei' was the 11th King of the Second Shō Dynasty of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, who held the throne from 1669 until his death in 1709. He was the ruler of Ryūkyū at the time of the compiling of the Chūzan Seibu ....
(1645–1709) - Shō Gesshin, Queen of Shō Tei (1645–1703)
- Shō JunSho Jun (1660-1706)' was a Crown Prince of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, the son of King Shō Tei.At the age of 9, he was named Prince of Nakagusuku, and given Sashiki and Nakagusuku magiri as his domains...
, Crown Prince, eldest son of Shō Tei (1660–1706) - Shō Giun, Crown Princess, wife of Shō Jun (1664–1723)
- Shō Eki (1678–1712)
- Shō Konkō, Queen of Shō Eki (1680–1745)
- Shō KeiSho Kei' was king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom from 1713-1752. His reign, strongly guided by royal advisor Sai On, is regarded as a political and economic golden age and period of the flowering of Okinawan culture....
(1700–1751) - Shō Ninshitsu, Queen of Shō Kei (1705–1779)
- Shō BokuShō Boku' was a king of Ryukyu. His reign began in 1756. Although a period of relative stability he had to contend with a tsunami in 1771 that devastated the Miyako Islands and Yaeyama Islands. His reign also saw the Chinese envoy Chou Huang who wrote a sixteen volume topography of the islands for the...
(1739–1794) - Shō Shukutoku, Queen of Shō Boku (1740–1779)
- Shō Tetsu (1759–1788)
- Shō Tokutaku, Queen of Shō Tetsu (1762–1795)
- Shō On (1784–1802)
- Shō Sentoku, Queen of Shō On (1785–1869)
- Shō SeiSho Sei*For the 19th century king of Ryūkyū , see Shō Sei .Shō Sei was king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom from 1526 to 1555...
(1800–1803) - Shō KōSho Ko' was a king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, who held the throne from 1804 to 1828, when he was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, Shō Iku...
(1787–1834) - Shō Juntoku, Queen of Shō Kō (1791–1854)
- Shō Iku (1813–1847)
- Shō Gentei, Queen of Shō Iku (1814–1864)
- Shō TaiSho Taiwas the last king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom . His reign saw greatly increased interactions with travelers from abroad, particularly from Europe and the United States, as well as the eventual end of the kingdom and its annexation by Japan as Okinawa Prefecture.In 1879, the deposed king was forced to...
(1843–1901) - Shō Kenshitsu, Queen of Shō Tai (1843–1868)
- Shō TenSho Tenwas the last crown prince of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. He lost that title upon the abolition of the kingdom and the abdication of the king, his father, Shō Tai, in 1879, and later succeeded to the title of in the kazoku peerage following his father's death in 1901.- Biography :Shō Ten was born in Shuri...
, Crown Prince, eldest son of Shō Tai (1864–1920) - Shō Shō, Crown Princess, wife of Shō Ten (dates unknown)
- Western Chamber
- Shō Gesshin, eldest daughter of Shō En (dates unknown)
- Eldest daughter of Shō Ikō (name, dates unknown)
- Shō Shōi, third son of Shō Shin (dates unknown)
- Shō Isshi, eldest daughter of Shō Gen (d. 1570)
- Shō Setsurei, wife of Shō Gen (dates unknown)
- Shō Bairei, wife of Shō Gen (dates unknown)
- Shō Getsurei, second daughter of Shō Ei (1584–1653)
- Shō Ryōgetsu, wife of Shō Hō (1597–1634)
- Shō Setsurei, wife of Shō Kyō (d. 1697)
- Shō Ryōchoku, wife of Shō Bun (dates unknown)
- Shō Kyū, third son of Shō Gen (1560–1620)
- Shō Yō, second son of Shō Kō (1813–1815)
- Shō Ken, fourth son of Shō Kō (b. 1818)
- Shō Ten, seventh son of Shō Kō (1829–1833)
- Shō Shun, eldest daughter of Shō Iku (1832–1844)
- Shō Otoko and Michiko, fifth and sixth daughters of Shō Tai (dates unknown)
- 17 Unknowns, one in the Central Chamber
External links
- UNESCO World Heritage Site Listing - Official Site
- (Japanese) 沖縄の世界遺産玉陵 (Tamaudun, World Heritage Site of Okinawa)