Fire at Shuri Castle

In the early hours of October 31, a fire broke out at Shuri Castle (Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture), completely destroying the Main Hall, North Hall, and South Hall, as well as damaging a total of nine other buildings. The complex centered around the Main Hall was rebuilt in 1992 after being burned down during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Additionally, the buildings that were destroyed housed over 1,500 paintings, lacquerware, and other craftworks dating back to the time of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Among these, 421 permanent displayed items in the Main Hall were either destroyed or damaged by the fire. (Japanese)