Chibana Castle Ruins — Attraction in Okinawa

Great little outing if you are in the area. You can easily spend over an hour exploring the different trails and caves. Make sure to wear proper hiking shoes and dress appropriately to hike and climb stairs. Wear mosquito spray. The mountain trails could use some maintenance/clean up and there was a trail that we did not get to fully complete because of the dense vegetation but it was a exciting to see and read the history regarding this castle. The location is easy to get to and we parked at the top of the hill. I don’t recommend this hike for very young children as there are some steep stairs heading up to the observatory and slippery terrain in some spots. I did visit here with my 7 year old twins and they...

History

Chibana Castle was in use during the reign of the First Shō Dynasty and served as the residence of the Aji of Goeku Magiri. The castle and Goeku Magiri was given to the Ryukyuan general Uni-Ufugusuku by King Shō Taikyū in return for defeating the Aji of Katsuren Castle, Amawari. After the fall of the First Shō Dynasty, Uni-Ufugusuku was expelled from the castle and later committed suicide. His tomb, and that of his wife, was built at the bottom of the hill that Chibana Castle is atop.

In the early 1960s, a structure was built on top of the hill to commemorate the castle and serve as a tourist attraction, from which all of the former Goeku Magiri...

Came here to check out this area as it is a historical landmark on the map. There were plenty of ants and mosquitoes and one long trek up a bunch of steep stairs. One area which I didn’t go was an area with the a tombstone. I climbed a few steps and had to turn back. There’s nothing here and won’t be coming back here again. It’s a creepy place for...