Approximately 37 minutes by car from Naha Airport. It is a nationally designated historic site located in Nishihara Town facing the Pacific Ocean, 14 km west of Naha. Located in a residential area, it creates an extraordinary atmosphere. If the time of year is right, the natural treasure “Sagaribana” can be seen.
Point 1: What is the location where “Uchima Goten” is located?
Uchima Goten” is a nationally designated historic site, located in Nishihara-cho, about 14 km west of Naha. It takes about 37 minutes to get there, so it is not so difficult to access.
However, it is an area that is not visited by many tourists, and there are not many other tourist attractions.
The Uchima Palace is also located in a residential area, giving off an unusual atmosphere. The area surrounding the palace building is like a park, and the dense greenery may have added to the solemn atmosphere of the area.
Point 2: What is “Uchima Goten”?
The “Uchima Palace” is a temple built 190 years after the death of King Sho En, on the site of the former residence of Kanamaru (later King Sho En), the founder of the second Sho dynasty, who was appointed as head of the Uchima region.
There were two palaces, Nishie and Higashiie, but most of them were lost during the Battle of Okinawa, leaving the stonewalls and the pedestal of the palace.
The stonewalls and the pedestal of the palace remained. Since then, the palace has undergone numerous renovations, and celadon plates, the sacred object of the shrine, which were stolen several times, were replaced.
In 1974, Mr. Masao Nakayama, the head of the Oya family, rebuilt the palace in its present block construction.
Currently, a large-scale maintenance plan is underway, and since surveys and construction work are constantly being carried out, there are reviews that construction equipment and other items are left unattended, destroying the atmosphere of the building. There must be a reason why it is not easy to rush into construction.
Point 3: What month is the best time to see the sagaribana at “Uchima Goten”?
The Uchima Goten grounds are planted with the sagaribana plant. The tree is said to be over 400 years old!
This plant is distributed from Africa to India and Southeast Asia, and in Japan it grows only in the subtropical zone south of Amami-Oshima Island.
There are various kinds of sagaribana, but the white sagaribana is planted at “Uchima Goten”.
In Iriomote Island, a tour to see the white sagaribana is held, and it is a rare plant that cannot be seen in the inner islands.
It is said that it blossoms from June to August, and it buds overnight, leaving the stamen to fall off on the next day.
Since they usually bloom in the hinterland of mangroves and wetlands along rivers, visitors can go on a tour to see the scattered stamens floating on the surface of the river.
In addition, there is a fairly large cosmos field planted by local people on the site next to “Uchima Goten,” which blooms beautifully from January to March. If you come during the winter season, this is also a sight to see.
