This could easily be the story of one great man but the five castles that still stand (UNESCO World Heritage Sites all) do so as a testament to his legacy.

His name was Gosamaru and many said that he was perhaps the rightful heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hokuzan “Northern Kingdom” on tiny Okinawa Island. He was the Aji or Lord of Yamada which was the southernmost fiefdom in the Hokuzan kingdom. His domain protected the southern flank of the kingdom against attack from the Lords of Chuzan, the “Central Kingdom.”

Okinawa was once known as the Kingdom of the Ryukyu’s. But when the first Sho Dynasty died out, the kingdom was fragmented into three distinct kingdoms. Nanzan was the southernmost and tiniest of the three. Chuzan was the central kingdom, most populated and the most powerful. These two smaller kingdoms occupied the southern third of the main island. Hokuzan was the northernmost and largest in land mass and also controlled the Amami island group, part of present day Kagoshima Prefecture to the north.

All three kingdoms vied for preeminence. The prize was trade with China and Japan. Chuzan was first to gain entrance into China and the others soon followed suit. While China did officially recognize the three entities, they preferred dealing with just one. It took one man’s vision and another to change allegiances to make that a reality.

Sho Hashi was the King of Chuzan and a descendant of the last Sho monarch. He dreamed of reuniting the kingdom under his rule. Though Chuzan was the most powerful of the three kingdoms, he still needed help in order to achieve this dream. Enter Gosamaru. Remember that as the Lord of Yamada, he literally held the keys to the northern kingdom.

Sho Hashi persuaded Gosamaru to switch sides and together they marched on Nakijin Castle in the distant Motobu Peninsula. Nakijin castle was a formidable obstacle but through a little bit of trickery, they convinced the King of Hokuzan that their armies were on the run and the only thing needed for total victory was a final cavalry charge. Once the king of Hokuzan committed his cavalry, the undefended castle walls were breached and Nakijin fell.

With Hokuzan back in the fold, Nanzan soon fell and the kingdom was reunited once again by the Sho family. Gosamaru became the king’s loyal retainer and his power within the kingdom was second only to the king. The alliance was further cemented by the marriage of the king’s son to Gosamaru’s daughter. Gosamaru was appointed the governor of Hokuzan and served the king loyally.

In his later years, Gosamaru retired back to his family estates and the place of his birth. The King rewarded his many acts of loyalty by giving him additional lands and Gosamaru built a new castle not far from his old one at Yamada. In fact, to build the new castle at Zakimi hill, they disassembled the old castle at Yamada and moved it stone by stone to the new site.

Zakimi Castle differs from all of the other castle sites on Okinawa for three main reasons. First, it was the very first castle that was built with cut stones. Previous castles were made from stone that was simply stacked one atop another. In Zakimi, we see superior stone cutting techniques that are used at later built facilities. Secondly, where other castles were built atop easily defended mountain ridges, Zakimi is built upon an earthen hilltop that was more suitable for agriculture than military action. Lastly, Zakimi castle is the very first castle that was built as a residential dwelling vice a military outpost and fortress.

Gosamaru was only able to enjoy retirement in his new home at Zakimi for a few years. When Sho Hashi passed away, his son ascended the throne and Gosamaru’s daughter was now queen. Amawari, the lord at Katsuren Castle was making mischief for the King by making his own foreign trade agreements and alliances. To assuage his lust for power, the king made a marriage alliance with Amawari and to protect the kingdom, moved Gosamaru to Nakagusuku Castle which stood between Katsuren and the King’s castle at Shuri.

The old warrior, Gosamaru, wasted no time in fortifying the decaying old castle at Nakagusuku and raising and training an army of his own to defend the kingdom against Amawari. Unfortunately Gosamaru was correct in his assumptions. Amawari’s lust for power was not abated by a marriage alliance and he used his new position as the son-in-law to the king to further his ambitions.

Amawari gained an audience with the king and persuaded him that it was Gosamaru and not he that was the greater threat. Knowing that Gosamaru was raising and training an army, he convinced the king to send scouts and confirm his half truths. When the scouts returned and reported that Amawari was correct, Gosamaru was training troops for battle, the king ordered Amawari to command the king’s army and arrest Gosamaru.

But once again, Amawari used deceitfulness to destroy his enemies. Instead of arresting Gosamaru, he used the king’s army to lay siege to Nakagusuku castle. Gosamaru seeing that it was the King’s army that had come to make war against him, chose suicide rather than fight against his lord the King.

This is the part of the story that mystifies most westerners. We would protest our innocence rather than give up. To western minds, the act of suicide would be the same as an admission of guilt. But in eastern cultures, suicide in certain situations is a way to protest and show your honor. By committing suicide rather than fight, Gosamaru demonstrated his loyalty to the king.

Amawari had not anticipated this turn of events. He realized that the king would know of his deceit from Gosamaru’s suicide and fled back to his castle at Katsuren. The king greatly regretted that he had believed his new son-in-law instead of his father-in-law and set his armies to march on Amawari’s fortress. Katsuren Castle was believed to be impregnable but the walls were breached in just two days. Amawari was thrown to his death off the castle keep and peace and stability returned once again to the tiny Ryukyu Kingdom but at a terrible cost.