Zakimi Castle

Gosamaru held Yomitanzan and was famous as a castle builder. He first lived at Yamada Gusuku, about 4 km to the northeast, and after he joined Sho Hashi's campaign against Hokuzan at Nakijin in 1416 he chose this hill for its command of the land around. Some sources put that campaign in 1422. In 1440 the king moved him on to Nakagusuku. The walls here enclose 7,385 m², a middle-sized castle for its time, and they draw gentle, elegant curves around the hilltop.

The arch gates use a keystone at the crown, which is considered an early form of the Ryukyuan arch. In August 1944 the Japanese army set up an anti-aircraft battery in the first enclosure to guard the North Airfield, and the air raid of 10 October 1944 and the Battle of Okinawa left the castle badly damaged. After the American landing in April 1945 the site fell inside the Bolo Point firing range. In 1958 the US military built a Nike missile radar site on it, and that facility came back on 31 October 1974.

The Ryukyu Government listed the ruin as an important cultural property in 1956, and it became a national historic site in 1972 when Okinawa returned to Japan. Excavation and wall repair ran from 1973 to 1985, and the village had long hoped for the World Heritage listing that came on 2 December 2000. Yuntanza Museum took its present form on 23 June 2018 when the old history and folklore museum merged with the art museum. Its galleries cover the castle and the village's crafts and history.