Japanese Stamps Digital Museum

文化財保護 << 1963年(昭和38年) 11月1日 >> 8-4-34

Cultural Treasures Protection Week Issued on Nov.16, 1963 (Showa38)

Cultural Treasures Protection Week Issued on Nov. 16, 1963 (Showa38) The Ryukyu Kingdom was established about 570 years ago and has existed in the Nansei Islands of Japan for about 450 years. Due to the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government expelled the king in 1879, declared the establishment of Okinawa Prefecture (abolition of the feudal clan), and the Ryukyu Kingdom was destroyed. Gusuku is a castle built mainly by the rural tribes in the 12th and 16th centuries as a base of residence and defense. There were about 300 Gusuku in Ryukyu, but the ruins of Nakagusuku Castle were less damaged by the Pacific War and are the most prototype of Gusuku, so it is important to know the history and the technique of building a castle in Ryukyu. It has extremely high value. 1972 (Showa47) On May 15, with the return of Okinawa to Japan, it became a nationally designated historic site and was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2000 (Heisei 12) as "Gusuku Sites and Related Heritage Sites of the Kingdom of Ryukyu". The stamp is issued for the purpose of protecting the precious cultural properties of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and depicts Nakagusuku Castle. Quote: Nakagusuku Castle Ruins Joint Management Council HP.2022