Naha 2019: Tamaudun Mausoleum (玉陵)

Just west of Shuri Castle is the Tamaudun Mausoleum where Okinawa’s royal families were buried. Like Shuri Castle, the mausoleum was badly damaged during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 and it required reconstruction after the war ended. There are two gateways you have to pass through to reach the mausoleum itself and they aren’t very tall so most people will need to duck their heads to pass through them. When facing the mausoleum you’ll see doors to three separate chambers. The center one is for people who have recently died and whose bodies haven’t been prepared yet for final burial, while the door on the right leads to a chamber for princess and princesses, and the door on the left is for the chamber that houses kings and queens.

The entry ticket for Tamaudun also grants access to a small museum. Inside it are photos of how the structure used to look before WW2, a model of the mausoleum’s interior, and a collection of burial urns that were used for various Okinawa royals.