Workers inspect roof tiles before starting roofing work at Shuri Castle in Naha on July 15.
11:10 JST, July 27, 2024
NAHA — Roofing work has begun on the rebuilt Seiden Main Hall of the fire-ravaged Shuri Castle in Naha. The castle’s roofs are expected to be covered with about 30,000 red tiles.
The red roof tiles are made from a powder of finely ground roof tiles previously used in the castle, which was largely destroyed by fire in 2019, as well as red clay and kucha, a mud brick containing iron.
Roofing work began on July 15. Inside a temporary structure designed to keep out rain and wind, about 10 workers carefully placed shingles one by one on the edges of the roof frames.
“We would like to build a large, long-lasting work together with workers from inside and outside the prefecture,” said a local worker involved in the project, referring to the tradition of mutual aid in Okinawa Prefecture.
The castle’s main hall burned down in the October 2019 fire, along with six other buildings in the complex, including the North Hall. Two other buildings were partially damaged. Restoration work on the main hall began in November 2022. The work, including painting the exterior, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026.
