Shuri Castle’s bright red hall is finally restored six years after fire

JIJI
October 31, 2025

The main hall of Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, which was destroyed in a fire in October 2019, has largely regained its iconic appearance after exterior reconstruction work came close to completion in July.

The vivid vermilion wooden palace, long regarded as a symbol of the island, is finally visible again as crews move on to interior painting and decorative work ahead of the hall’s full completion, which is slated for autumn next year.

Since the blaze six years ago, donations have poured in — including from street collections by students and contributions from Okinawan associations abroad — to support the rebuilding of the former Ryukyu Kingdom’s royal palace.