Translated by Motobu Naoki
As reported in the Okinawa Times this morning, the Tomb of Motobu Udun (literally, palace) was recently designated as a historic site in Ginowan City, Okinawa.
Royal udun tombs are the tombs of Okinawan royalty, and are the most important tombs related to the Second Shō Dynasty, after the tombs of the kings such as Tama Udun, Urasoe Yōdore, etc. Some of the royal udun tombs have already been designated as cultural assets or historic sites by the local governments.
The tomb of Motobu Udun has been investigated by the Ginowan City Board of Education since 2012. It has now been designated as a historic site for its academic value.
The tomb of Motobu Udun is the resting place of Motobu Chōyū and the other heads of the family, and as a tomb related to Okinawan karate and kobudō, the designation as a historic site is very significant. The following are the reasons why the tomb was designated as a historic site.
1) Designation Criteria
Ginowan City Outline of Criteria for Designation and Recognition of Cultural Properties (Board of Education Instruction No. 6), Article 6, Criteria for Designation of City-designated Historic Sites, Scenic Spots, and Natural Monuments. 1: Section of historic sites. Among the following sites, those that are indispensable for the correct understanding of Ginowan's history, and those that have academic value in terms of their scale, remains, and excavated artifacts.
(8) Tomb and Monument
2) Description * The tomb of Motobu Udun is a tortoise shell tomb located in Ganeko. It is the tomb of the Motobu family, whose founder was Shō Kōshin, or Prince Motobu Chōhei, the sixth son of King Shō Shitsu, the tenth king of the Second Shō Dynasty. The "brow" (eaves) of the tomb is gently bowed at both ends, similar to the ancient tortoise shell tombs that have been dated in the city. The front wall of the tomb chamber is made of polygonal stones, and the walls to the left and right are made of square stones and spread out like a folding screen. The upper part of the tomb is entirely covered with stones.
The tomb garden is divided into the front garden (first garden) and the outer garden (second garden), with a height difference of 1 m. Similar to the tomb of Ginowan Udun, there is a height difference from the entrance of the garden to the front of the tomb chamber, which is thought to express the high status of the deceased (royalty) and the high prestige of the royal udun tomb. The entire tomb is surrounded by stone walls, and the top of the tomb is covered with more stones.
The tomb chamber has an arched ceiling with one shelf at the back and one shelf on each side, and a total of ten urns have been identified. From the inscription on the limestone urn in the center of the back shelf, it can be inferred that the remains of the founder, Prince Motobu Chōhei, and his wife were placed in the urn.
In accordance with the description in the "Ōdaiki" (King's Chronicle) that his remains, which were originally enshrined in Sueyoshi Shuri, were moved to Ganeko, it can be inferred that the tomb was built after the 33rd year of Kangxi (1694), when the founder Chōhei was made senkotsu (to purify his bones).
In addition, the path that remains on the north side of the entrance of the tomb garden is not straight but bends at right angles every few dozen meters. According to the tradition of the family, the site of the tomb was 2,000 tsubo (6,600 square meters), so the tomb area at the time of the tomb's construction was quite large, and the path mentioned above is thought to have originally been located within the tomb area. It is thought to have been an approach to the tomb meant to ward off evil.
The tomb of Motobu Udun is very valuable for the study of the relationship between the royalty and Ginowan at that time, and the construction and transition of the ancient tortoise shell tomb.
I contacted the Ginowan City Board of Education in 2012 and asked them to investigate the tomb of Motobu Udun. The head of the Cultural Affairs Division at the time was an expert on ancient tombs and showed great interest in the tomb, so the Sōke (Motobu Chōsei) and I visited the late Motobu Chōtatsu, the grandson of Chōyū Sensei, at the hospital where he was hospitalized to get his approval for the investigation. Unfortunately, he passed away afterwards, but his son, who succeeded him, understood the importance of the investigation, and I am very happy that the tomb has been designated as a historic site. Restoration work on the tomb is scheduled to begin this year.