While Perry is known for coming to Japan during the Edo period to force it to open its doors, what isn’t well known is that he came to this Island a few months before that.

The famous black ships of the time ran on coal, and before negotiations with the Japanese government, Perry had to scout for places to replenish the ships coal in case the negotiations ran sour. After landing in Okinawa, Perry came onto shore with a mineralogist and left behind a few sketches of the area.

Take a look at the following image. Written alongside the sketches are praises of how durable the stone structures are despite not using cement or mortar. In order to prepare for the Battle of Okinawa in WWII, documentation surrounding Nakagusuku was brought to Tokyo. However, Tokyo became victim to severe fire bombings and all of the documents were burnt to a crisp. Absolutely nothing was left.

These sketches left from Perry’s travels are the oldest and best documents of the castle.