This room acts as the boundary between the Seiden and the O’uchibara or the ladies’ chambers.

Beyond this point is where the court ladies spent their time. Men were forbidden from entering here, and whenever they had business to be taken care of in O’uchbara, they would wait here in the Kinjo Tsumesho while a government official would relay the message on their behalf. The opposite was also true. Whenever the ladies of O’uchibara had a message for the men in the Seiden, the official would relay the message for them.

The rope you see before you was used to ring the bell. If you pull this rope, the bell on the other side will ring. If you were to pull the rope on the other side, the bell on this side will ring. At one point,there were 20 people working as messengers.

Let’s take a look at a day in the life of the King.

The bell rings out on the castle grounds at 6 AM. Once he wakes up, the king heads to the bathroom. While there, he washes his face with the set his servants have prepared for him, brushes his teeth, and has his hair done by his servants. Following this, he heads to the Seiden for his morning prayers, followed by breakfast on the second floor.

After this, he changes into his work clothes, and heads out to do his professional duties. He takes a break from his work in the Oku-shoin, or by taking a walk in the gardens. At 2 PM he takes lunch, and in the afternoon, he welcomes guests and continues his work. If he has some down time, he calls a subordinate to play go, or composes songs. Of course, there were times when he would leave the castle to go to places like Shikina-en Gardens.

In the evening, it is time to take a bath. He returns to his room and once changed, he heads to the second floor of the Seiden for dinner. The bell chimes on the grounds of the castle signaling it is time for dinner, and the people of Shuri begin to feast.