The first floor of the Seiden is referred to as Shicha-gui. Unlike the Ufu-gui located on the second floor, this is a public space, where the king would take care of political matters. It was here where he would listen to the reports of the bureaucrats and hand down new proclamations or decrees. It was truly the center of politics.

In the middle of the room lies the Usasuka, where the king would sit during these proceedings. The king would enter the room through the small staircase behind the Usasuka as if he was descending down from heaven. While you are unable to see it, the roof of the Usasuka is made in a formal style. The surrounding decorations are also made in order to reflect the gravity of the emperor.

You can feel that majesty in the pictures below.

However, in the 19th century, Ryukyu was once again invaded by Japan and forced to become Okinawa prefecture. The kingdom which had spanned over 450 years found itself at its end.

Let’s explore this time period a bit more.

After Japan came in contact with the Black Ships that brought Perry, they came face to face with the menace of foreign powers, and turned their focus on modernizing the nation. They overthrew the outdated Bakufu regime and transitioned into the Meiji Restoration. The one who was at the center of this shift was the Satsuma Regime. Due to their knowledge of the state of foreign affairs with their experience of controlling Ryukyu for over 200 years, Satsuma was easily able to seize leadership.


One of the main changes in the Meiji Restoration was to abolish the feudal domains and create prefectures. With this, Ryukyu came to be known as Ryukyu Han. It was thought that the control of Ryukyu would simply pass from Satsuma to Japan. However, This was a naïve concept. Ryukyu-han was just a strategic precursor to the establishment of Okinawa Prefecture (or Okinawa-ken). By the time Ryukyu realized it, they had already lost.

The retainer state relationship with China was completely severed, and the king was moved to Tokyo. The king was separated from the Kingdom, and the other officials were pushed out of the castle. Many people turned to China for help, but, China had just lost in the Sino-Japanese War, and they had withdrawn from Okinawa completely. And thus Ryukyu had met its demise.