Kugani-Udun: the living quarters of the king and queen.
It’s located within the area generally referred to as O’uchibara, the eastern area of the castle complex behind Seiden. Inside Kugani-Udun are rooms like the living room or “Ni-kei-Udun,” and the kitchen or “Yuinchi.” It also served as the lady's chambers where there were around 100 women at any given time who worked to support the king and his family. Men were forbidden to enter, and if one were to ever enter he would be punished with “banishment from the island for life.”
We’ll explain more about the O’uchibara area later.
The prince could marry once he reached the age of 16, but what kind of woman would be chosen, and how?
Actually, back then a sort of “audition'' was held to choose the queen. The qualifications to audition were as follows: you must be around 10 years old, from an influential family, and be gifted with both intelligence and beauty. The judges were court officials and court ladies, but the prince was also sure to be watching the auditions, peering in from a distance.
During the first part of the audition, the candidates were ordered to play in the garden. They would play games such as bouncing Temari balls, jumping around on one foot, and holding hands and swinging around together, all while the judges observe and determine the candidates physical condition and overall character.
The next part of the audition is held inside while the judges observe the candidates mannerisms. After that, they test their eating etiquette, followed by a one-on-one interview where the judges observe their education and vocabulary. During this process, the candidates are narrowed down to two or three girls.
Finally, at the final stage of the audition, the candidates are brought to the queen's throne room and are ordered to do a simple task-- to choose a cushion from the ones lined up and take a seat. Little do they know that they have actually hidden a pair of golden tongs under one of the cushions, and the girl who sits on the cushion where the surprise is hidden is chosen to be the queen. In other words, it’s pure luck.