This gate wasn’t normally used. In fact, it was usually blocked off with stones and was only opened during construction or renovation for hauling wood into the castle grounds. The timber used for construction was cut from the Yanbaru forest in the northern part of Okinawa Island, transported by ship to Yonabaru Port, and from there transported to Shuri City. The villagers would sing "Kunjan Sabakui" as a labor song when the timber would arrive at the port.
"Kunjan Sabakui" is a Ryukyu folk song that you can still hear today. You can hear the “Ee-hehe” squeals and the “Ah-haha” laughter in the song.
Any construction project included the whole community. The cutting and transporting of timber was done by one group, and was a very labor intensive task. When the timber arrived in Shuri, the residents of Naha would also join in the construction work. It’s alleged that when construction was completed, men and women of all ages celebrated together by waving flags, ringing bells and gongs, and dancing. The people of Ryukyu came together to build and maintain Shuri-jo Castle. Singing, laughing, and dancing was just as essential as the physical labor.
During the restoration of Shuri-jo Castle in 1992, the same event took place at Kobiki-mon. There might be another day soon when Kobiki-mon will open and timber will be passed through.
