Zuisen literally translates to “magnificent spring.” Just to the right of the gate is a small opening-- Can you see it? You should see water gushing from the mouth of a dragon, water that has flowed ever since the age of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Surrounding the spring are seven stone monuments, each with a different poem from the envoys describing the spring water. The oldest one is called “Chūzan Daiichi,” and is about the time before the foundation of the Ryukyu Kingdom, when the Okinawa Islands were divided into three groups: Nanzan, Chūzan and Hokuzan. The other monuments have their own poems about the spring water, comparing it to the grand stalactites of the highest mountains, the splashing of a smooth pond, or the fragrance of a magnificent stream.
Life on Okinawa Island has always meant living off the spring water, ever since ancient times. The Ryukyu Kingdom served the spring water here as drinking water for the king and the Chinese envoys, as it was decidedly the most delicious. When the envoys visited, they would stay in Naha city and would be brought 200 liters of water from this spring every day. Though the envoy's visits would last six months each time, the Ryukyu Kingdom never missed a day providing the spring water to them. It was a special sign of respect to be greeted with such fine water, and such manners and sense of hospitality is part of what created such a high level of standards between the Ryukyu Kingdom and the Chinese envoys.
