Naha is located on theEast China Sea coast of the southern part ofOkinawa Island, the largest of Okinawa Prefecture. The modern city was officially founded on May 20, 1921. Before that, Naha had been for centuries one of the most important and populous sites in Okinawa.
Naha is the political, economic and educational center of Okinawa Prefecture. In the medieval and early modern periods,[4] it was the commercial center of theRyukyu Kingdom.
Central Naha consists of the Palette Kumoji shopping mall, theOkinawa Prefecture Office, Naha City Hall, and many banks and corporations, located at the west end of Kokusai-dōri, the city's main street. Kokusai-dōri (国際通り, "International Avenue") boasts a 1.6 kilometer (1 mile) long stretch of stores, restaurants and bars. Kokusai-dōri ends at the main bus terminal in Okinawa and is served by several stations along theOkinawa Urban Monorail, the only train system in the prefecture.
Spurring off from Kokusai-dōri is the coveredHeiwa-dōri Shopping Arcade and Makishi Public Market, a massiveshōtengai filled with fresh fish, meat, and produce stands, restaurants, tourist goods shops, and liquor shops. Just outside the market area is the neighborhood of Tsuboya (壺屋, "pot/jar shop"), which was once a major center of ceramic production (seeTsuboya-yaki).
Northeast of Kokusai-dōri is a relatively new commercial district called Shintoshin (新都心, "New Metropolitan Center"). The area, formerlyUnited States military housing, was released to Okinawa in 1987, but major development only began in the mid-1990s.Omoromachi Station is attached directly to an upscale shopping mall; another mall, Naha Main Place, a few hundred meters (yards) down the street, contains many upscale Western-brand fashion boutiques, with restaurants and other shops. Frequented by young people, the area boasts large stores such asToys R Us and Best Denki (an electronics store), a co-op market, many restaurants and a movie theater.
TheOkinawa Prefectural Museum, containing sections devoted to the art, history, and natural history of the Ryukyus, opened in the area in November 2007 and sits in front ofShintoshin Park.
According to theIrosetsuden (遺老説伝), the name of Naha comes from its original name, Naba, which was the name of a large,mushroom-shaped stone in the city. (Naba is aWestern Japanese andRyukyuan word for "mushroom.") Gradually, the stone wore away and became buried, and the name's pronunciation and itskanji gradually changed.[6]
"Naha from Bamboo Village" looking toward the seashore. Lithography byWilhelm Heine (1856).
In Naha, some archeological relics of theStone Age were found. From aJōmon periodkaizuka (shell mound), ancient Chinese coins were found. Pottery found by archaeologists indicates that the area was an active site of trade with the Japanese archipelago and Korean peninsula at least as early as the 11th century. Though it is not known just when the area first became organized as a functioning port city, it was active as such by the time of the unification of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in the early 15th century.[7]
Though today Naha has grown to incorporate the former royal capital city ofShuri, center of Chinese learningKumemura, and other towns and villages, in the period of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, it was a smaller city, prominent as a major port, but not as a political center.
Medieval Naha was on a tiny island called Ukishima, connected to the mainland of Okinawa Island by a narrow causeway called Chōkōtei (長虹堤,lit. "long rainbow embankment") which led on to Shuri. The main port area for international trade, Naha proper, was divided into the East (東,higashi) and West (西,nishi) districts and was on the southwestern portion of Ukishima. A large open-air marketplace was active in front of the royal government trading center, oroyamise (親見世). A number of Japanese temples and shrines were located here, along with a residence and embassy, known as the Tenshikan (天使館), for visiting Chinese officials. A pair of forts (Mie gusuku andYarazamori gusuku) built atop embankments extending out across the entrance to the harbor defended the port, and a small island within the harbor held a warehouse,Omono gusuku (御物グスク), used for storing trade goods.[8]
Tomari (泊), on the mainland of Okinawa Island to the northeast of Ukishima, served as the chief port for trade within the Ryūkyū Islands. The administrators of Tomari were also responsible for collecting and managing thetribute paid to the kingdom by theAmami Islands, whose tribute ships made port here.[8]
Kume-Ōdōri (久米大通り, "Kume Great Avenue") ran across Ukishima from southeast to northwest, forming the center of the walled community ofKumemura, the center of classical Chinese learning in Ryūkyū for centuries.[8] Kumemura is traditionally believed to have been founded by 36Min families sent to Ryūkyū by the Ming Chinese Imperial Court and to be inhabited primarily or solely by descendants of those settlers; historian Uezato Takashi points out, however, that due to Naha's prominence in international maritime trade networks, it is quite likely that many other Chinese, chiefly fromFujian and other maritime trading areas along the southern Chinese coast, would have settled here as well.[9]
Major sites in the community included the TensonbyōTaoist temple near the northern end of Kume-Ōdōri and two shrines called Upper and Lower Tenpigū, dedicated to the Taoist goddess of the sea Tenpi, also known asMatsu.[8] A Confucian temple, the gift of theKangxi Emperor, was built in Kumemura in the 1670s; theMeirindō, a school of classic Confucian Chinese learning, was established in 1718.[10] Following their destruction inWorld War II, the Meirindō, Confucian temple, and Tenpigū shrines were rebuilt on the site of the Tensonbyō in northern Kume, where they stand today as the Confucian templeShiseibyō.
On the northwest side of Ukishima lay Wakasamachi (若狭町, "Wakasa town"), a community traditionally said to have been founded by Japanese settlers. It was organized around Wakasamachi-Ōdōri, an avenue which intersected with Kume-Ōdōri and ran across tidal mudflats to the east of Ukishima, connecting the community to the port of Tomari on the Okinawan mainland. A number of Japanese shrines and temples were located in Wakasamachi, including theNaminoue Shrine, theZen temple Kōganji, and temples devoted toEbisu andJizō. The community had lodgings specifically set aside for traders and travelers from theTokara Islands.[8]
Kokusai Dori, International Main Street in Naha, 1950s
Another settlement, known as Izumizaki, lay on the mainland of Okinawa Island, just across the Kumoji River from Ukishima. Izumizaki had no notable or major port facilities and is believed to have been simply an extension of the residential community of Naha proper, which thus spread onto the mainland as the population and according demand for land grew.[8] At some point, the tidal mudflats and Kumoji River separating Ukishima, that is, Naha, from Okinawa Island were filled in. The neighborhoods of Kume, Wakasa, and Tomari can still be found in Naha today.
CommodoreMatthew C. Perry's expeditionary squadron stopped in Naha en route to Tokyo in 1853; and the American ships visited several more times. The lithographs prepared from drawings made by the expedition's official artist would be widely circulated. These images would provide the basis for 19th century impressions of the geography and people of the Ryūkyū islands.
After the replacement of the Ryūkyū Kingdom with theRyūkyūDomain in 1872, Naha became the capital city. The Ryūkyū Domain was abolished in 1879 and the former Ryūkyū Kingdom came to an end, fully annexed by Japan asOkinawa Prefecture, with Naha remaining as the capital city. Shuri and other neighboring municipalities were absorbed into the city.
An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Naha as an open port for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom.[11]
During thebattle of Okinawa inWorld War II, Naha suffered extensive damage from the fighting. The entire centre of the city had to be rebuilt. On 1 September 1954, the village ofOroku was merged into the city.[12]
On April 1, 2013, Naha became acore city, a category ofcities of Japan under theLocal Autonomy Law of Japan. Naha now carries out many of the functions, notably for public health care, normally delegated to the prefectural government. Naha is the first core city in Okinawa Prefecture.[13]
Panoramic view of Naha City seen from the Kaigungo Navy Headquarters Park
Naha Festival in October 2008Naha Hari, dragon style boat event
There are numerous shrines throughout the city, ranging from small huts to temples consisting of several houses. The religion is a mix of Shintoism, Buddhism, Taoism, and indigenous traditions. The most visible part of the local beliefs though is by far the shisa, the Okinawanshiisaa ("lion dogs") that are considered protectors of the island and are found everywhere – walls, roofs, windows, street corners and parks.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Kainan Church) is the episcopal see of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Naha.
The restored and rebuiltShuri Castle, the former royal palace of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, is one of the finestgusuku (Okinawan castle) and among the most important historical sites in Naha. The palace, and a series of tunnels underneath it, were used as a major command post by the Imperial Japanese military during World War II, and the castle was subsequently almost destroyed in 1945 by the US Marines, Army and Navy. After the war, the University of the Ryūkyūs was constructed on the site. Today Shuri Castle has been reconstructed, including the famousShureimon, its main gate, and is registered, along with a number of othergusuku and other Okinawan historical and sacred sites, as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
Four universities are in the Naha area. Two are run by Okinawa Prefecture; two are private. TheUniversity of the Ryukyus, the sole national university in Okinawa Prefecture, was also in Naha, on the site of Shuri Castle. Before the restoration of the castle, the university moved to the town ofNishihara to the northeast of Naha.
Naha has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa)—bordering ontropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classificationAf)—with hot summers and mild winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year; September is the wettest month and December is the driest. Naha has hot and humid summers with July and August being the city's warmest months, exceeding an average high of 31 degrees Celsius (88 °F). Naha has warm winters, with average high temperatures in the coolest months of January and February, hovering around 19–20 degrees Celsius (66 to 68 °F) and average lows around 14–15 degrees Celsius (57 to 59 °F). The city sees a substantial amount of rainfall, averaging in excess of 2,000 mm (79 in) of rain per year.
Climate data for Naha (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1890–present)
TheOkinawa Urban Monorail, also known as the Yui Rail (ゆいレール) carries passengers from Naha Airport Station to the center of Naha, Kokusai-dōri, Shintoshin, Shuri, and to the terminal atTedako-Uranishi Station inUrasoe.
The Tomari wharf in Naha connects the main Okinawa island to the rest of the islands around it. Notably it connect to the main land via the a daily ferry toKagoshima, but also many smaller one to get to theKerama islands (such asTokashiki,Aka andZamami)
Naha City was prominently featured in the plot of the 1986 filmThe Karate Kid Part II. However, the film was actually shot in Hawaii.[23]
The opening scene of David Mitchell's 1999 novelGhostwritten is set in Naha.
The name Naha was used in Microsoft's 2003 space simulation gameFreelancer. The Gas Miner "Naha" is a station owned by the Gas Miners Guild (GMG) in the Sigma-13 system.
Shuri Castle during the American invasion was recreated inCall of Duty: World at War (2008) during the final stages of the game. The player must help capture the castle and it is the final level for the American portion of the story.
Portions of Naha have been faithfully recreated in3D forSega'sRyu ga Gotoku 3, orYakuza 3 in its North American localization, a 2009 video game onPlayStation 3. This virtual version includes Kokusai-dōri, the covered Heiwa-dōri Shopping Arcade, Makishi Public Market and the Monorail'sPrefectural Office Station. It also features many of the district's real-life eateries and businesses as tie-ins.
PBS seriesFamily Ingredients filmed two episodes in Naha and Okinawa atShuri Castle and Makishi Market in 2016.[25]
Karate Kid spin-offCobra Kai, filmed Season 3, Episodes 4 and 5, "The Right Path" and "Miyagi-Do", in Naha and other parts ofOkinawa Island, filming atNaha Airport,Yanbaru National Park, and the Mutabaru Observatory at the abandoned Shah Bay resort in Ogimi.[26]
^Specifically, the medieval period of Okinawan history, referred to asko-ryūkyū (古琉球, lit. "Old Ryukyu") in Japanese, extending from roughly the 12th century until theInvasion of Ryukyu by Japanese forces in 1609. The early modern period extends from that year until roughly 1879, the year the Ryukyu Kingdom was abolished and replaced with Okinawa Prefecture.
^Uezato, Takashi. "The Formation of the Port City of Naha in Ryukyu and the World of Maritime Asia: From the Perspective of a Japanese Network."Acta Asiatica vol 95 (2008). Tokyo: Tōhō Gakkai (The Institute of Eastern Culture). pp57-58.
^"Pesquisa de Legislação Municipal – No 14471" [Research Municipal Legislation – No 14471].Prefeitura da Cidade de São Paulo [Municipality of the City of São Paulo] (in Portuguese). Archived fromthe original on 2011-10-18. Retrieved2013-08-23.
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