【Designated by the City：Historic Site】Stone Walls of Shounji Temple

With the proposal from the Satsuma Clan, the Shounji Temple was founded by Sangetsu Osho, a Buddhist priest, in 1611. It is not clear how large the temple grounds were at the time, but looking at how the chief priests rotated every three years from 1685, it can be estimated that the temple grounds were gradually maintained.
In the history book, Kyuyo, it is recorded that the stone walls of the temple had crumbled in the Great Earthquake in 1696, making it clear that the stone walls at Shounji Temple were already built at that time. At the beginning of the 18th century, large-scale engineering works were being conducted all aross Miyako, and it is thought that the stone walls of the Shounji Temple were also worked on.
With the damage from the war, and also the various works surrounding urban planning, the city streets in Hirara are dramatically changing, and stone walls are disappearing. This makes the stone walls of Shounji Temple and important structure to understand the stonemasonry culture of that time.