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search  Gusuku (グスク, 城?, Okinawan: gushiku)[1] often refers to
castles or fortresses in the Okinawa Islands that feature stone
walls. However, the origin and essence of gusuku remain
controversial. In the archaeology of Okinawa Prefecture, the
Gusuku period refers to an archaeological epoch of the Okinawa
Islands that follows the shell-mound period and precedes the
Ryūkyū Kingdom. Many gusuku and related cultural remains in
Okinawa Island have been listed by UNESCO as World Heritage
Sites under the title Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the
Kingdom of Ryukyu.  Philological analysis[edit]  Shuri Castle,
rebuilt after WWII  The Yarazamori Gusuku Inscription (1554)
contains phrases, "pile gusuku" (くすくつませ) and "pile up gusuku and
..." (くすくつみつけて). Apparently gusuku in these phrases to refer to
stone walls.[2]  In the Omoro Sōshi (16th–17th centuries), the
term gusuku is written as "くすく," or "ぐすく" in hiragana.
Occasionally, the kanji "城" (castle) is a