A warehouse, including areas to store and process lumber, was constructed to rebuild the Seiden main hall of the iconic Shuri-jo castle in Okinawa Prefecture that burned down three years ago. (Video by Jun Kaneko)

Photo/Illutration A warehouse for reconstruction work on the Seiden main hall of Shuri-jo castle was built in a “una” square in front of the hall in Naha in October. (Jun Kaneko)

NAHA--Preparations are under way for a groundbreaking ceremony to restore the landmark Shuri-jo castle here in Okinawa Prefecture after it went up in flames three years ago.

Oct. 31 marked the third anniversary of the fire. For centuries, the castle had served as a palace for the Ryukyu Kingdom, as Okinawa Prefecture was formerly called.

A two-story, steel-framed building was built in a square called “una” in front of the castle’s gutted Seiden (Main Hall) ahead of the ceremony scheduled for Nov. 3.

The building will serve as a warehouse to store and process lumber, mainly Japanese cypress, that will be used to rebuild the main hall. The new building will also contain a planning room for workers.

A glass wall will allow paying visitors to view the workers as part of the concept of “reconstruction on display,” according to the Okinawa Commemorative National Government Park.

On Oct. 11, 107 of the 535 pieces of wood needed to rebuild the hall were brought in from various parts of the country, mainly western Japan. The rest will be collected during fiscal 2022.

A temporary roof will be built starting now on the site where the main hall existed. Construction work will be carried out beneath the roof.

The new Seiden hall is expected to be completed in 2026.

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