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Laughing Shisa Tours

At Laughing Shisa Tours, we offer expertly guided tours focusing on Okinawa's history.

All tours are led by a guide with a PhD in Okinawan history, providing a unique opportunity to delve into the rich historic and cultural heritage of Okinawa.

08/10/2026

Some open caves on a tour up on Mount Yaetake on the Motobu Pennisula. I wish Instagram had a smell option because the air coming out of the cave smelled sad, like if you could put a scent to all the trauma of the Battle of Okinawa. No, I didn't go exploring inside.

31/07/2026

Today we've finally made it to Sho Toku, the last king of the First Sho Dynasty, and the final post about Ryukyuan kings who were excluded from the royal mausoleum in Shuri, Tamaudun.

Sho Toku ruled from 1461-1469 and was the son of the previous king, Sho Taikyu (although some suggest he was unrelated and through his position as the head of a group of wakou, Japanese pirates, he came to be king - definitely something to look into). His claim to fame as king of the Ryukyus was the invasion of Kikai Island (north of Okinawa). Official histories say he passed in 1469 but no information is given on how he died, which considering that he was only 29 at the time is rather perplexing. However, many of the stories about Sho Toku's death reference the coup d'etat led by Kanamaru (later the first king of the Second Sho Dynasty) and, I too, assume that this event played a huge role in in his death, whether he took his own life, was murdered or hid away on a remote island.

There really isn't a lot of information about why Sho Toku's tomb is located where it is. I am assuming that Sho Toku's bones never made it to Tinsan Mausoleum in Shuri, where the other kings of the First Sho Dynasty were laid to rest, because of the coup d'etat, but where these bones were originally stored and how they made it to the Shikinaen area of Naha City is still a mystery. In actuality, after some further digging, I came to realize that we aren't even sure if his bones are in this location or this is simply the site his relatives have decided to memorialize him.

In comparison to many of the other tombs of the kings of the First Sho Dynasty there is a large memorial sign and although there is no parking lot, you could kind of tuck your car on the shoulder of the road to stop and pay your respects. As an added bonus, there were no scary forests to walk through, although the apartment buildings surrounding the site didn't make the place feel very peaceful. However, the mausoleum was clean and well cared for, so I am assuming Sho Toku's relatives still visit to this day. I guess that is all you can ask for in the end.

24/07/2026

Today I am focusing on the sixth king of the First Sho Dynasty, Sho Taikyu. Originally Sho Taikyu was not set to be the king. However, following the death of Sho Kinpuku (the fifth king), there was a succession dispute called the Shiro Furi Disturbance, between Shiro, the son of Sho Kinpuku and Furi, the sixth son Sho Hashi (and Sho Kinpuku's younger brother). Both men were killed in the disturbance and Shuri Castle burned down (the first of the five times Shuri Castle has burned down), leaving a space for Sho Taikyu to come into power. Traditionally it is said that Sho Taikyu was a son of Sho Hashi, but recently some scholars have suggested that Sho Taikyu was not related to Sho Hashi and that Shi Taikyu was actually involved in the burning of Shuri Castle (I need to research this further), but nonetheless Sho Taikyu reigned as king of the Ryukyu Kingdom from around 1454-1460. Sho Taikyu's reign is famous for the Amawari-Gosaru Conflict and the Bridge of Nations Bell, both things that deserve their own posts.

Of all the kings of the First Sho Dynasty, Sho Taikyu's tomb in Nanjo City was by far the nicest. Like all the remains of the kings of the First Sho Dynasty they traveled to many places before reaching their current location. Before Nanjo City, Sho Taikyu's bones started in Shuri at Tinsan, then moved to Yomitan with Sho Hashi's remains, and then were later moved to Iha, Ishikawa, in modern day Uruma City. While the remains of the tomb in Iha do exist, you would never know it was a spot where a king was once interred. Around 1908 the bones made a final move to Nanjo City. When Sho Taikyu's remains were moved to Nanjo, the bones of his oldest son, Ash*to Kanahashi, were moved from another site to be next to his father. I'm glad they can be together in eternity.

19/07/2026

Today we will be looking at the tomb of Sho Kinpuku. He was the fifth king of the First Sho Dynasty, a son of Sho Hashi, and uncle of the previous king, Sho Sh*tatsu. His reign was rather short, approximately from 1450-1453 and even scholars of the early Ryukyu Kingdom don't have a lot to say about him. I recently read that he had a Korean slave for a while, so guess I have something new to look into!

Of all the First Sho Dynasty tombs, I found Sho Kinpuku's the most depressing. The tomb sat right next to a busy road in Naha and it just wasn't a relaxing place to be with the constant noise and rush of cars. The tomb itself kind of just looked like a hill and unless you made the effort to find the spot (and locate parking), I don't think many even notice it is there. It really didn't seem fitting of a king.

On the back of the grave marker, there was information about where Sho Kinpuku's tomb had previously been located. It stated that his bones were first interred at Tamaudun (although this is a bit confusing as the Tamaudun we know today wasn't built into the 1500s, so maybe there was another one?), then moved to Tinsan, the royal mausoleum for the First Sho Dynasty. Then after the coup d'etat by Sho En, Sho Kinpuku's bones were moved to the Gusukuma area of Urasoe City, but his grave was destroyed post-war (probably due to the construction of a US military base), so some of the stones from the tomb were moved to Tsukishiro no Miya in Nanjo City (castle ruins/religious area associated with the First Sho Dynasty). Finally in 2012, Sho Kinpuku's bones were moved to their current location in the Nakaima area of Naha City where they are still interred today. I hope poor Sho Kinpuku can find some peace.

17/07/2026

Today we will be focusing on the tomb holding the remains of Sho Hashi (1422-1439), Sho Chu (1440-1444) and Sho Sh*tatsu (1445-1449), the second, third and fourth kings of the First Sho Dynasty. While first interred in the Tinsan Mausoleum in Shuri (that sadly no longer exists), after the coup d'etat (1469-1470) that created the Second Sho Dynasty, members of the first Sho Dynasty were concerned that members of the Second Sho Dynasty would destroy their family remains, so they removed them from their resting place at Tinsan. Eventually the remains of Sho Hashi, his son, Sho Chu, and his grandson, Sho Sh*tatsu, were enshrined in a forest in the Iramina area of Yomitan, where you can still visit them today.

The tomb itself was much more hidden than I expected. There was little signage and to even get to the parking area involved a lonely drive through farmland over rough gravel roads. In fact, it was in searching for this tomb that I came to regret my hobby of listening to true crime podcasts. Although the total walk from my car to the tomb was probably only about 5 minutes long, I was completely enveloped by a forest and was sure that a serial murdered was going to jump out and attack me.

Once I did make it to the tomb, I was again surprised due to how it lacked the grandeur that I expected for the king who united Okinawa Island into the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1429. In fact, I missed the stone sign for the tomb at first and ended up crawling up a hill in error. When I finally did find the tomb, I almost felt a bit let down by how normal it was. It looks like the tombs my relatives have and what I will eventually be interred in; not something I expected of royalty, particularly Sho Hashi, probably the most celebrated king of the Ryukyu Kingdom. I wonder what the Sho family thinks?

13/07/2026

Today we are moving back into the First Sho Dynasty. Compared to the Second Sho Dynasty, the First Sho Dynasty was much shorter, lasting only 64 years (1406-1469) and included only 7 kings. The most famous king of the First Sho Dynasty is Sho Hashi (1422-1439) who unified Okinawa Island in 1429 creating the Ryukyu Kingdom.

The first Sho Dynasty had their own royal mausoleum called Tinsan Mausoleum (天山陵) in the Shuri area (sadly this no longer exists). However, when the Second Sho Dynasty came into power through a coup d'etat (1470), family members of the First Sho Dynasty were afraid that the Second Sho Dynasty would desecrate their tombs, so they removed everyone's bones and they now lay scattered throughout Okinawa. In fact there are 5 different tombs for the 7 kings of the era, scattered from Nanjo City to Yomitan Village. You can find out more about this process of hiding the bones in my blog here: https://www.laughingshisatours.com/post/adventures-of-an-okinawan-tomb-raider-sans-breaking-into-and-robbing-tombs

Today's post will focus on Sho Shiso's (1406-1421) tomb since he was the first leader of the First Sho Dynasty. Sho Shiso's grave is currently located in Nanjo City, quite close to the Costco and on a Self Defense Force Base (SDF, Japan's version of a military). I was nervous to try and visit the spot but pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get on the base. I just had to fill out a piece of paperwork and show some ID and I was allowed to drive to the tomb area. However, I was even more surprised by the SDF member that followed me to the tomb to ensure that I wasn't doing anything naughty. He stood a respectful distance away but always kept me in sight. According to the guard, a fair amount of people still visit Sho Shiso's tomb to pray (although I'm not sure how many foreigner visitors he gets). I'm glad that this piece of history and religious monument are still being used despite the land being under SDF control.

11/07/2026

Today I'm focusing on the last king from the Second Sho Dynasty who was not interred in Tamaudun, the royal mausoleum in Shuri, Sho Nei.

Sho Nei, who ruled the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1589-1620, was king during one of the most tumultuous periods of Ryukyuan history. In 1609, the Shimazu Clan from Satsuma (now modern day Kagoshima Prefecture) with the backing of the Shogunate invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom and quickly defeated Ryukyu. While still called an independent country, after this point Ryukyu was heavily under the control of Satsuma/mainland Japan and although allowed to keep his position as king, Sho Nei was forced to move to Japan for about two years and sign an oath of loyalty to Satsuma.Eventually he was allowed to return to Okinawa and remained king until his death in 1620.

It is often said that Sho Nei himself chose not to be interred in Tamaudun with the rest of his royal family. Some suggest this was because he was so ashamed by what happened during his reign that he couldn't bear to be with his relatives. Others theorize that he wanted to return back to his childhood home in Urasoe Castle and that is why his tomb lays in Urasoe Yodore, right below the castle grounds. Recently I read another perspective that stated that Sho Nei was actually a direct descendant of Sho Seni (see yesterday's post to learn more about him) and because of this he actually wasn't allowed to be interred in Tamaudun (as opposed to it not being his choice. I still have to read more about this theory.)

Nonetheless, out of all the tombs I visited, I found this the most peaceful site. Even the name itself, yodore, translates to evening calm in English and you can feel the outside world melt away as you cross into the mausoleum. Of course, like most things in Okinawa, it was destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa (it is on the front side of Hacksaw Ridge), but the city has done a wonderful job restoring the tombs (next to Sho Nei is the tomb of Eiso and two other early rulers). I can see why Sho Nei chose this as his final resting spot.

09/07/2026

I often forget how ubiquitous tombs are in Okinawa until guests ask me questions about them. While the vast majority of Okinawans will be interred in a family tomb like those you can see anywhere on Okinawa (an example can be seen in my April post about shimi), the most famous tomb in Okinawa is Tamaudun in Naha City. A royal mausoleum, Tamaudun is the final resting place for most of the royal family from the Second Sho Dynasty (1469-1879). In the three chambers of the mausoleum there are 70 urns, holding the remains of 72 royal family members. 1934 marked the last time a royal family member was interred there.

But wait you say, most of the royal family? Yes, two kings from the Second Sho Dynasty were not interred with the rest of the family. Additionally, the kings of the First Sho Dynasty are scattered throughout southern and central Okinawa.

As my own personal history assignment, I've tracked down all the tombs (and the reasons why all the royal family is not interred together) and will be posting about them as the days come.

First, a little more explanation about the big one, Tamaudun. Originally built in 1501, like most things in Okinawa, it was destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa and was later restored in 1977. This is the only royal tomb that costs to enter (300 yen), but it is also a National Treasure and part of the World Heritage sites on Okinawa. In addition to the mausoleum area, I highly recommend visiting the small museum on the grounds. It doesn't have a lot of English but you can see historical pictures and a model of what the inside of the mausoleum looked like and along with images and examples of how the urns have changed throughout the years. For me, this really helped me to understand what was behind the stone walls of the mausoleum.

23/06/2026

I admire the fearlessness of Okinawan in sharing their memories of the Battle of Okinawa, an event that was likely the worst period in their lives.

As I continue to study about the Battle of Okinawa, on this Okinawa Memorial Day, I'd also like to encourage others to learn more, particularly about the civilian experience, to better understand how this event continues to shape Okinawa.

My recommendations for starting points are:

The stories are heartbreaking but you can find videos of oral histories of civilian survivors (with translations) here: https://share.google/9tcPWaXsR8VpPuLaK

Another hard piece, but my recommendation for a book is Descent into Hell: Civilian Memories of the Battle of Okinawa (by the Ryukyu Shimpo).

19/06/2026

Based upon customer feed back we have created a new Battle of Okinawa tour featuring both a 4.5-hour and 8-hour option. Both options include visits to Hacksaw Ridge, the Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters and Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum. Hope to see you on one!

You can find more information about these tours and book here: https://share.google/7Er2aZTAKdydjxQJ7

We currently have openings for our new tour:

Sunday, June 21st @ 1:00 p.m. (4.5-hour tour) -4 people
Saturday, June 27th @ 9:00 a.m. (8-hour tour) - 4 people

Address

Okinawa
Okinawa

Opening Hours

Monday	08:00 - 17:30
Tuesday	08:00 - 17:30
Wednesday	08:00 - 17:30
Thursday	08:00 - 17:30
Friday	08:00 - 17:30
Saturday	08:00 - 17:30
Sunday	13:00 - 17:30

Website

http://www.laughingshisatours.com/

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