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The story
On September 17, 2026, it was reported that all lacquering work on the exterior walls and interior of Shuri Castle’s main hall — part of its reconstruction following the 2019 fire — has been completed. With the building’s brilliant red exterior restored, the craftsmen involved shared their heartfelt reflections. Following the report, 5ch’s News Express+ board saw a flurry of comments pointing out that Shuri Castle’s “original” color may not have been red at all, but black. Alongside this, posters also revisited doubts about the cause of the 2019 fire, speculated about the blaze reportedly caused by a sparking extension cord, and voiced concern over the scarcity of the timber needed for reconstruction.
All lacquering work on Shuri Castle’s main hall complete — brilliant red restored to its former glory | OKITIVE
Published 2026/9/17
Lacquering of the exterior walls, interior, and all other parts of Shuri Castle’s main hall has been completed, and the craftsmen involved spoke with deep emotion about the achievement.
Source: otv.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
The original form was actually black lacquer.
The original color is actually unknown (the excavated gray roof tiles changed color over time, so their true original hue can't be determined).
After that it apparently turned red once, then faded to gray. It became black when the site was rebuilt as Okinawa Shrine.
But red roof tiles didn't even exist back then to begin with, did they?
They're probably keeping it "unknown" because naming a cause would mean admitting management liability.
It was an extension cord catching fire.
maybe it was actually arson.
With wiring that sloppy — straight out of the "genba neko" meme (a viral cartoon cat mocking unsafe worksite practices) — there's no room left for conspiracy theories.
The building may change, but people don't.
They'll probably tighten up usage rules, starting with banning power strips —
even with some fire-resistant materials used, they'll likely ban open flames and unauthorized electrical appliances entirely in the lacquered hall.
Electrical wiring and any AC installation ought to go through design review as strict as a passenger aircraft's, or something's wrong.
These days it's LED, not halogen, so there won't be a fire from the same cause again.
Thanks — so it's still officially "unknown," huh.
And the real cause was an electrical short — hopefully the new wiring is done properly this time.
It wasn't an electrical short.
A 1000W halogen lamp was plugged into a thin extension cord, which overheated and caught fire.
If it had been a short circuit, the upstream earth-leakage breaker would have tripped, but improper cord usage like this can't be detected at the breaker (the temperature there never rises high enough to trigger the protection device).
The ones who kept making that mistake were us, though.
I get it, and that's what people from the Kanto region tend to think too, but…
burning down, being rebuilt beautifully, dancing there without overthinking it, and then burning down again —
there's something in that easygoing spirit worth cherishing as part of Japan.
Not the "it's tax money, if you managed it properly it wouldn't burn down" mindset —
more like, "this kind of thing comes with the territory of enjoying Okinawa's laid-back spirit."
No more health-app monitoring either.
Is that right?
Also, it's because you won't answer this
that the relationship has gotten worse.
Probably visitors keep stepping on the cord.
Gaffer tape alone won't cut it, lol.
I'll answer once you answer first.
That's the appearance after it was rebuilt with black tiles as Okinawa Shrine.
Isn't that also just after it burned down in an accidental fire?
It's strange that from the second report onward, the cause of the fire was suddenly changed to "unknown" for some reason.
If that were true, it would make it entirely the fault of the Okinawa Churashima Foundation —
and that would be extremely inconvenient for Okinawa Prefecture.
Management was entrusted to the Churaumi Foundation even back when it was under national government control, though.
Background and key points of this discussion
Shuri Castle’s main hall burned to the ground in a fire in the early hours of October 31, 2019, and the investigation ended without the cause ever being officially identified. There are reports pointing to an extension cord as the source of the fire, but officially it has long been listed as “unknown” — and it’s worth noting that the specific theories floated in the thread naming particular individuals or groups as responsible remain unverified rumors at best. As for the hall’s color, while some records indicate it was originally vermilion when first built, there is also a documented history of repeated repainting across different eras, making it a more complicated story than a simple “red or black” debate. Reconstruction costs and management are shared between the national government and Okinawa Prefecture, and the growing difficulty of sourcing the large-diameter timber needed for rebuilding is a genuine, industry-recognized challenge — so the concerns raised in the thread about a timber shortage aren’t off base either.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “All lacquering work on Shuri Castle’s main hall complete — brilliant red restored to its former glory — Okinawa.”
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