1 kilometer long road ran across the sea; it was once called “looks like a long rainbow from a distance”

Basic information

Address

900-0012 1-9-1 Tomari Naha Okinawa

Business hours

Nothing in particular

Close day

Nothing in particular

Charge

Free

Parking

None

Access information

In the square after you get off the monorail at Miebashi Station.

Additional Information

Academic information

Chokoutei is one kilometer inter-island causeway connecting Naha and Asato, built in 1451.
Naha used to be an island and there was no bridge to connect the island to shore. Therefore when the Chinese envoys came to Okinawa, ships were lined up to between Naha and Asato to used them like a bridge. King Sho Kinpuku ordered State Minister Kaiki to build a road connecting Naha and Asato. As water was deep and waves were high on this area, Kaiki thought the construction must be protected by the god. He erected an alter and prayed for a long time. Eventually, water became low and the seabed appeared which let construction start. The road consists of seven bridges constructed from Sogen-ji Bridge to Ibegama (prayers' site surrounded by a stone wall in Kumoji).
When Kosei, a member of the Chinese investiture delegate, came to Okinawa in 1633, he noted this road in his poem that " "looks like a long rainbow from a distance". Later this causeway started to be called Chokotei.

Chokotei causeway was the primary road linking Shuri and Naha from 1451 till Meiji era. However traffic volume was dropped as train service started between Shuri and Naha in 1914 and a new Prefectural Road (current Kokusai-dori street) was opened to traffic. Much of the Chokotei was lost in the Battle of Okinawa and to later development but parts of the causeway still remain.

Quote

Quoted from the guide plate.