Efforts are continuing to rebuild the main hall of Shuri Castle, five years after it was destroyed by fire in Japan’s southern Okinawa province.

The devastating fire destroyed the main hall and other castle structures on October 31, 2019.

Restoration work of the hall continues and its completion is planned for autumn 2026.

The site is covered with a temporary roof to protect from wind and rain. The framework of the structure is already completed.

Work has been ongoing since July to lay approximately 60,000 red tiles on the roof of the main hall.

Painting of the exterior walls of the hall started this summer. The process involves more than 20 steps before the walls are painted in the castle’s symbolic red.

Some parts of the columns and exterior walls are now black as fabric was added to them for reinforcement. Workers hope to complete the painting by next summer.

Work is also continuing to renew the decorations of the throne.

It is expected that the damaged artworks will take time to repair. Training artisans remains a challenge.

An official from the Cabinet Office’s Okinawa general office said restoration work was continuing steadily and urged people to visit to see the progress toward reconstruction.