Nakijin gusuku is a gusuku (Ryukyuan castle or fortress) located in Nakijin. It is currently in ruins. In the late 14th century, the Ryukyus consisted of three principalities: Nanzan to the south, Chuzan in the central area, and Hokuzan in the north. Nakijin was the fortress of Hokuzan. The fortress includes several sacred Utaki groves, reflecting the gusuku's role as a center of religious activity. It is famous for the Hikan cherries which bloom in northern Okinawa between mid January and early February. Gusuku is the Okinawan word for castle or fortress. ... The Ryukyu Islands (琉球列島 Ryūkyū-rettō) are an island group, the southern portion belonging to Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, and the northern part belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. ... Nakijin (今帰仁村; -son) is a village located in Kunigami district, Okinawa, Japan. ... The Ryukyu Islands (琉球列島 Ryūkyū-rettō), also known as the Nansei-shoto (南西諸島 Nansei-shotō, which translates literally as the Southwest Islands), are an island chain stretching southwestward from the island of Kyushu in Japan. ... Religion, sometimes used interchangeably with faith, is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the practices and institutions associated with such belief. ... A cherry is both a tree and its fleshy fruit, a type known as a drupe with a single hard pit enclosing the seed. ...