"Shurei no Kuni" (land of propriety) is the motto in a horizontal picture frame on Shureimon meaning "Ryukyu is a country that esteems courtesy." Originally this gate was called Taikenmon, or the "gate of sages." It is thought that this derived from the fact that the gate was where people waited to welcome wise elders. While Chuzanmon was called the "lower gate," Shureimon was called the "upper gate."

Shureimon was designated a national treasure in 1933, only to be destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa. It was restored in 1958 based on pre-war architectural drawings and photographs.

The gate now appears on the face of the 2,000-yen note.