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Originally a [[utaki|sacred space]] of the native [[Ryukyuan religion]], due to its location and natural beauty, it was dedicated to ''[[nirai kanai]]'', the mythical source of all life, and to the sea. At some point it came to be known as ''Hana [[gusuku]]'' and ''Nanminsan''<ref>''Nanmin'' is the [[Okinawan language|Okinawan]] reading of 波上, meaning "above the waves", which is pronounced as Naminoue in [[Japanese language|Japanese]].</ref>, and later was incorporated into the Japanese system of Shinto shrines.
Originally a [[utaki|sacred space]] of the native [[Ryukyuan religion]], due to its location and natural beauty, it was dedicated to ''[[nirai kanai]]'', the mythical source of all life, and to the sea. At some point it came to be known as ''Hana [[gusuku]]'' and ''Nanminsan''<ref>''Nanmin'' is the [[Okinawan language|Okinawan]] reading of 波上, meaning "above the waves", which is pronounced as Naminoue in [[Japanese language|Japanese]].</ref>, and later was incorporated into the Japanese system of Shinto shrines.
==History==
==History==
The shrine was destroyed in the 1945 battle of Okinawa; the ''honden'' (main hall) and shrine office were rebuilt in 1953, as was the worship hall (''haiden''), eight years later. Construction of a number of other buildings, including a number of smaller shrines within the grounds, was completed in 1993.
The shrine was destroyed in the 1945 battle of Okinawa; the ''honden'' (main hall) and shrine office were rebuilt in 1953, as was the worship hall (''haiden''), eight years later. Construction of a number of other buildings, including a number of smaller shrines within the grounds, was completed in 1993.
===Bell===
The shrine contained for many years a temple bell cast in Korea in [[956]]. The bell was designated a [[National Treasure]] in [[1907]], but was destroyed in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. Only the dragon-shaped head of the bell (the loop from which it would be hung) survived; this today resides at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum.
According to the ''[[Nanto fudoki|Nantô fudoki]]'', the bell was 2 ''shaku'', 7 ''sun'', 1 ''bu'' (roughly 80 cm) tall, and roughly 1 ''shaku'', 8 ''sun'', 8 ''bu'' in diameter (about 55 cm). It had a rather typical form overall, but is said to have been decorated with [[apsara]]s and bodhisattvas, a rare feature. The ''Nantô fudoki'' records the full inscription on the bell, and its author, [[Higashionna Kanjun]], writes that the bell was cast in 956, and was at one time the oldest bell in [[Goryeo]]. The bell originally hung in a temple in Korea; how it came to be in Okinawa and at Naminoue remain unclear.<ref>"Naminoue-gû bonshô" 波上宮梵鐘。 ''Okinawa Encyclopedia''. vol 3. p79.</ref>
==References and Notes==
==References and Notes==
