Momourasoe rankan monument

• Erected: 1509
• Japanese: 百浦添欄干之銘 (momo Urasoe rankan no mei)

The momo Urasoe rankan no mei (lit. "one hundred inscriptions of handrail of Urasoe") is an inscription on a stone monument, erected in 1509 in front of the Seiden (main hall) at Shuri castle, extolling the praises of King Shô Shin of the Ryûkyû Kingdom.

The eleven items listed in the inscription include mention of the subjugation of Yaeyama, the collection of weapons, the establishment of a system of colored hachimaki and hairpins identifying court ranks, and the learning & adopting of Chinese models of Imperial administration and bureaucracy.

This inscription is the chief primary source from which most understandings or arguments about Shô Shin's confiscation of all weapons, and the subsequent pacifism of the Ryûkyû Kingdom, derive. However, some historians argue that this should not be interpreted to mean that Shô Shin did this with pacifistic intentions, to collect all weapons and destroy them (or hide them away). Rather, they argue, the king sought to consolidate military power in the hands of the kingdom, denying it to the regional lords (anji), and thus safeguarding against their plotting rebellion. The weapons were not destroyed, or "hidden away" from use, but stored, as an armory to be accessed when needed for the defense of the kingdom.

References

• "Momo urasoe rankan no mei." Okinawa konpakuto jiten 沖縄コンパクト事典. Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003.
• Smits, Gregory. "Examining the Myth of Ryukyuan Pacifism." The Asia-Pacific Journal, 37-3-10. 13 September 2010.