Changes

*''Cast: [[1458]]''

*''Cast: [[1458]]''

*''Japanese'': 万国津梁の鐘 ''(Bankoku shinryou no kane)''

*''Japanese'': 万国津梁の鐘 ''(Bankoku shinryou no kane)''

==History==

==History==

The bell was cast in 1458, during the reign of King [[Sho Taikyu|Shô Taikyû]], and hung at the Seiden (main hall) of [[Shuri Castle]].

The bell was cast in 1458, during the reign of King [[Sho Taikyu|Shô Taikyû]], and hung at the Seiden (main hall) of [[Shuri Castle]]. It was made in Japan by a caster named Fujiwara Kuniyoshi.<ref>Gallery labels, Okinawa fukki 50 nen kinen tokubetsu ten Ryukyu 沖縄復帰50年記念　特別展「琉球」exhibit, Tokyo National Museum, 2022.</ref>

The bell is 154.9 cm high, with an opening 93.1 cm in diameter, and weighs 721 kilograms<ref name=uruma>''Bankoku shinryō no kane''. ''[http://word.uruma.jp/word/%CB%FC%B9%F1%C4%C5%CE%C2%A4%CE%BE%E2 Okinawa Daihyakka]'' (沖縄大百科). Urumax. Accessed 5 September 2009.</ref>.

The bell is 154.9 cm high, with an opening 93.1 cm in diameter, and weighs 721 kilograms<ref name=uruma>''Bankoku shinryō no kane''. ''[http://word.uruma.jp/word/%CB%FC%B9%F1%C4%C5%CE%C2%A4%CE%BE%E2 Okinawa Daihyakka]'' (沖縄大百科). Urumax. Accessed 5 September 2009.</ref>.

Blackened and damaged by Allied bombs and guns in during the 1945 battle of Okinawa, the bell miraculously survived largely intact.　It is, however, no longer rung<ref name=chanpuru>Kadekawa, Manabu (ed.). ''Okinawa Chanpurū Jiten'' (沖縄チャンプルー事典, "Okinawa Champloo Encyclopedia"). Tokyo: Yamakei Publishers. p199.</ref>.

Blackened and damaged by Allied bombs and guns in during the 1945 battle of Okinawa, the bell miraculously survived largely intact.　It is, however, no longer rung<ref name=chanpuru>Kadekawa, Manabu (ed.). ''Okinawa Chanpurū Jiten'' (沖縄チャンプルー事典, "Okinawa Champloo Encyclopedia"). Tokyo: Yamakei Publishers. p199.</ref>.

Nationally designated as an Important Cultural Property in 1978<ref name=uruma/>, the bell is today in the collection of the Okinawa Prefectural Museum; a full-size replica hangs at the castle site<ref name=bankokushimpo>"Bankoku Shiryō no kane." ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). [http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-42703-storytopic-121.html Ryukyu Shimpo] (琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 14 April 2009.</ref>. It remains unclear, however, just where in or around the Seiden it was originally hung<ref name=chanpuru/>. The replica bell currently hangs outside the second bailey or courtyard (Okinawan: ''shicha nu una''), in a structure called the Tomoya, which has been reconstructed based on historical plans, maps, and images, but the original purpose of which is unknown<ref>"Roukokumon Gate." [http://www.oki-park.jp/shurijo_park/syuri_e/frame2.html Shurijo Castle Park Official Site]. Accessed 5 September 2009.</ref>.

Nationally designated as an [[Important Cultural Property]] in 1978<ref name=uruma/>, the bell is today in the collection of the Okinawa Prefectural Museum; a full-size replica hangs at the castle site<ref name=bankokushimpo>"Bankoku Shiryō no kane." ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). [http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-42703-storytopic-121.html Ryukyu Shimpo] (琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 14 April 2009.</ref>. It remains unclear, however, just where in or around the Seiden it was originally hung<ref name=chanpuru/>. The replica bell currently hangs outside the second bailey or courtyard (Okinawan: ''shicha nu una''), in a structure called the Tomoya, which has been reconstructed based on historical plans, maps, and images, but the original purpose of which is unknown<ref>"Roukokumon Gate." [http://www.oki-park.jp/shurijo_park/syuri_e/frame2.html Shurijo Castle Park Official Site]. Accessed 5 September 2009.</ref>.

==Name==

==Name==

The bell is quite commonly referred to as the "Bridge of Nations Bell" in English<ref>"Shuri Castle - Bridge of Nations Bell." [http://www.hdrjapan.com/hdr-japan-shopping/okinawa-shuri-castle-/shuri-castle-%11-bridge-of-nations-bell/ HDR Japan]. Accessed 5 September 2009.</ref><ref>"The Ryukyuan Spirit of Hospitality." [http://www.ocvb.or.jp/card/en/0000000914.html Okinawa Tourist Information: Mahae Plus]. Accessed 5 September 2009.</ref><ref>"The History of the Ryukyus." [http://oki-park.jp/shurijo_park/syuri_e/c/c100000.html Shurijo Castle Park Official Site]. Accessed 5 September 2009.</ref>. This term is derived from a translation of the term typically used in Japanese to refer to the bell: 万国津梁の鐘 (''Bankoku shinryô no kane''). ''Bankoku'', lit. "10,000 nations," really refers to "all the nations" or "the great many nations." ''Shinryô'' literally translates to "a beam across the port/harbor"; thus, "a bridge." Finally, ''kane'' refers to a bell of this type and style.

The bell is quite commonly referred to as the "Bridge of Nations Bell" in English<ref>"Shuri Castle - Bridge of Nations Bell." [http://www.hdrjapan.com/hdr-japan-shopping/okinawa-shuri-castle-/shuri-castle-%11-bridge-of-nations-bell/ HDR Japan]. Accessed 5 September 2009.</ref><ref>"The Ryukyuan Spirit of Hospitality." [http://www.ocvb.or.jp/card/en/0000000914.html Okinawa Tourist Information: Mahae Plus]. Accessed 5 September 2009.</ref><ref>"The History of the Ryukyus." [http://oki-park.jp/shurijo_park/syuri_e/c/c100000.html Shurijo Castle Park Official Site]. Accessed 5 September 2009.</ref>. This term is derived from a translation of the term typically used in Japanese to refer to the bell: 万国津梁の鐘 (''Bankoku shinryô no kane''). ''Bankoku'', lit. "10,000 nations," really refers to "all the nations" or "the great many nations." ''Shinryô'' literally translates to "a beam across the port/harbor"; thus, "a bridge." Finally, ''kane'' refers to a bell of this type and style.

This Japanese name for the bell, in turn, derives from the inscription upon it, which describes Ryûkyû's prominence in the 14th-16th centuries in maritime trade in the [[Nanyo|South Seas]] and prosperous trade relations with China, Korea, Japan, and the various states of Southeast Asia<ref name=bankokushimpo/>.

This Japanese name for the bell, in turn, derives from the inscription upon it. Commissioned from the Japanese monk [[Keiin]] (渓隠) by King Shô Taikyû, the inscription describes Ryûkyû's prominence in the 14th-16th centuries in maritime trade in the [[Nanyo|South Seas]] and prosperous trade relations with China, Korea, Japan, and the various states of Southeast Asia<ref name=bankokushimpo/>.

While it is most commonly known as ''Bankoku shinryô no kane'' in Japanese, the official name of the bell is ''Kyû-Shuri-jô Seiden no Kane'' (旧首里城正殿鐘, lit. "Former Bell of the Shuri Castle Seiden")<ref name=uruma/>.  

While it is most commonly known as ''Bankoku shinryô no kane'' in Japanese, the official name of the bell is ''Kyû-Shuri-jô Seiden no Kane'' (旧首里城正殿鐘, lit. "Former Bell of the Shuri Castle Seiden")<ref name=uruma/>.  

==Inscription==

==Inscription==

A summarized translation of the inscription might be given as follows:

A summarized translation of the inscription might be given as follows:

==References==

==References==

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