Bridge of Nations Bell

The bell was cast in 1458, during the reign of King Shō Taikyū, and hung at the Seiden (main hall) of Shuri Castle.

[1] Blackened and damaged by Allied bombs and guns during the 1945 battle of Okinawa, the bell miraculously survived largely intact.

[2] Nationally designated as an Important Cultural Property in 1978,[1] the bell is today in the collection of the Okinawa Prefectural Museum; a full-size replica hangs at the castle site.

[2] 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.

[1] A summarized translation of the inscription might be given as follows: The Kingdom of Ryūkyū is a splendid place in the South Seas, with close intimate relations with the Three Nations of China, Korea, and Japan, between which it is located, and which express much admiration for these islands.