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Sakishima Beacons
17th-century Okinawan observatory platforms From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Sakishima Beacons (先島諸島火番盛, Yaeyama:Piːbammurï[1], Japanese:Sakishima-shotō hibanmui) are a network of eighteen observation platforms and beacons on thirteen islands dating to the early Edo period and located in the Sakishima Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Erected in 1644 by the Ryūkyū Kingdom at the instigation of their Satsuma overlords, at a time of international tension during the transition between the Ming and the Qing Dynasties of China, the beacons were responsible for monitoring and reporting on maritime traffic.[2][3][4] After an initial survey by the Council for the Protection of Cultural Properties in 1993, due to uncertainties over land rights and difficulties of coordination between the involved municipalities, it was not until 2007 that they were jointly designated an National Historic Site.[3][4][5]
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History
Lookout posts were originally established in Nagasaki Port in 1638 to monitor foreign ships, against the backdrop of the Tokugawa Shogunate's policy of national isolation. Geographically, the Sakishima Islands are closest to China. Around 1644, 18 lookout posts were established at the request of the Satsuma Domain, which had the Ryūkyū Kingdom as a vassal state. These posts are known as hibanmui in the Sakishima Islands because they were used to light signal fires for surveillance. The hibanmui monitored the progress of tribute ships from the Ryūkyū Kingdom to China and the arrival of foreign ships, and signal fires were sent to the various hibanmui posts, which then notified the Ryūkyū Kingdom authorities in Shuri. [6]
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Locations
There are eight beacons in the Miyako Islands and ten in the Yaeyama Islands.[3] Of those in the Miyako Islands, five are within the city of Miyakojima (on the islands of Miyakojima, Ikema, and Kurima), and three in the village of Tarama (on the islands of Tarama and Minna). Of those in the Yaeyama Islands, two are within the city of Ishigaki (on the island of Ishigaki), seven in the town of Taketomi (on the islands of Taketomi, Kuroshima, Upper and Lower Aragusuku, Hateruma, Kohamajima, and Hatoma), and one in the town of Yonaguni (on the island of Yonaguni).[7][8][9][10]
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Operations
Records suggest that the beacon near Cape Hirakubo on Ishigaki was at one point manned by a team of four, who also slept on the site.[9] A different signal may have been given depending upon the origin of the ships.[9] A restaged beacon relay in November 2007 saw an attempt to pass signals along two routes: (1) Hateruma-Aragusuku (Shimoji)-Aragusuku (Kamiji)-Kuroshima-Taketomi-Ishigaki; and (2) Hatoma-Kohamajima-Taketomi-Ishigaki.[11] Along both routes the initial signal could not be seen from the next observation platform, due to rain; after restarting from the second station, both signals were successfully relayed to Ishigaki; in some instances it took up to ten minutes from the signal being observed for a fire to be lit sufficient for the smoke to be seen at the next station; the exercise highlighted the difficulty in transmitting signals by such a method in times of inclement weather and poor visibility.[11][12]
List of beacons
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See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sakishima Beacons.
References
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