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57-471: During the second Shō Dynasty, Ryūkyū compiled official history books, starting with Haneji Chōshū 's Chūzan Seikan (1650), which was followed by Sai Taku 's edition of the Chūzan Seifu (1701) and Sai On 's edition of the Chūzan Seifu (1725). Although the official narrative based on Sai On's Chūzan Seifu is widely circulated, it is full of contradictions with contemporary sources. In 1406, Bunei

114-401: A shōrō ( 鐘楼 ) . They are used to mark the passage of time, and to call the monks to liturgical services . In Buddhism, the bell's sound is considered to be calming and to induce a suitable atmosphere for meditation. Because of their shape (with sloped shoulders and a flat base) the bells are seen as representations of the sitting Buddha, and are accorded similar respect; those striking

171-532: A 13 year old brother named Oshi (於思) and a 10 year old brother named Setsukei (截渓). This account agrees with the drifters' if Shō Toku's eldest son died sometime between 1461 and 1471. In light of contemporary sources, it is clear that the Okinawan narratives claimed Shō Toku and his child(ren) to be much younger than they really were. All evidence of the last king Chūwa was destroyed in Okinawa, presumably because

228-777: A corrupt government official named Tei Dō ( Okinawan : Jana Ueekata) who Shō Shōken claims led the people astray. In this light, he seeks favor by claiming that the benevolent lords of Satsuma had no choice but to invade as a chastisement for Ryukyu's disloyalty. One of the most influential leaders and reformers of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Shō Shōken stepped down from his post in 1673 and died two years later. Bonsh%C5%8D Bonshō ( 梵鐘 , Buddhist bells) , also known as tsurigane ( 釣り鐘 , hanging bells) or ōgane ( 大鐘 , great bells) are large bells found in Buddhist temples throughout Japan , used to summon

285-571: A four-ton peace bell – a replica of one of the Hiroshima bells – in the city centre as part of its fiftieth-anniversary celebrations, and to strengthen ties with Japan. The Oak Ridge Friendship Bell is decorated with dates relating to Oak Ridge's connection to Japan (the uranium used in the Hiroshima atomic bomb was produced in Oak Ridge). In 1998, a local citizen sued the city over

342-401: A hammer or a suspended beam rather than with an internal clapper. The sound of the bell is made up of three parts. First is the atari , the impact of the strike. A well-made bell should produce a clean, clear tone. The initial sound of the strike is immediately followed by the prolonged oshi , the reverberation that continues to sound after the bell is struck. This is higher in pitch and

399-580: A lineage of kings, makes use of this concept extensively; it is very similar and closely related to that of the Mandate of Heaven in China. Kings who were poor or malevolent rulers were overthrown by those who were backed by the Way of Heaven. In writing the first history of the Ryukyu Kingdom, his political goals and/or cultural views are quite evident. He paints Ryukyu as being a loyal vassal to Satsuma long before

456-506: A post often translated as "prime minister," from 1666 to 1673. Shō wrote the first history of the Ryukyu Kingdom , Chūzan Seikan ( 中山世鑑 , "Mirror of Chūzan") , and enacted a number of practical political reforms aimed at improving Ryukyu's prosperity and dignity in the eyes of China and Japan . Shō Shōken was born as the first son of Haneji Ōji Chōtai (Prince Chōtai Haneji), the third head of Haneji Udun (Palace). Haneji Udun

513-532: A repository where the royal stamp was stored was burned down. Because both died during the struggle, Shō Taikyū, another younger brother of Shō Kinpuku, ascended to the throne. The Chūzan Seikan and Sai Taku's edition of the Chūzan Seifu made no mention of Shiro and Furi, let alone the alleged succession struggle. Moreover, no Okinawan sources claim that Shō Taikyū rebuilt the castle. Contemporary sources left by two separate groups of Korean drifters show no trace of

570-531: A series of tuned bells. One larger additional bell, which eventually developed into the bonshō , was used as a tuning device and a summons to listeners to attend a bianzhong recital. According to legend, the earliest bonshō may have come from China to Japan via the Korean Peninsula. The Nihon Shoki records that Ōtomo no Satehiko brought three bronze bells back to Japan in 562 as spoils of war from Goguryeo . Bonshō are cast in

627-451: A single piece using two moulds, a core and a shell, in a process that is largely unchanged since the Nara period (710–794). The core is constructed from a dome of stacked bricks made from hardened sand, whilst the shell is made using a strickle board . This is a large, flat, wooden board shaped like a cross-section of the bell, which is rotated around a vertical axis to shape the clay used for

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684-714: A snake, coiling around the bell, and cooking him in it. The play was later adapted for kabuki , entitled Musume Dōjōji ( 娘道成寺 , "The Maiden at Dojoji Temple") . The bell of the Nishi-Arai Daishi Temple in Tokyo was removed in 1943, to be melted down as part of the Japanese war effort. The crew of the USS Pasadena found it on a scrap heap and took it with them to the US as a war trophy, donating it to

741-490: A team of 17 to sound it. During the 17th century the bonshō was also a symbol of a temple's leadership; possession of the bell indicated ownership of the associated temple. As a result, bells were often stolen; the folk hero Benkei is said to have dragged the three-ton bell of Mii-dera temple up Mount Hiei during one such theft. The deep scratches in the Benkei bell, which is still displayed at Mii-dera, are said in

798-506: Is 1410. As a devoted Buddhist, Shō Taikyū founded multiple Buddhist temples and donated Buddhist bells including the famous Bridge of Nations Bell (1458). His year of birth is recorded in inscriptions on these bells. The Chūzan Seikan and Sai Taku's edition of the Chūzan Seifu state that Shō Taikyū was a son of Shō Kinpuku, who was born in 1398 according to these history books. Historian Takase Kyōko speculates that they manipulated Shō Taikyū's year of birth because as of 1410, Shō Kinpuku

855-408: Is a low rumble with a sorrowful air, rich in harmonics; it lasts for up to ten seconds. Finally comes the okuri or decay, the resonance that is heard as the vibration of the bell dies away, which can last up to a minute. There are also continuous harmonic overtones heard throughout the tolling of the bell. These multiple tones create a complex pitch profile. The low tone and deep resonance of

912-475: Is rung while placed on top of a kettledrum . Modern composers for percussion have sometimes used the temple bell to replace the now common sound of the orchestral tam-tam . The oldest known bonshō (and the oldest bell in the world still in use) is the Okikicho bell at Myōshin-ji , which was cast in 698. The largest is the bell at Chion-in , which was cast in 1636 and weighs 70 metric tons. It requires

969-625: The bonshō then in existence) were destroyed in this way. However, rapid production of bells during the post-war period meant that by 1995 the number of temple bells in Japan had returned to pre-war levels. In the latter half of the 20th century, the World Peace Bell Association was set up in Japan, with the purpose of funding and casting temple bells to be placed around the world as symbols of peace. Bonshō have also been cast in response to natural disasters such as

1026-506: The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami ; several affected communities commissioned bells to commemorate the event. Bonshō have occasionally been used as musical instruments in modern compositions. The recorded sound of temple bells was used in Mayuzumi Toshiro 's piece Olympic Campanology , used to open the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games . A temple bell is also used in performances of Jacob Druckman 's piece Lamia , in which it

1083-627: The Chūzan Seikan , Shō Hashi succeeded his father Shishō as Aji (local ruler) of Sashiki in 1402. After that, he took over Nanzan by force. The King of Nanzan, identified as Shō Hashi, then started a war with Bunei, King of Chūzan, and forced him to surrender in 1421. After that, the King of Nanzan became King of Chūzan. The King of Chūzan annihilated the King of Hokuzan in 1422, unifying the State of Ryūkyū (i.e., Okinawa Island). In 1423, Shō Hashi reported

1140-517: The Genpei War (1180–1185 CE). Smaller versions were subsequently cast for battlefield use, as the large temple bells were too heavy and unwieldy to transport. These smaller bonshō were used primarily as alarms to warn of enemy attacks; commands were given using drums and conches . As part of Japanese New Year celebrations, people queue to ring the temple bells 108 times in a ceremony known as Joyanokane ( 除夜の鐘 , "New Year bells") ;

1197-602: The New Year and Bon festivals. Throughout Japanese history these bells have become associated with stories and legends, both fictional, such as the Benkei Bell of Mii-dera , and historical, such as the bell of Hōkō-ji . In modern times, bonshō have become symbols of world peace . The bonshō is derived from the bianzhong ( henshō ( 編鐘 ) in Japanese), an ancient Chinese court instrument comprising

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1254-534: The headquarters of the United Nations in New York was donated by Japan in 1954 as a symbol of world peace. It was created using metal reclaimed from coins and medals provided by donors from around the globe. Similar bells representing a commitment to the cause of world peace can be found in many civic areas, including Hiroshima 's Peace Memorial Park . In 1995, the city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee , erected

1311-474: The 108 peals of the bell are intended to purge humanity of the 108 earthly temptations . During the Buddhist Bon Festival , a special type of bonshō called an ōkubo-ōgane ( 大久保大鐘 , "great hollow bell") is rung. This bell is hung above a well, and it is believed that the sound of the bell resonates down the well into the underworld , to summon the spirits of the dead. At the end of

1368-542: The 1609 invasion, which was done primarily out of desire, on the part of the lords of Satsuma and the Tokugawa shogunate , for wealth and power, allowing them a way to maintain the isolation of feudal Japan while doing behind-the-scenes trading with other countries via the Ryukyu Islands. He blames the invasion on Ryukyuan disloyalty and neglect of their feudal obligations to their benevolent lords (Satsuma), and on

1425-699: The Japanese. Ultimately, for all his philosophical writings, Shō was a pragmatist. Shō Shōken was also a strong believer in Confucianism , having studied under Tonami Jochiku , who in turn studied under the master Nanpo Bunshi . Confucianist views on benevolent leadership and overall morality pervade Shō's writings and his policies. However, his views are also in line with the concept called tintoo in Okinawan and tendō (天道, lit. "way of heaven") in Japanese . His telling of Ryukyuan history, through recounting

1482-462: The Ming only indicates that the last tributary mission under the name of the King of Hokuzan was of 1415 while that of the King of Nanzan was of 1429. Having access to Chinese records, Sai On naïvely inferred that the two kings were removed immediately after the last missions. The Chūzan Seikan records an earlier form of the Okinawan narrative before being contaminated by Chinese sources. According to

1539-568: The Suwa family of Higo Province , it is now held in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution . The Noh play Dōjōji ( 道成寺 ) , one of the only Noh plays to feature a prop of any significant size, is based on a legend concerning the bell of Dōjō-ji . In the story a woman named Kiyohime , the spurned mistress of a Buddhist priest named Anchin, traps her lover inside the temple's bell and then kills him by turning into

1596-504: The accuracy of his history since elements appear to have been altered to fit better with the Japanese world view. Adopting Japanese customs more outwardly, in terms of language and dress, was made impossible by the need to hide Japanese control or influence in Ryukyu in order to maintain good relations with China. However, Shō sought to minimize as much as possible any elements of Ryukyuan custom which could be seen as backwards or undignified in

1653-546: The alleged large-scale fire. Sai On's modifications to the traditional Okinawan narrative were based on Chinese sources, where Shō Taikyū reported the alleged struggle to the Ming emperor in 1454. Because the Okinawans routinely deceived the Chinese, it is not clear exactly what happened in 1453. Historian Takase Kyōko speculates that it was Shō Taikyū who launched a coup d'etat against Shō Kinpuku or his son, failed to inherit

1710-412: The aristocracy and peasantry both were living beyond their means for much of the early 17th century, a trend which led to widespread poverty. He worked to sideline the royalty and the noro (female priestesses central to Ryukyuan religion ), not out of a desire for power, or to suppress native religion, but in order to cut down on extravagance and on practices which could be perceived as undignified to

1767-477: The bell allow the sound to carry over great distances; a large bonshō can be heard up to 32 kilometres (20 miles) away on a clear day. The pitch of the bell is carefully judged by its creators, and a difference of a single hertz in the fundamental frequency can require that the bell be recast from scratch. Bonshō are sited in Buddhist temples, usually in a specially designated building or tower called

First Shō dynasty - Misplaced Pages Continue

1824-427: The bell will first make three bows towards it, just as they would before a statue of Buddha. The sonorous sound of the bell was also used to warn of impending typhoons and as a general alert. Because the ringing of a temple bell could be heard over considerable distances, it was also sometimes used for other signalling purposes; there are records of temple bells being used for military communication from as far back as

1881-593: The characters for the shogun's name ( 家康 ) with the kanji for "peace" ( 安 ). Tokugawa assumed Toyotomi was implying that peace would require the "dismemberment" of the Tokugawa. He used the subsequent dispute as an excuse to wage war on the Toyotomi clan, resulting in the siege of Osaka and the eventual destruction of the Toyotomi. A bronze bonshō was among the gifts presented to Commodore Matthew Perry upon his arrival in Japan. Cast by bellmakers from

1938-666: The city of Pasadena ; the city council returned the bell to Tokyo in 1955. A similar story accompanies the bell of Manpuku-ji , which was taken to the United States on the USS Boston after the war; in this case, however, the Sendai authorities allowed the bell to remain in Boston as a symbol of friendship between the two cities. The Boston bell is the last WWII bonshō in the United States. The Japanese Peace Bell at

1995-403: The eyes of Satsuma; he removed the royalty from participation in many traditional rites, and as a result allowed these rites to be much smaller and less extravagant. This also served the important effect of reducing extravagant spending, and allowing Ryukyu to be more productive and prosperous. In a similar vein, he punished aristocrats and government officials who lived too extravagant a lifestyle;

2052-405: The father to the son, however, it is very difficult to infer the actual political situations from Chinese sources. The Chūzan Seikan and subsequent Okinawan sources claim that the surname Shō was given to Shō Hashi by the Ming emperor. However, this statement is not confirmed by contemporary Chinese sources. Modern historians consider that his name was Shōhashi, not Shō Hashi, when he first used

2109-424: The festival, another bonshō , called an okurikane ( 送り鐘 , "sending-back bell") , is rung to send the spirits back and to represent the end of the summer. During World War II the demand for metal for the war effort resulted in many bells being melted down for scrap. As a result, those that survived are generally regarded as important historic artifacts. More than 70,000 bells (approximately 90 per cent of

2166-523: The general design is of much earlier Chinese origin and shares some of the features seen in ancient Chinese bells. The bells' penetrating and pervasive tone carries over considerable distances, which led to their use as signals, timekeepers and alarms. In addition, the sound of the bell is thought to have supernatural properties; it is believed, for example, that it can be heard in the underworld . The spiritual significance of bonshō means that they play an important role in Buddhist ceremonies, particularly

2223-564: The interrogation by the Korean authority, they stated that the king was 33 years old and had four children, with the eldest one being about 15 years old. Another Korean source named the Haedong Jegukgi records a statement by the Zen monk Jitan Seidō, who visited Korea as an envoy of the King of Ryūkyū in 1471. According to Jitan, the incumbent king was Chūwa (中和). He was 16 years old and had

2280-518: The legend to be the result of Benkei's kicking the bell all the way back to the monastery when he discovered that it would not toll for him. The Benkei bell is also associated with the legendary hero Tawara Tōda , who originally donated it to the Mii-dera temple. He acquired it as a gift from the dragon deity Ryūjin , after saving the god from a giant centipede. After the Hōkō-ji temple burned down at

2337-419: The lords of Satsuma , the Japanese daimyō to whom all of Ryukyu was a vassal. It is unclear the extent to which he wrote of them favorably out of fear of reprisal for criticizing them, or out of a genuinely positive view of their customs and politics. Nevertheless, in his writings and in his political behavior, Shō displayed a strong desire for Ryukyu to emulate Japan more fully, which also calls into question

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2394-481: The metal has cooled and solidified, the mould is removed by breaking it, therefore a new one has to be created for each bell. The process has a high failure rate; only around 50 per cent of castings are successful on the first attempt, without cracks or imperfections. The casting is traditionally accompanied by the chanting of Buddhist sutras , which may go on for several hours. Buddhist prayer papers, sprigs of sacred mulberry and other ceremonial offerings are added to

2451-435: The molten bronze during the founding process. There are several parts to a temple bell: Some bells retain linear impressions arising from joints in the mould used; they are not removed during fettling but are regarded as an aspect of the bell's overall beauty. The bell's appearance and sound are intended to be in keeping with Japan's wabi-sabi aesthetic. Japanese temple bells are struck externally with either

2508-449: The monks to prayer and to demarcate periods of time. Rather than containing a clapper, bonshō are struck from the outside, using either a handheld mallet or a beam suspended on ropes. The bells are usually made from bronze, using a form of expendable mould casting . They are typically augmented and ornamented with a variety of bosses , raised bands and inscriptions. The earliest of these bells in Japan date to around 600 CE , although

2565-404: The mould. Inscriptions and decorations are then carved or impressed into the clay. The shell fits over the core to create a narrow gap, into which the molten bronze is poured at a temperature of over 1,050 °C (1,920 °F). The ratio of the alloy is usually around 17:3 copper to tin; the exact admixture (as well as the speed of the cooling process) can alter the tone of the end product. After

2622-447: The name in a diplomatic correspondence. It was, however, later reinterpreted as the combination of the surname Shō and the given name Hashi. In fact, his father was always referred to as Shishō, not Shō Shishō, in contemporary Chinese sources. With the assumption that Shōhashi is a corrupt form of an Okinawan name, some try to decipher it. A popular theory associates Shōhashi with shō aji , because according to Okinawan narratives, Sho Hashi

2679-510: The position of sessei (prime minister). Shō refused, demanding that it was inappropriate for such an important appointment to be conveyed by such a lowly messenger. The following day, Inoha Ueekata , a member of the Sanshikan (三司官, Council of Three), arrived to make the same offer, which he accepted immediately. Shō Shōken's writings, in particular the Mirror of Chūzan, indicate a favor for

2736-619: The royal stamp under the abnormal circumstances, and made up the story of the fire to obtain a new one from the Ming emperor. Note, however, that the castle-wide fire is not mentioned in Shō Taikyū's original report but is Sai On's invention. According to the Okinawan narratives, the last King Shō Toku was 29 years old when he died in 1469, leaving an infant son. However, this contradicts two contemporary sources. In 1461, Korean drifters were rescued by Ryūkyū and stayed at Ryūkyū's royal palace for several months before returning to Korea. According to

2793-425: The second Shō family was unable to explain a legitimate reason as to why the adolescent king had to be deposed. The following family tree is taken from Sai On's edition of the Chūzan Seifu and is considered inaccurate by modern historians. Haneji Ch%C5%8Dsh%C5%AB Shō Shōken ( 向 象賢 , 1617–1675) , also known as Haneji Ōji Chōshū ( 羽地 王子 朝秀 ) , was a Ryukyuan scholar and served as sessei ,

2850-411: The start of the 17th century, Toyotomi Hideyori sponsored its reconstruction in 1610, and commissioned a large bell as part of that process. The bell's inscription drew the ire of Tokugawa Ieyasu , who had become shōgun after wresting power from the Toyotomi clan when Hideyori's father Hideyoshi died. The inscription, "Kokka ankō" ( 国家安康 , 'Peace and tranquility for the nation') , broke up

2907-411: The unification to the Ming emperor, and Shishō was posthumously appointed as King of Chūzan. Sai Taku's edition of the Chūzan Seifu mostly agrees with the Chūzan Seikan . However, it dates Shō Hashi's takeover of Chūzan as 1405, not 1421. It also claims that instead of becoming the King of Chūzan himself, Shō Hashi installed his father Shishō as King of Chūzan. Sai Taku's modifications to the narrative

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2964-565: Was extremely short in height and was referred to as the Sashiki aji , the Dwarf ( 佐敷小按司 , Sashiki shō aji ) . Another theory relates Shōhashi to Chōhachi (ちやうはち), a personal name appearing twice in the Omoro Sōshi . The history books compiled during the second Shō Dynasty claim that Shō Taikyū was born in 1415. However, Ryūkyū's own contemporary sources prove that his real year of birth

3021-439: Was killed in a coup d'état by Kanemaru , who took over the royal name to disguise the coup d'état as a normal succession and thereby became the founder of the second Shō Dynasty . It was Sai On who first claimed that Chūzan annihilated Hokuzan in 1416 and Nanzan in 1429. No contemporary source confirms these dates. The King of Chūzan never reported the annihilation of the two kings to the Chinese. The Chinese Veritable Records of

3078-470: Was motivated by his rather limited access to diplomatic records. According to the Veritable Records of the Ming , "Crown Prince" Shishō reported the death of his "father" Bunei in 1407. Similarly, Crown Prince Shō Hashi reportedly succeeded his late father Shishō as King of Chūzan in 1425. Because the Okinawans routinely deceived the Chinese into thinking that the throne was normally succeeded from

3135-405: Was one of the cadet branches of Royal House. Shō Shōken inherited the position of jitō ( 地頭 , District Administrator) from Chōtai in 1640, and began compiling the Mirror of Chūzan in 1650, by the orders of the king Shō Shitsu . According to Haneji shioki (The Directives of Haneji), one of his chief collections of reforms, he was approached in 1666 by a royal messenger, who was sent to offer him

3192-515: Was overthrown and Shō Shishō became the nominal ruler of Chūzan, placed there by his eldest son Shō Hashi as part of a power bid to control Chūzan while giving an appearance to China of proper Confucian respect for one's elders. Shō Hashi conquered Hokuzan (Sanhoku) in 1416 and Nanzan (Sannan) in 1429, unified Okinawa successfully. He was given the surname Shō ( 尚 ) by the Chinese Emperor. King Shō Toku died in 1469, and his offspring

3249-413: Was too young to be the biological father of Shō Taikyū. Sai On's edition of the Chūzan Seifu changed Shō Taikyū's father from Shō Kinpuku to Shō Hashi but kept the wrong year of birth intact. Sai On added a suspicious episode concerning Shō Taikyū's ascension: After Shō Kinpuku died in 1453, his son Shiro and his younger brother Furi fought a succession struggle. The whole castle was on fire (満城火起), and

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