Sakishima Beacons

Short description: 17th-century Okinawan observatory platforms

Sakishima Beacons

先島諸島火番盛
Piːbammurï

Kōtomui beacon on Hateruma

Location| Miyako Islands, Yaeyama Islands Japan
Region| Okinawa
Site notes
Public access| Yes

National Historic Site of Japan

Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as: KML * GPX

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]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Locations
* 3 Operations
* 4 List of beacons
* 5 See also
* 6 References

## 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]

## 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]

## 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

Beacon  | Island  | Municipality  | Comments  | Image  | Coordinates

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Ikema tōmi
池間遠見
| Ikema Island | Miyakojima | located on a small hill at the southern tip of the island[7] | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°55′20″N 125°14′52″E﻿ / ﻿24.922189°N 125.247788°E﻿ / 24.922189; 125.247788
Karimata tōmi
狩俣遠見
| Miyakojima Island | Miyakojima | on a hill behind Karimata[7] | 150px |

[ ⚑ ] 24°53′47″N 125°16′40″E﻿ / ﻿24.896344°N 125.277786°E﻿ / 24.896344; 125.277786

Shimajiri tōmi
島尻遠見
| Miyakojima Island | Miyakojima | on a hill in northeast Shimajiri[7] | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°52′35″N 125°17′52″E﻿ / ﻿24.876417°N 125.297813°E﻿ / 24.876417; 125.297813
Sunagawa tōmi
砂川遠見
| Miyakojima Island | Miyakojima | at the south end of Hiokuyama in Sunagawa | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°43′31″N 125°21′07″E﻿ / ﻿24.725300°N 125.352058°E﻿ / 24.725300; 125.352058
Kurima tōmi
来間遠見
| Kurima Island | Miyakojima | three-metre tower of Ryūkyū limestone (琉球石灰岩) reinforced by the Japanese army during the Pacific War[7] | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°43′33″N 125°15′08″E﻿ / ﻿24.725720°N 125.252337°E﻿ / 24.725720; 125.252337
Miyako tōmi
宮古遠見
| Tarama Island | Tarama |  |  |  [ ⚑ ] 24°40′26″N 124°42′12″E﻿ / ﻿24.673831°N 124.703279°E﻿ / 24.673831; 124.703279
Yaeyama tōmi
八重山遠見
| Tarama Island | Tarama |  | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°40′19″N 124°41′46″E﻿ / ﻿24.671852°N 124.696204°E﻿ / 24.671852; 124.696204
Minna tōmi
水納遠見
| Minna Island | Tarama |  |  |  [ ⚑ ] 24°45′09″N 124°42′15″E﻿ / ﻿24.752463°N 124.704137°E﻿ / 24.752463; 124.704137
Hirakubo tōmi-dai
平久保遠見台
| Ishigaki Island | Ishigaki | just to the south of Cape Hirakubo on the Hirakubo Peninsula (平久保半島)[13] | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°36′35″N 124°18′58″E﻿ / ﻿24.609699°N 124.316107°E﻿ / 24.609699; 124.316107
Kabira hibanmui
川平火番盛
| Ishigaki Island | Ishigaki | near the Kabira Shell Mound (Historic Site) to the northwest of Kabira Bay[14] |  |  [ ⚑ ] 24°28′06″N 124°07′57″E﻿ / ﻿24.468374°N 124.132460°E﻿ / 24.468374; 124.132460
Kogukusu mui
小城盛 (クスクムイ)
| Taketomi Island | Taketomi | also known as Kusuku mui | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°19′57″N 124°05′10″E﻿ / ﻿24.332375°N 124.086027°E﻿ / 24.332375; 124.086027
Puzumari
プズマリ
| Kuroshima Island | Taketomi |  | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°14′13″N 123°59′40″E﻿ / ﻿24.236810°N 123.994317°E﻿ / 24.236810; 123.994317
Takaniku
タカニク
| Aragusuku Islands (Kamiji) | Taketomi |  | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°14′15″N 123°56′36″E﻿ / ﻿24.237475°N 123.943377°E﻿ / 24.237475; 123.943377
Nakamori
中森 (波照間ムリ)
| Aragusuku Islands (Shimoji) | Taketomi | also known as Hateruma muri | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°12′56″N 123°55′40″E﻿ / ﻿24.215520°N 123.927884°E﻿ / 24.215520; 123.927884
Kōto mui
コート盛
| Hateruma Island | Taketomi |  | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°03′51″N 123°46′27″E﻿ / ﻿24.064118°N 123.774204°E﻿ / 24.064118; 123.774204
Ufu-daki

| Kohamajima Island | Taketomi | the hill rises to 99 m above sea level and is a Municipal Place of Scenic Beauty[10][15] | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°20′47″N 123°58′44″E﻿ / ﻿24.346398°N 123.979015°E﻿ / 24.346398; 123.979015
Nakamori

| Hatoma Island | Taketomi | the small forest is a Municipal Natural Monument[10] | 150px |  [ ⚑ ] 24°28′16″N 123°49′12″E﻿ / ﻿24.471115°N 123.820124°E﻿ / 24.471115; 123.820124
Datiguchidi
ダティグチディ
| Yonaguni Island | Yonaguni | near Cape Agarizaki (東崎) at the eastern end of the island |  |  [ ⚑ ] 24°27′45″N 123°01′54″E﻿ / ﻿24.462638°N 123.031627°E﻿ / 24.462638; 123.031627

## See also

* Dejima
* List of Historic Sites of Japan (Okinawa)

## References

1. ↑ "大琉球語辞典". https://ryukyu-lang.lab.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/jdetail/804730.
2. ↑ "先島諸島火番盛" (in ja). Agency for Cultural Affairs. http://bunka.nii.ac.jp/SearchDetail.do?heritageId=218439.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "先島諸島火番盛 国指定史跡に" (in ja). Ryūkyū Shimpō. 11 April 2007. http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-22879-storytopic-6.html.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "「火番盛」国の史跡に3市町で10カ所指定" (in ja). Yaeyama Mainichi Shimbun. 11 April 2007. http://www.y-mainichi.co.jp/news/7776/.
5. ↑ "先島諸島火番盛" (in ja). Agency for Cultural Affairs. https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/401/00003535.
6. ↑ Isomura, Yukio; Sakai, Hideya (2012). (国指定史跡事典) National Historic Site Encyclopedia. 学生社. ISBN 978-4311750403. Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "宮古島の文化財 国関係" (in ja). Miyakojima City. http://www.city.miyakojima.lg.jp/site/view/contview.jsp?cateid=6&id=906&page=1.
8. ↑ "史跡・文化財" (in ja). Tarama Village. http://www.vill.tarama.okinawa.jp/?cat=121.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "火番盛" (in ja). Ishigaki City. http://www.city.ishigaki.okinawa.jp/100000/100500/huukeirekisi/landscape/p1-p133/p56.html.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "竹富町の文化財" (in ja). Taketomi Town. http://www.town.taketomi.lg.jp/town/index.php?content_id=7.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "竹富町内7島で「のろし」リレー 350年以上前の情報伝達を再現" (in ja). Yaeyama Mainichi Shimbun. 9 November 2011. http://www.y-mainichi.co.jp/news/9840/.
12. ↑ "琉球王府時代の「のろし」を再現－竹富町の7島と石垣で検証リレー" (in ja). Ishigaki Keizai Shimbun. 9 November 2007. http://ishigaki.keizai.biz/headline/142/.
13. ↑ "3.3 北部地域" (in ja). Ishigaki City. http://www.city.ishigaki.okinawa.jp/140000/140100/toshikeikaku/3-3.pdf.
14. ↑ "3.4 西部地域" (in ja). Ishigaki City. http://www.city.ishigaki.okinawa.jp/140000/140100/toshikeikaku/3-4.pdf.
15. ↑ "小浜島" (in ja). Taketomi Town. http://www.town.taketomi.lg.jp/islands/index.php?content_id=3.

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