Do you know that the “Bell of the Shurijo Castle Seiden” is placed within Shurijo Castle?

The Bell of the Shurijo Castle Seiden is also known as the “Bridge of Nations Bell” （“Bankoku Shinryo no Kane” in Japanese）. In fact, that name is probably better known. Currently, there is a building in a corner of the Kofukumon Gate called Tomoya. A replica of the Bridge of Nations Bell is displayed there. There is a very famous inscription on this bell that many people may have heard somewhere. The inscription can be summarized as follows: “The Kingdom of the Ryukyu is in a splendid place in the South Seas, an Isle of the Immortals located between China and Japan, conducting trade by ship as a bridge between all nations, and the land is filled with treasures.” The Bankoku Shinryokan, which served as the conference hall during the 2000 Okinawa Summit, took its name from this bell.

Actually, this bell was the bell that used to hang on the Shurijo Castle Seiden. Why was there a bell in the Seiden? It may be hard to imagine, but in 1458, or about 550 years ago, when the bell was made, the Seiden had wooden shingle roofing instead of tiles as seen today. Since then, the Seiden was burned down and rebuilt many times. It was in the 18th century that red tiles were laid on the roof, starting with the building constructed about 300 years ago. Shurijo Castle, which we see today is a restoration based on how the gates and buildings appeared 200 to 300 years ago. The appearance is considerably different from that of Shurijo Castle 550 years ago when the Bridge of Nations Bell was hanging. For this reason, the bell is not hung in the Seiden, and instead, it is currently displayed in the Tomoya in the courtyard of the Kofukumon Gate. Isn’t it surprising that the Shurijo Castle Seiden had wooden shingle roofing? When you visit Shurijo Castle, why not try imagining the castle that was different from the current red-tiled Shurijo Castle Seiden?（Atsushi Koki）

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  Bell of the Shurijo Castle Seiden（replica of the Bridge of Nations Bell）
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  Tomoya, which is located in a corner of Kofukumon Gate courtyard.
  A replica of the Bridge of Nations Bell is displayed inside.
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  Inscription