The Sakishima Beacons (先島諸島火番盛, Sakishima-shotō hibanmui) are a network of eighteen observation platforms and beacons dating to the early Edo period and located in the Sakishima Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Erected in 1644 by the government of the Ryūkyū Kingdom at the instigation of the 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, with a view to restricting foreign vessels in accordance with the Tokugawa policy of sakoku, i.e. national seclusion.[1][2][3] 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 Historic Site.[2][3][4]
- ^ "先島諸島火番盛" [Sakishima Beacons] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ a b "先島諸島火番盛 国指定史跡に" [Sakishima Beacons - Designated a National Historic Site]. Ryūkyū Shimpō (in Japanese). 11 April 2007. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ a b "「火番盛」国の史跡に3市町で10カ所指定" ["Beacons": Designation of A National Historic Site (with 10 component sites and spanning 3 municipalities)]. Yaeyama Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). 11 April 2007. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "先島諸島火番盛" [Sakishima Beacons] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 9 June 2012.