【Designated by the City：Classical Literature】Hohonhi Monument of Motomura Family

The inscribed words in this monument were presented to a member of the Shoei-uji clan, Chosho (Chosho Motomura, in office from 1851 to 1876), who was to be the chief of Shimoji, by Giwan Uekata Choho, who was one of the three Sanshikan Shoyuko during the rule of King Sho Tai.
It is not clear where this monument was made or inscribed. The monument is made from a solid, rectangular stone, and from the top-right are inscriptions that read: 同治甲子仲冬穀旦、向朝祥敬建、報本、向有恒書.
The word Hohon can be defined as “repaying one’s roots,” but here, it is not clear whether the subject of repayment is meant to be the head of the Shoei-uji clan, or the king and the government.

In the past, during the Bakumatsu period, tumultuous events such as the Warikasamikoku Incident (1848), Zansho Incident (1860) and others took place in Miyako. In the Warikasamikoku Incident, officials from over ten villages imposed greater head taxes for their own personal fortunes. The Zansho Incident saw the tortures of over 20 key figures, after the Ryukyu government learned that these figures criticized the policies of the government and appealed their complaints to the Satsuma Clan. During the Warikasamikoku Incident, Chosho was on the investigative side, while in the Zansho Incident, he was involved as one of the suspects.
The inscribed Hohon on the monument is believed to not have direct connections to the abovementioned incidents, but it is an important epigraph to give the observer a reminder of how the society of Miyako was in the eve of the annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom.