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48-601: The Ryukyu Kingdom first created a calendar based on the Shixian calendar in 1674. The lunar calendar plays a very important role in the fishing-dominated Ryukyu Islands because of the need to rely on the moon's rise and fall to predict the tides. When the Meiji government implemented the solar calendar, the Ryukyu people who were dissatisfied with Japanese rule continued to use the lunar calendar. Locals eat soba noodles to celebrate

96-855: A vassal state of the Satsuma Domain of Japan after the invasion of Ryukyu in 1609 but retained de jure independence until it was transformed into the Ryukyu Domain by the Empire of Japan in 1872. The Ryukyu Kingdom was formally annexed and dissolved by Japan in 1879 to form Okinawa Prefecture , and the Ryukyuan monarchy was integrated into the new Japanese nobility . In the 14th century, small domains scattered on Okinawa Island were unified into three principalities: Hokuzan ( 北山 , Northern Mountain) , Chūzan ( 中山 , Central Mountain) , and Nanzan ( 南山 , Southern Mountain) . This

144-529: A European resident in a protectorate. But the kingdom was not considered as part of any han (fief): up until the formal annexation of the islands and abolition of the kingdom in 1879, the Ryukyus were not truly considered de jure part of Edo Japan. Though technically under the control of Satsuma, Ryukyu was given a great degree of autonomy, to best serve the interests of the Satsuma daimyō and those of

192-531: A number of institutions were established to cater to Chinese envoys to Chūzan. Trade boomed, and relations with other countries likewise continued to be expanded. Though China accepted tributary missions from Hokuzan and Nanzan as well at this time, they officially recognized only the King of Chūzan as a head of state in Ryukyu. Chūzan continued to enjoy formal diplomatic relations with Ayutthaya and Korea, and trade relations with Java , Sumatra , and other states, as did

240-544: A number of states in the region, including the Ayutthaya Kingdom of Thailand and Joseon Dynasty of Korea , and saw the beginnings of Ryukyu's role in a flourishing system of regional trade. The first Ming dynasty envoys arrived in Okinawa in 1372, marking the beginning of tributary relations with China. From then on, Chūzan (and unified Ryukyu later) would send frequent tribute missions, and would rely upon

288-480: A rebellion and overthrew Bunei, establishing his own father, Shishō, as King of Chūzan. Hashi effectively ruled from the behind the scenes, and led Chūzan's army against the neighboring kingdoms, conquering Hokuzan in 1419 and Nanzan in 1429. In the intervening years, he formally succeeded his father to the throne and received investiture and the dynastic family name "Shang" ( 尚 , Shō in Japanese or Okinawan) from

336-408: A show of parading the King, officials, and other people of Ryukyu to and through Edo. As the only han to have a king and an entire kingdom as vassals, Satsuma gained significantly from Ryukyu's exoticness, reinforcing that it was an entirely separate kingdom. According to statements by Qing imperial official Li Hongzhang in a meeting with Ulysses S. Grant , China had a special relationship with

384-404: Is called Rekidai Hōan in the Japanese pronunciation, and continued to be compiled fairly regularly until 1619. However, this increased organization was not accompanied by political stability; the kings of Nanzan and Hokuzan, along with the emperor of China, all died within the span of just a few years (1395–1398). These events heightened tensions between the three kingdoms, all of which sought

432-467: Is open during the Ryukyu New Year, with New Year's greetings, performances and dance ceremonies. At the beginning of the new year, the village witch prays for a prosperous year with rice and sweets. Afterwards, Ryukyu classical music was played with Sanshin , drum, flute, etc. When the key changed and the bright sanxian sound reverberated, all the participants began to dance. The two villages in

480-683: The Imperial Academy in Beijing, and formally recognized the authority of the King of Chūzan, allowing the kingdom to trade formally at Ming ports. Ryukyuan ships, often provided by China, traded at ports throughout the region, which included, among others, China, Đại Việt (Vietnam), Japan, Java , Korea , Luzon , Malacca , Pattani , Palembang , Siam , and Sumatra . Japanese products—silver, swords, fans, lacquerware , folding screens —and Chinese products—medicinal herbs, minted coins, glazed ceramics, brocades, textiles—were traded within

528-465: The Chinese court to officially recognize each successive Ryukyuan king with a formal statement of investiture. China would have an incredibly strong influence on Ryukyu for the next five hundred years, politically, economically, and culturally, as it did with its numerous other tributary states. This period also saw the beginnings of a bureaucracy in the royal government which would later grow to rule in

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576-660: The Ming imperial palace. Emperor Yongle said that the boys who were castrated were innocent and did not deserve castration, and he returned them to Ryukyu, and instructed the kingdom not to send eunuchs again. These three principalities (tribal federations led by major chieftains) battled, and Chūzan emerged victorious. The Chūzan leaders were officially recognized by Ming dynasty China as the rightful kings over those of Nanzan and Hokuzan, thus lending great legitimacy to their claims. The ruler of Chūzan passed his throne to King Hashi; Hashi conquered Hokuzan in 1416 and Nanzan in 1429, uniting

624-572: The Qing any reason for military action against Japan, the king was released two years later and the Ryukyu Kingdom regained a degree of autonomy. However, the Satsuma domain seized control over some territory of the Ryukyu Kingdom, notably the Amami-Ōshima island group, which was incorporated into the Satsuma domain and remains a part of Kagoshima Prefecture, not Okinawa Prefecture. The kingdom

672-590: The Ryukyu Kingdom to aid in his campaign to conquer Korea . If successful, Hideyoshi intended to then move against China. As the Ryukyu Kingdom was a tributary state of the Ming dynasty , the request was refused. The Tokugawa shogunate that emerged following Hideyoshi's fall authorized the Shimazu family — feudal lords of the Satsuma domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture )—to send an expeditionary force to conquer

720-425: The Ryukyu Kingdom would thrive as a key player in maritime trade with Southeast and East Asia. Central to the kingdom's maritime activities was the continuation of the tributary relationship with Ming dynasty China, begun by Chūzan in 1372, and enjoyed by the three Okinawan kingdoms which followed it. China provided ships for Ryukyu's maritime trade activities, allowed a limited number of Ryukyuans to study at

768-556: The Ryukyu New Year. A large fishing flag is hung on the moored fishing boats. I hope everyone will have a full year of harvest. A New Year wrestling event is held at the market in Naha . In Amami Oshima , the Ryukyu New Year is a festival to pray for the abundance of grains and family happiness. During the Ryukyu New Year, people will set up kadomatsu made of pines, bamboos and daphniphyllum , eat mochi soup and sashimi , and drink shochu . Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom

816-511: The Ryukyus. The subsequent invasion took place in 1609, but Satsuma still allowed the Ryukyu Kingdom to find itself in a period of "dual subordination" to Japan and China, wherein Ryukyuan tributary relations were maintained with both the Tokugawa shogunate and the Chinese court. Occupation occurred fairly quickly, with some fierce fighting, and King Shō Nei was taken prisoner to Kagoshima and later to Edo (modern-day Tokyo). To avoid giving

864-571: The Satsuma daimyō , and the shogunate—to make Ryukyu seem as much a distinctive and foreign country as possible. Japanese were prohibited from visiting Ryukyu without shogunal permission, and the Ryukyuans were forbidden from adopting Japanese names, clothes, or customs. They were even forbidden from divulging their knowledge of the Japanese language during their trips to Edo; the Shimazu family, daimyōs of Satsuma, gained great prestige by putting on

912-485: The Satsuma domain, with the blessing of the Tokugawa shogunate, used the trade relations of the kingdom to continue to maintain trade relations with China. Considering that Japan had previously severed ties with most European countries except the Dutch , such trade relations proved especially crucial to both the Tokugawa shogunate and Satsuma domain, which would use its power and influence, gained in this way, to help overthrow

960-537: The accompanying preferential treatment of the Ming Court towards Ryukyu, allowed the kingdom to flourish and prosper for roughly 150 years. In the late 16th century, however, the kingdom's commercial prosperity fell into decline. The rise of the wokou threat among other factors led to the gradual loss of Chinese preferential treatment; the kingdom also suffered from increased maritime competition from Portuguese traders . Around 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked

1008-575: The commercial center at the port of Naha . A community for Ryukyuan envoys and scholars was similarly established in Fukien in China, and the first Ryukyuans to study in China's capital did so at this time as well, again establishing precedents for developments which would continue for centuries. Satto's son Bunei succeeded him in 1395, and oversaw the continuation of the policies and developments of his father's reign. Relations with China grew stronger, and

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1056-605: The end of the 15th century, and by 1571 the Amami Ōshima Islands, to the north near Kyūshū , were incorporated into the kingdom as well. While the kingdom's political system was adopted and the authority of Shuri recognized, in the Amami Ōshima Islands, the kingdom's authority over the Sakishima Islands to the south remained for centuries at the level of a tributary - suzerain relationship. For nearly two hundred years,

1104-488: The favor of the Ming court, which was largely unresponsive; Bunei only received his formal investiture in 1406, ten years after succeeding his father, and less than a year before his own death. As a result of these political instabilities, the aji (local territorial lords) began to seize more power for themselves within their tiny local domains. One aji , by the name of Hashi, deposed his neighboring lord of Azato in 1402 and seized his territory. Five years later, he led

1152-404: The island and the Ryukyu had paid tribute to China for hundreds of years, and the Chinese reserved certain trade rights for them in an amicable and beneficial relationship. Japan ordered tributary relations to end in 1875 after the tribute mission of 1874 was perceived as a show of submission to China. In 1872, Emperor Meiji unilaterally declared that the kingdom was then Ryukyu Domain . At

1200-439: The island of Okinawa for the first time, and founded the first Shō dynasty. Hashi was granted the surname "Shō" (Chinese: 尚 ; pinyin: Shàng ) by the Ming emperor in 1421, becoming known as Shō Hashi (Chinese: 尚巴志 ; pinyin: Shàng Bāzhì ). Shō Hashi adopted the Chinese hierarchical court system, built Shuri Castle and the town as his capital, and constructed Naha harbor. When in 1469 King Shō Toku , who

1248-414: The king's place and in his name, replacing direct monarchical rule. Kumemura , a community for Chinese immigrants was established; the Chinese living here, and their Ryukyuan descendants, would serve Chūzan (and later the unified kingdom) as diplomats, interpreters, and government officials. Kumemura quickly grew into Ryukyu's cultural capital, something of a complement to the political capital at Shuri and

1296-672: The kingdom for Southeast Asian sappanwood , rhino horn, tin , sugar, iron, ambergris , Indian ivory , and Arabian frankincense . Altogether, 150 voyages between the kingdom and Southeast Asia on Ryukyuan ships were recorded in the Rekidai Hōan , an official record of diplomatic documents compiled by the kingdom, as having taken place between 1424 and the 1630s, with 61 of them bound for Siam, 10 for Malacca, 10 for Pattani, and 8 for Java, among others. The Chinese policy of haijin ( 海禁 , "sea bans"), limiting trade with China to tributary states and those with formal authorization, along with

1344-526: The kingdom in 1392, during the Hongwu emperor 's reign. Many Ryukyuan officials were descended from these Chinese immigrants, being born in China or having Chinese grandfathers. They assisted the Ryukyuans in advancing their technology and diplomatic relations. On 30 January 1406, the Yongle Emperor expressed horror when the Ryukyuans castrated some of their own children to become eunuchs to serve in

1392-564: The kingdom of Nanzan (南山, Southern Mountain), while the Lord of Nakijin , based some distance to the north, declared himself king of Hokuzan (北山, Northern Mountain). Thus, Tamagusuku, in Urasoe , became king of Chūzan. Tamagusuku died in 1336, and was succeeded by his son Seii , then ten years of age. Seii's reign was relatively short, and defined by the interference and political abuses of his mother which led to an erosion of what little support

1440-510: The new year, and at the beginning of the new year, each family sends New Year's cards to each other and a New Year's gift to the children. Kudaka Island is known as the "Island of the Gods". According to legend, it is the place where Amamikyu , the creator of Ryukyu, came down from the sky and started the founding of the country. On the day of the Ryukyu New Year, many people on the island will be busy returning home. The outer hall, which serves as

1488-455: The north and south of Taketomi Town will hold tug-of-war and wrestling ceremonies on Ryukyu New Year's Day. They are divided into two teams, the north and the south. After singing the folk songs, it starts around 2 pm. The locals believe that "the north wins the livestock and the south wins the harvest". The fishing port in Itoman , the hometown of seafarers, is the most solemn place to celebrate

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1536-445: The other two Ryukyuan kingdoms. However, only Chūzan managed to establish formal relations with Japan's Ashikaga shogunate , having sent a mission in 1403. These political advantages, coupled with control of Naha, the most active port on Okinawa, allowed Chūzan to gain significant political and economic superiority over its two neighbors. It also benefited greatly culturally; trade always brings cultural exchange along with it, and many of

1584-469: The same time, the appearance of independence was maintained for diplomatic reasons with Qing China until the Meiji government abolished the Ryukyu Kingdom when the islands were incorporated as Okinawa Prefecture on 27 March 1879. The Amami-Ōshima island group which had been integrated into Satsuma Domain became a part of Kagoshima Prefecture . The last king of Ryukyu was forced to relocate to Tokyo , and

1632-494: The shogunate in the 1860s. Ryukyuan missions to Edo for Tokugawa Shōgun . The Ryukyuan king was a vassal of the Satsuma daimyō , after Shimazu's Ryukyu invasion in 1609, the Satsuma Clan established a governmental office's branch known as Zaibankaiya (在番仮屋) or Ufukaiya (大仮屋) at Shuri in 1628, and became the base of Ryukyu domination for 250 years, until 1872. The Satsuma Domain's residents can be roughly compared to

1680-461: The shogunate, in trading with China. Ryukyu was a tributary state of China, and since Japan had no formal diplomatic relations with China, it was essential that China not realize that Ryukyu was controlled by Japan. Thus, Satsuma—and the shogunate—was obliged to be mostly hands-off in terms of not visibly or forcibly occupying Ryukyu or controlling the policies and laws there. The situation benefited all three parties involved—the Ryukyu royal government,

1728-458: The stage, is the two major places of worship on the island, along with the Jiugao hall. At Jiugao Hall, a pair of male islanders take turns to worship, while female goddesses fill their glasses with sake. When the two who have completed the ceremony walk out of the hall, they will perform hand dances to welcome the joy of the new year. On Hamahiga Island , the legendary Utaki where Amamikyu lived

1776-428: The states in the region were experiencing great cultural surges as a result. In particular, it is believed that Buddhism from Korea and Shintō from Japan were first introduced to Okinawa to a significant extent at this time. Students and other travelers to Korea brought back texts, statues, rituals, and other Buddhist objects and ideas, and in exchange, King Bunei promised to send shipwrecked Koreans, and those who were

1824-517: The time all three kingdoms were unified as the Kingdom of Ryukyu. Seii was overthrown by the lord of Urasoe around 1349–1355; the reign of the new king, Satto , marked the emergence of Chūzan as a small but not insignificant player in regional trade and politics. A number of domestic policies and foreign relations begun at this time would continue until the end of the kingdom five hundred years later. Satto established diplomatic and trade relations with

1872-418: The victims of Japanese pirates ( wakō ), back home safely. Domestically, Bunei's reign saw significant development in the organization and formalization of the royal administration, and increased literacy and education among the administrative officials. Government documents, particularly those concerning trade and diplomacy, were first compiled in 1403. This compilation, the "Treasury of Royal Succession",

1920-457: The young king may have had from the territorial lords. It is important to note that the three "kingdoms" were little different from the loosely unified chiefdoms which came before, and the "kings" did not wield considerably greater power, nor were their administrations more organized or more politically stable than what came before. However, this became gradually less true over the generations; the king's power and organization advanced considerably by

1968-475: Was a grandson of Shō Hashi, died without a male heir, a palatine servant declared he was Toku's adopted son and gained Chinese investiture. This pretender, Shō En , began the Second Shō dynasty. Ryukyu's golden age occurred during the reign of Shō Shin , the second king of that dynasty, who reigned from 1478 to 1526. The kingdom extended its authority over the southernmost islands in the Ryukyu archipelago by

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2016-676: Was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a tributary state of imperial Ming China by the Ryukyuan monarchy , who unified Okinawa Island to end the Sanzan period , and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands and Sakishima Islands . The Ryukyu Kingdom played a central role in the maritime trade networks of medieval East Asia and Southeast Asia despite its small size. The Ryukyu Kingdom became

2064-578: Was adjacent to the major port of Naha , and Kume-mura, the center of traditional Chinese education. These sites and Chūzan as a whole would continue to form the center of the Ryukyu Kingdom until its abolition. Many Chinese people moved to Ryukyu to serve the government or to engage in business during this period . At the request of the Ryukyuan King, the Ming Chinese sent thirty-six Chinese families from Fujian to manage oceanic dealings in

2112-585: Was called the Ryūkyū Kingdom , but would continue to be referred to as "Chūzan" in various official documents of the Ryukyuan royal government, and those of many other states in the region. Tamagusuku succeeded his father Eiji as king of Okinawa at the age of nineteen, in 1314. However, he lacked the charisma or leadership abilities to command the respect and loyalty of the various territorial lords ( aji ), and many rebelled soon afterwards. The Lord of Ozato fled south and, along with his followers, formed

2160-491: Was described by Hayashi Shihei in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu , which was published in 1785. In 1655, tribute relations between Ryukyu and Qing dynasty (the China's dynasty that followed Ming after 1644) were formally approved by the shogunate. This was seen to be justified, in part, because of the desire to avoid giving Qing any reason for military action against Japan. Since Ming China prohibited trade with Japan,

2208-541: Was given a compensating kazoku rank as Marquis Shō Tai . Many royalist supporters fled to China. The king's death in 1901 diminished the historic connections with the former kingdom. With the abolition of the aristocracy after World War II, the Sho family continues to live in Tokyo. 26°12′N 127°41′E  /  26.200°N 127.683°E  / 26.200; 127.683 Ch%C5%ABzan Chūzan ( 中山 )

2256-489: Was known as the Three Kingdoms, or Sanzan ( 三山 , Three Mountains) period. Hokuzan, which constituted much of the northern half of the island, was the largest in terms of land area and military strength but was economically the weakest of the three. Nanzan constituted the southern portion of the island. Chūzan lay in the center of the island and was economically the strongest. Its political capital at Shuri , Nanzan

2304-488: Was one of three kingdoms which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century. Okinawa, previously controlled by a number of local chieftains or lords, loosely bound by a paramount chieftain or king of the entire island, split into these three more solidly defined kingdoms within a few years after 1314; the Sanzan period thus began, and would end roughly one hundred years later, when Chūzan's King Shō Hashi conquered Hokuzan in 1419 and Nanzan in 1429. The united Okinawan state

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