Ryukyu Kingdom
Ryukyu Kingdom 琉球國 Ruuchuu-kuku | |||||||||||||||||
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1429–1879 | |||||||||||||||||
Anthem: " better source needed] | |||||||||||||||||
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Status |
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Capital | |||||||||||||||||
Demonym(s) | Ryukyuan | ||||||||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||||
King (國王) | |||||||||||||||||
• 1429–1439 | Shō Hashi | ||||||||||||||||
• 1477–1526 | Shō Shin | ||||||||||||||||
• 1587–1620 | Shō Nei | ||||||||||||||||
• 1848–1879 | Shō Tai | ||||||||||||||||
Sessei (摂政) | |||||||||||||||||
• 1666–1673 | Shō Shōken | ||||||||||||||||
Regent (國師) | |||||||||||||||||
• 1751–1752 | Sai On | ||||||||||||||||
Legislature | Shuri cabinet (首里王府), Annexed by Japan | 27 March 1879 | |||||||||||||||
Currency | Ryukyuan, Chinese, and Japanese mon coins[3] | ||||||||||||||||
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Today part of | Japan |
History of Ryukyu |
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Militarism | |
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Battle of Okinawa | 1945 |
Military Government | 1945–1950 |
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Civil Administration | 1950–1972 |
Government | 1952–1972 |
Tokara Reversion | 1952 |
Amami Reversion | 1953 |
Koza riot | 1970 |
Okinawa Reversion Agreement | 1971 |
Okinawa Reversion | 1972 |
Kagoshima Prefecture | 1953–present |
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The Ryukyu Kingdom
History
Origins of the Kingdom
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 was known as the Three Kingdoms, or Sanzan (三山, Three Mountains) period.[citation needed] 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 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.[citation needed]
Many Chinese people moved to Ryukyu to serve the government or to engage in business during this period[citation needed]. At the request of the Ryukyuan King, the Ming Chinese sent thirty-six Chinese families from Fujian to manage oceanic dealings in 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.[6] They assisted the Ryukyuans in advancing their technology and diplomatic relations.[7][8][9] On 30 January 1406, the Yongle Emperor expressed horror when the Ryukyuans castrated some of their own children to become eunuchs to serve in 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.[10]
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 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).[citation needed]
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 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.[11]
The kingdom extended its authority over the southernmost islands in the Ryukyu archipelago by the end of the 15th century, and by 1571 the
Golden age of maritime trade
For nearly two hundred years, the Ryukyu Kingdom would thrive as a key player in maritime trade with
Japanese products—silver, swords, fans,
The Chinese policy of haijin (海禁, "sea bans"), limiting trade with China to tributary states and those with formal authorization, along with the accompanying preferential treatment of the Ming Court towards Ryukyu, allowed the kingdom to flourish and prosper for roughly 150 years.[18] 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;[19] the kingdom also suffered from increased maritime competition from Portuguese traders.[12]
Japanese invasion and subordination
Around 1590,
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 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.[20] 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 was described by Hayashi Shihei in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu, which was published in 1785.[21]
Tributary relations
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2013) |
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.[20]
Since Ming China prohibited trade with Japan, 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 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.
According to statements by Qing imperial official Li Hongzhang in a meeting with Ulysses S. Grant, China had a special relationship with 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.[26] Japan ordered tributary relations to end in 1875 after the tribute mission of 1874 was perceived as a show of submission to China.[27]
Annexation by the Japanese Empire
In 1872,
The last king of Ryukyu was forced to relocate to Tokyo, and was given a compensating kazoku rank as Marquis Shō Tai.[33][34][page needed] Many royalist supporters fled to China.[35] The king's death in 1901 diminished the historic connections with the former kingdom.[36] With the abolition of the aristocracy after World War II, the Sho family continues to live in Tokyo.[37]
Major events
- 1187 – Shunten becomes King of Okinawa, based at Urasoe Castle.
- 1272 – Envoys from the Eiso.
- 1276 – Mongols are violently driven off the island again.
- 1372 – The first Chinese Empire begin.[12]
- 1389 – An envoy from Ryukyu visits the Goryeo Kingdom, resulting in diplomatic ties between the two kingdoms.
- 1392 – An envoy from Ryukyu visits the Joseon Kingdom.
- 1416 – Chūzan, led by Shō Hashi, occupies Nakijin Castle, capital of Hokuzan.[38]
- 1429 – Chūzan occupies Nanzan Castle, capital of Nanzan, unifying Okinawa Island. Shō Hashi moves the capital to Shuri Castle (now part of modern-day Naha).[38]
- 1458 – Amawari's rebellion against the Kingdom.
- 1466 – Kikai Islandinvaded by Ryukyu.
- 1470 – Shō En (Kanemaru) establishes the Second Shō dynasty.[38]
- 1477 – Shō Shin, whose rule is called the "Great Days of Chūzan", ascends to the throne.[38] Golden age of the kingdom.
- 1500 – Sakishima Islands annexed by Ryukyu.
- 1609 – (5 April)
- 1611 – In accordance with the peace treaty, Satsuma annexes the daimyōof the Satsuma Domain.
- 1623 – Completion of Omoro Sōshi.
- 1650 – Completion of Chūzan Seikan.
- 1724 – Completion of Chūzan Seifu.
- 1745 – Completion of Kyūyō.
- 1846 – Dr. Bernard Jean Bettelheim (d. 1870), a Hungarian Protestant missionary serving with the Loochoo Naval Mission, arrives in Ryukyu Kingdom.[38] He establishes the first foreign hospital on the island at the Naminoue Gokoku-ji Temple.
- 1852 – Commodore US Navy visits the kingdom and establishes a coaling station in Naha.[38]
- 1854 – Perry returns to Okinawa to sign the Loochoo Compact with the Ryukyuan government.[39] Bettelheim leaves with Perry.
- 1866 – The last official mission from the Qing Empirevisits the kingdom.
- 1872 – Emperor Meiji unilaterally declares King Shō Tai as the "Domain Head of Ryukyu Domain".
- 1874 – The last tributary envoy to China is dispatched from Naha. / invades Taiwanon behalf of Ryukyu.
- 1879 – Japan abolishes Ryukyu Domain and declares the creation of Okinawa Prefecture, formally annexing the islands.[38] Shō Tai is forced to abdicate, but is granted the rank of marquis (侯爵, kōshaku) within the Meiji peerage system.[33]
List of Ryukyuan kings
Name | Chinese characters |
Reign | Dynasty | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shunten | 舜天 shuntin | 1187–1237 | Shunten dynasty | |
Shunbajunki | 舜馬順熈 shunbajunchi | 1238–1248 | Shunten dynasty | |
Gihon | 義本 gifun | 1249–1259 | Shunten dynasty | |
Eiso |
英祖 eeso | 1260–1299 | Eiso dynasty | |
Taisei | 大成 teeshii | 1300–1308 | Eiso dynasty | |
Eiji | 英慈 eeji | 1309–1313 | Eiso dynasty |
Tamagusuku | 玉城 tamagushiku | 1314–1336 | Eiso dynasty | |
Seii | 西威 see-i | 1337–1354 | Eiso dynasty | |
Satto | 察度 sattu | 1355–1397 | Satto dynasty | |
Bunei |
武寧 bunii | 1398–1406 | Satto dynasty | |
Shō Shishō |
尚思紹 shoo shisoo | 1407–1421 | First Shō dynasty | |
Shō Hashi | 尚巴志 shoo hashii | 1422–1429 | First Shō dynasty | as King of Chūzan |
Name | Chinese characters |
Reign | Line or dynasty | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shō Hashi | 尚巴志 shoo hashii | 1429–1439 | First Shō dynasty | as King of Ryukyu |
Shō Chū | 尚忠 shoo chuu | 1440–1442 | First Shō dynasty | |
Shō Shitatsu | 尚思達 shoo shitaa | 1443–1449 | First Shō dynasty | |
Shō Kinpuku | 尚金福 shoo chinfuku | 1450–1453 | First Shō dynasty | |
Shō Taikyū | 尚泰久 shoo teechuu | 1454–1460 | First Shō dynasty | |
Shō Toku | 尚徳 shoo tuku | 1461–1469 | First Shō dynasty | |
Shō En | 尚圓 shoo in | 1470–1476 | Second Shō dynasty | a.k.a. Kanemaru Uchima |
Shō Sen'i | 尚宣威 shoo shin-i | 1477 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Shin | 尚真 shoo shin | 1477–1526 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Sei | 尚清 shoo shii | 1527–1555 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Gen | 尚元 shoo gwan | 1556–1572 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Ei | 尚永 shoo ii | 1573–1586 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Nei | 尚寧 shoo nii | 1587–1620 | Second Shō dynasty | ruled during Satsuma invasion; first king to be Satsuma vassal |
Shō Hō | 尚豊 shoo fuu | 1621–1640 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Ken | 尚賢 shoo chin | 1641–1647 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Shitsu | 尚質 shoo shichi | 1648–1668 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Tei | 尚貞 shoo tii | 1669–1709 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Eki | 尚益 shoo ichi | 1710–1712 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Kei | 尚敬 shoo chii | 1713–1751 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Boku | 尚穆 shoo buku | 1752–1795 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō On | 尚温 shoo un | 1796–1802 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Sei (r. 1803) | 尚成 shoo shii | 1803 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Kō | 尚灝 shoo koo | 1804–1828 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Iku | 尚育 shoo iku | 1829–1847 | Second Shō dynasty | |
Shō Tai | 尚泰 shoo tee | 1848 – 11 March 1879 | Second Shō dynasty | last King of Ryukyu (then Japanese Marquis 1884–1901) |
In popular culture
In the video game Europa Universalis IV there is an achievement called The Three Mountains, which is achieved by conquering the world as the Ryukyu Kingdom.[40]
See also
- Foreign relations of the Ryukyu Kingdom
- Foreign relations of Imperial China
- Gusuku
- History of the Ryukyu Islands
- History of Sakishima Islands
- Hua–Yi distinction
- Mudan Incident of 1871
- Military of the Ryukyu Kingdom
- Ryukyu independence movement
- Ryukyu Islands
- Ryukyuan missions to Edo
- Ryukyuan missions to Imperial China
- Ryukyuan missions to Joseon
- Tamaudun (intact royal tombs)
- Okinawan martial arts
- Names of Ryukyu
Notes
- ^
- Okinawan: 琉球國, romanized: Ruuchuu-kuku
- Japanese: 琉球王国, romanized: Ryūkyū Ōkoku
- Middle Chinese: 琉球國, romanized: Ljuw-gjuw kwok
- Manchu: ᠯᡳᠣ ᠴᡳᠣ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ Lio cio gurun
- Classical Chinese: 大琉球國 (lit. 'Great Lew Chew Country')[4]
- Historical English names: Lew Chew,[5] Lewchew, Luchu, and Loochoo
- Historical French name: Liou-tchou[5]
- Historical Dutch name: Lioe-kioe[5]
- ^ Although the Ryukyuan king was a vassal of the Satsuma Domain, the Ryukyu Kingdom was not considered part of any Han due to trade relations with China.
- ^ Nanzan and Hokuzan also entered into tributary relationships with Ming China, in 1380 and 1383 respectively.[16]
References
Citations
- ^ Arben Anthony Saavedra, Fernando Inafuku (21 April 2019). National Anthem of the Ryukyu Kingdom 琉球王国国歌 (YouTube) (in Okinawan). Okinawa. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ Kikō, Nishizato. "明清交替期の中琉日関係再考" (PDF) (in Japanese). pp. 23–25.
- ^ "Ryuukyuuan coins". Luke Roberts at the Department of History – University of California at Santa Barbara. 24 October 2003. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ "琉球国金石文献述略" (in Chinese). Ancient History Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 25 December 2018.
- ^ a b c "旧条約彙纂. 第3巻(朝鮮・琉球)" (in Japanese). National Diet Library. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ISBN 0-7914-2687-4. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ISBN 978-3-447-05474-4. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ISBN 0-313-30712-1. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ISBN 978-90-5867-614-6. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- )
- OCLC 1098213229.
- ^ a b c d e Matsuda 2001, p. 16.
- ^ Murai 2008, pp. iv–v.
- ^ Okamoto 2008, p. 35.
- ^ Okinawa Prefectural reserve cultural assets center (2012). "東南アジアと琉球". Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ a b Okamoto 2008, p. 36.
- ^ S2CID 162443515.
- ^ Murai 2008, p. iv.
- ^ Okamoto 2008, p. 53.
- ^ a b Kang 2010, p. 81
- ^ Klaproth, Julius (1832), San kokf tsou ran to sets, ou Aperçu général des trois royaumes [San kokf tsou ran to sets, or General overview of the three kingdoms] (in French), pp. 169–180.
- ^ S2CID 162751444. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- S2CID 145344717.
- ^ "The Satsuma clan of Japan maintained a local office charged with governing Ryukyu". Naha City Economic and Tourism Department Tourism Division. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Nakahara Zenshu: Character and Weapons of the Ryukyu Kingdom". Ryukyu Bugei 琉球武芸. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-8093-2775-1. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ Kerr 1953, p. 366-367.
- ^ Matsuo, Kanenori Sakon (2005). The Secret Royal Martial Arts of Ryukyu, p. 40, at Google Books.
- ^ Kerr 1953, p. 175.
- ^ Lin, Man-houng. "The Ryukyus and Taiwan in the East Asian Seas: A Longue Durée Perspective", Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. 27 October 2006, translated and abridged from Academia Sinica Weekly, No. 1084. 24 August 2006.
- ^ Goodenough, Ward H. Book Review: "George H. Kerr. Okinawa: the History of an Island People...", The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, May 1959, Vol. 323, No. 1, p. 165.
- ^ Kerr 1953, p. 381.
- ^ PDF@60), Nobiliare du Japon [Nobility of Japan] (in French), p. 56.
- ^ Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph (1906), Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon [Dictionary of History & Geography of Japan] (in French).
- ^ 论战后琉球独立运动及琉球归属问题 – 百度文库
- ^ Kerr 1953, p. 236.
- ^ "Forgotten Dynasty". 26 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hamashita, Takeshi. Okinawa Nyūmon (沖縄入門, "Introduction to Okinawa"). Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō, 2000, pp. 207–13.
- ^ "Lew Chew (Loochoo)* - Countries - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov.
- ^ Winkie, Luke (18 May 2022). "10 of the most brutal game challenges of all time". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
Sources
- Akamine, Mamoru (2016). The Ryukyu Kingdom: Cornerstone of East Asia. University of Hawaii. ISBN 978-0824855178.
- Kang, David C. (2010), East Asia Before the West: Five Centuries of Trade and Tribute, New York, NY: Columbia University Press, OCLC 562768984.
- OCLC 5455582.
- ——— (1958), Okinawa: the History of an Island People, OCLC 722356.
- Matsuda, Mitsugu (2001), 'The Government of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, 1609–1872 (dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Hawaii in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, January 1967), Gushikawa: Yui Pub., ISBN 4-946539-16-6, 283 pp.
- Murai, Shōsuke (2008), "Introduction", Acta Asiatica, 95, Tokyo: The Tōhō Gakkai (The Institute of Eastern Culture).
- Okamoto, Hiromichi (2008), "Foreign Policy and Maritime Trade in the Early Ming Period Focusing on the Ryukyu Kingdom", Acta Asiatica, 95.
- Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002), Japan Encyclopedia, Cambridge, MA: OCLC 48943301.
- Smits, Gregory (1999), Visions of Ryukyu: identity and ideology in early-modern thought and politics, Honolulu, HI: ISBN 0-8248-2037-1, 213 pp.
External links
- Media related to Ryukyu Kingdom at Wikimedia Commons
- Brief History of the Uchinanchu (Okinawans), Uninanchu.
- Okinawa Filming Guide Book 2014–2015 (PDF), Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCVBOkinawaFilmOffice), archived from the original (PDF) on 11 February 2017, retrieved 11 February 2017
- Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties