Ryukyu Kingdom

Short description: Island kingdom in East Asia (1429–1879)

Ryukyu Kingdom

琉球國
Ruuchuu-kuku

1429–1879[1]

Merchant flag

Royal Mon (emblem)

Anthem: Ishinagu no Uta[2]

85px
Royal seal

The Ryukyu Kingdom at its maximum extent (present-day Okinawa Prefecture and the Amami Islands)

Status|

* Tributary state of the Ming dynasty
(1429–1644)
* Tributary state of the Southern Ming
(1644–1646)[3]
* Tributary state of the Qing dynasty
(1646–1872)
* Vassal state of the Satsuma Domain
(1609–1872)
* Domain of the Empire of Japan
(1872–1879)

Capital| Shuri
Common languages| Ryukyuan languages (indigenous), Classical Chinese, Classical Japanese
Religion

| Ryukyuan religion (state religion),
Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism
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), Sanshikan (三司官)
History|

• Unification of Okinawa Island

| 1429

• Satsuma invasion

| 5 April 1609

• Reorganized into Ryukyu Domain

| 16 October 1872

• Reorganized as Okinawa Prefecture

| 4 April 1879[1]
Currency| Ryukyuan, Chinese, and Japanese mon coins[4]

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | Hokuzan

|

| Chūzan
| Nanzan
| Empire of Japan |

|

Satsuma Domain |
Ryukyu Domain |
Today part of| Japan

Template:History of Ryukyu

The Ryukyu Kingdom[lower-alpha 1] was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 until 1872, when it was reorganized as the Ryukyu Domain, before being fully abolished in 1879.[1][7] It was ruled as a tributary state of the Ming dynasty by the Ryukyuan monarchy, who unified Okinawa Island to end the Sanzan period, and subsequently 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.[8] The Ryukyu Kingdom became 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.[lower-alpha 2] The Ryukyu Domain was abolished by the Meiji government in 1879 and reorganized as Okinawa Prefecture, and the Ryukyuan monarchy was integrated into the new Japanese nobility.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 Origins of the Kingdom
* 1.2 Invasion of neighbouring islands and the Amami islands
* 1.3 Golden age of maritime trade
* 1.4 Rebellion against the Shuri government Court and Centralization power
* 1.5 Satsuma Clan's invasion and subordination
* 1.6 Tributary relations
* 1.7 Annexation by the Japanese Empire
* 2 Major events
* 3 Monarchy
* 3.1 Royal crest
* 3.2 List of Ryukyuan kings
* 4 See also
* 5 Notes
* 6 References
* 6.1 Citations
* 6.2 Sources
* 7 External links

## 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 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 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 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.[9] They assisted the Ryukyuans in advancing their technology and diplomatic relations.[10][11][12] 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.[13]

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). 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.[14]

### Invasion of neighbouring islands and the Amami islands

In 1429, during the reign of King Shō Hashi, Ryukyu invaded Okinoerabu Island and Yoron Island. This was the first stage of Ryukyu's southward policy(南下政策) out of Okinawa island.[15] In 1447, King Shō Shitatsu conquered Amami Oshima.[16] In 1466, King Shō Toku attacked Kikai Island on two occasions. The fierce resistance of the islanders resulted in many casualties, but the island was finally placed under the control of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. King Shō Toku himself led 2,000 soldiers in large-scale operations but the cost of the war became a cause of domestic discontent.[17] The Amami Islands became part of the Ryukyu Kingdom's territory from the Muromachi period onwards, along with the other Nansei Islands.[18]

The Amami Islands (Amami Oshima, Tokunoshima, Okinoerabu Island, Kikai Island, etc.) traded with the Dazaifu, as mentioned ‘Aakumi Island’(掩美嶋) in the Mokkan.[19] During the Kamakura - Nanbokucho periods, Amami was under the Hojo Tokumune's property.[20] Later Chikama-Shi(千竃氏) was reorganised as stewards(Jitō 地頭) of the Satsuma Province(薩摩国), a territory of Shimazu clan.[21][22] Chikama Tokiie Josho(千竈時家譲状) ind 14 April 1306 states that he gave “Kikaijima, Oshima ” etc. to his heir Sadayasu, “Erafu Island” to his second son Tsuneie, seven islands to his third son Kumayashamaru and “Tokushima” to his daughter Himekuma.[23]

During this era, the Ryukyu kingdom expanded north and south and new territory provided a stable basis for trade in the kingdom thereafter.

### Golden age of maritime trade

For nearly two hundred years the Ryukyu Kingdom would thrive as a key player in maritime trade with Southeast and East Asia.[24][25] Central to the kingdom's maritime activities was the continuation of the tributary relationship with Ming dynasty China, begun by Chūzan in 1372,[26][lower-alpha 3] and enjoyed by the three Okinawan kingdoms which followed it. China provided ships for Ryukyu's maritime trade activities,[27] allowed a limited number of Ryukyuans to study at 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.[28]

Seal from Qing China giving authority to the King of Ryukyu to rule. Written in Chinese (琉球國王之印) and Manchu (ᠯᡳᠣ
ᠴᡳᠣ
ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ ᡳ
ᠸᠠᠩ ᠨᡳ
ᡩᠣᡵᠣᠨ, Lio Cio Gurun -i Wang ni Doron) The main building of Shuri Castle

Japanese products—silver, swords, fans, lacquerware, folding screens—and Chinese products—medicinal herbs, minted coins, glazed ceramics, brocades, textiles—were traded within 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.[28]

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.[29] 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;[30] the kingdom also suffered from increased maritime competition from Portuguese traders.[26]

### Rebellion against the Shuri government Court and Centralization power

In 1493, Ryukyu and the “Japanese warships”(日本甲船) were involved in a conflict in Amami and Ryukyu was victorious in the incident.[31] In 1500, the Oyake Akahachi Rebellion broke out in Ishigaki Island, one of Yaeyama Islands. King Shō Shin deployed approximately 3,000 troops and 46 warships to conquer the region. In 1507, he invaded Kume Island, and in 1522, he suppressed the rebellion of Onikō in Yonaguni (与那国・ 鬼 虎 の乱). In 1537 and 1571, he suppressed rebellions in the Amami region.[32]

In 1509, as stated in stone tablet "Momourasoe-no-Kanmei" (百浦添之欄干之銘), the so-called “sword hunt”(刀狩り) was carried out, and all weapons possessed by the nobility called Samure (士族) and civilians were confiscated and stored in the royal armory under the strict control of the Shuri royal government.[33] To suppress the rebellion of the ajis (按司 local lords), he forced them to reside in the vicinity of Shuri Castle and effectively dismantled the military capabilities of their subordinate troops.

As Shuri royal government concentrated its forces in Naha, central region were poorly defended, where the Satsuma army landed.[34]

### Satsuma Clan's invasion and subordination

Around 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked 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 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.[26]

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.[35] However, the Satsuma domain took back the 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.[36]

### Tributary relations

Ryukyu Tribute Ship folding screen (circa 1830) An 1832 Ryukyuan mission to Edo, Japan; 98 people with a music band and officials Traditional Ryukyuan clothes in late period, which were much closer to the Japanese kimono

In 1655, tribute relations between Ryukyu and Qing dynasty (dynasty of China that followed the Ming Dynasty after its end in 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.[35]

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 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 the shogunate in the 1860s.[37]

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.[38] The Satsuma Domain's residents can be roughly compared to a European resident in a protectorate.[39] However, 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 1872, 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 the shogunate, in trading with China.[37] 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, 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 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 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.[40] Japan ordered tributary relations to end in 1875 after the tribute mission of 1874 was perceived as a show of submission to China.[41]

### Annexation by the Japanese Empire

In 1872, Emperor Meiji unilaterally declared that the kingdom was then Ryukyu Domain.[42][43][44] At the same time, the appearance of independence was maintained for diplomatic reasons with Qing China[45] until the Meiji government abolished the Ryukyu Domain when the islands were incorporated as Okinawa Prefecture on 27 March 1879.[46] The Amami-Ōshima island group which had been integrated into Satsuma Domain became a part of Kagoshima Prefecture.

Ryukyu people depicted in the Chinese paintings Portraits of Periodical Offering

The last king of Ryukyu was forced to relocate to Tokyo, and was given a compensating kazoku rank as Marquis Shō Tai.[47][48] Many royalist supporters fled to China.[49] The king's death in 1901 diminished the historic connections with the former kingdom.[50] With the abolition of the aristocracy after World War II, the Sho family continues to live in Tokyo.[51]

## Major events

* 1187 – Shunten becomes King of Okinawa, based at Urasoe Castle.
* 1272 – Envoys from the Mongol Empire are expelled from Okinawa by King Eiso.
* 1276 – Mongols are violently driven off the island again.
* 1372 – The first Ming dynasty envoy visits Okinawa, which had been divided into three kingdoms during the Sanzan period. Formal tributary relations with the Chinese Empire begin.[26]
* 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.[52]
* 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).[52]
* 1458 – Amawari's rebellion against the Kingdom.
* 1466 – Kikai Island invaded by Ryukyu.
* 1470 – Shō En (Kanemaru) establishes the Second Shō dynasty.[52]
* 1477 – Shō Shin, whose rule is called the "Great Days of Chūzan", ascends to the throne.[52] Golden age of the kingdom.
* 1500 – Sakishima Islands annexed by Ryukyu.
* 1609 – (5 April) Daimyō (Lord) of Satsuma in southern Kyūshū invades the kingdom. King Shō Nei is captured.[52]
* 1611 – In accordance with the peace treaty, Satsuma annexes the Amami and Tokara Islands (Satsunan Islands); Kings of Ryukyu become vassals to the daimyō of 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.[52] He establishes the first foreign hospital on the island at the Naminoue Gokoku-ji Temple.
* 1852 – Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the US Navy visits the kingdom and establishes a coaling station in Naha.[52]
* 1854 – Perry returns to Okinawa to sign the Loochoo Compact with the Ryukyuan government.[53] Bettelheim leaves with Perry.
* 1866 – The last official mission from the Qing Empire visits the kingdom.
* 1872 – Emperor Meiji unilaterally declared the creation of Ryukyu Domain and appointed King Shō Tai as the "Domain Head of Ryukyu Domain".
* 1874 – The last tributary envoy to China is dispatched from Naha. / Kaiser Wilhelm I erects a "friendship monument" on Miyako Island. / Japan invades Taiwan on behalf of Ryukyu.
* 1879 – The Meji government abolished Ryukyu Domain and established Okinawa Prefecture.[52] Shō Tai is forced to abdicate, but is granted the rank of marquis (侯爵, kōshaku) within the Meiji peerage system.[47]

## Monarchy

### Royal crest

The family crest of the Ryukyuan kings is called Mitsu-domoe[54] and it is commonly used in Japan.[55]

In Shintoism, Mitsu-domoe represents Emperor Ojin (Divine name Yahata). King Shō Toku worshshipped Yahata and adapted the crest. He has also built the Asato Hachiman Shrine.[56]

### List of Ryukyuan kings

Kings of Ryukyu Islands  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 |
Kings of Chūzan  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
Kings of Ryukyu  Name | Chinese characters | Reign | Line or dynasty | Notes

|
|
|
|

Shō Hashi | 尚巴志 shoo hashii | 1429–1439 | First Shō dynasty |
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)

## See also

Location of the Ryukyu Islands Hokuzan, Chūzan, Nanzan

* 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
* Joseon missions to the Ryukyu Kingdom
* Imperial Chinese missions to the Ryukyu Kingdom
* Tamaudun (intact royal tombs)
* Okinawan martial arts
* Names of Ryukyu

## Notes

1. ↑

* 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; ᠯᡳᠣ ᡴᡳᠣ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ Lio Kio Gurun
* Classical Chinese: 大琉球國 (lit. Great Lew Chew Country)[5]
* Historical English names: Lew Chew,[6] Lewchew, Luchu, and Loochoo
* Historical French name: Liou-tchou[6]
* Historical Dutch name: Lioe-kioe[6]

2. ↑ 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.
3. ↑ Nanzan and Hokuzan also entered into tributary relationships with Ming China, in 1380 and 1383 respectively.[27]

## References

### Citations

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "琉球王国とは" (in ja). https://oki-park.jp/shurijo/about/186. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
2. ↑ Seisai Tokuchi『日本文学から見た琉歌概論』(Musashinoshoin, 1972), 299–300
3. ↑ Kikō, Nishizato. "明清交替期の中琉日関係再考" (in Japanese). pp. 23–25. http://ir.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/bitstream/20.500.12000/33866/1/Vol1No1p21.pdf.
4. ↑ Roberts, Luke (24 October 2003). "Ryuukyuuan coins" (in en). Department of History – University of California at Santa Barbara. http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/roberts/coins/Ryuukyuucoins.html.
5. ↑ "琉球国金石文献述略" (in Chinese). Ancient History Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 25 December 2018. http://lishisuo.cass.cn/zsyj/zsyj_whsyjs/201812/t20181225_4799763.shtml.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "旧条約彙纂. 第３巻（朝鮮・琉球）" (in Japanese). National Diet Library. https://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1449577.
7. ↑ "琉球列島の言語と文化―その記録と継承―Language and cultures in Ryukyu Islands" (in en). April 8, 2015. https://www.harvard-yenching.org/research/language-and-cultures-ryukyu-islands/.
8. ↑ Akamine, Mamoru (2017). Huey, Robert. ed (in en). The Ryukyu Kingdom: Cornerstone of East Asia. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 5–7. doi:10.2307/j.ctvsrhpp. ISBN 9780824855178.
9. ↑ Tsai, Shih-shan Henry (1996). The eunuchs in the Ming dynasty (illustrated ed.). SUNY Press. p. 145. ISBN 0-7914-2687-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=Ka6jNJcX_ygC&pg=PA145. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
10. ↑ Schottenhammer, Angela (2007). Schottenhammer, Angela. ed. The East Asian maritime world 1400–1800: its fabrics of power and dynamics of exchanges. 4 of East Asian economic and socio-cultural studies: East Asian maritime history (illustrated ed.). Otto Harrassowitz. p. xiii. ISBN 978-3-447-05474-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=Ga-5mPOr2-wC&pg=PR13. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
11. ↑ Deng, Gang (1999). Maritime sector, institutions, and sea power of premodern China. Contributions in economics and economic history. 212 (illustrated ed.). Greenwood. p. 125. ISBN 0-313-30712-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=ddcV_cGegX4C&pg=PA125. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
12. ↑ Hendrickx, Katrien (2007). The Origins of Banana-fibre Cloth in the Ryukyus, Japan (illustrated ed.). Leuven University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-90-5867-614-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=ULyu8dNqS1sC&pg=PA39. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
13. ↑ Wade, Geoff (1 July 2007). Ryukyu in the Ming Reign Annals 1380s–1580s (Thesis). Working Paper Series. Asia Research Institute National University of Singapore. p. 75\. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1317152. SSRN 1317152.
14. ↑ Smits, Gregory (2019). Maritime Ryukyu, 1050–1650. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-8248-7708-8. OCLC 1098213229.
15. ↑ "【シマ（奄美）の歴史】". https://www.pref.kagoshima.jp/aa02/kyoiku/jimusho/oshima/documents/19072_20250611105918-1.pdf.
16. ↑ "沖縄(琉球)の年表". https://rekishi-memo.net/japan_column/okinawa_nenpyou.html#google_vignette.
17. ↑ "第一尚氏王統の時代とは". 24 June 2025. https://okimu.jp/museum/column/1750724613/.
18. ↑ "［アーカイブ］いにしえの旅 : No.14". https://www.kyuhaku.jp/museum/museum_info04-14.html.
19. ↑ "大宰府跡出土木簡". https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/db/heritages/detail/411525.
20. ↑ "［アーカイブ］いにしえの旅". https://www.kyuhaku.jp/museum/museum_info04-14.html.
21. ↑ "千竈時家譲状". https://khirin-ld.rekihaku.ac.jp/rdf/nmjh_kaken_medInterNationalExcange/E3973?lang=en&aipTypeId=rdf&aipId=E3973&templateId=nmjh_kaken_medInterNationalExcang.
22. ↑ 田中, 大喜 (March 2021). "薩摩千竈氏再考". 国立歴史民俗博物館研究報告 226: 289–305. https://rekihaku.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/2726/files/kenkyuhokoku_226_13.pdf.
23. ↑ (in ja) 千竈文書 千竈時家譲状. 14 April 1306.
24. ↑ Okamoto 2008, p. 35.
25. ↑ Okinawa Prefectural reserve cultural assets center (2012). "東南アジアと琉球". http://sitereports.nabunken.go.jp/15957.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Matsuda 2001, p. 16.
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Okamoto 2008, p. 36.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Sakamaki, Shunzō (1964). "Ryukyu and Southeast Asia". Journal of Asian Studies 23 (3): 382–384. doi:10.2307/2050757.
29. ↑ Murai 2008, p. iv.
30. ↑ Okamoto 2008, p. 53.
31. ↑ 『朝鮮王朝実録』「成宗実録」. pp. 成宗二十四年条.
32. ↑ 沖縄大百科事典刊行事務局 編 (1983) (in Japanese). 沖縄大百科事典・上巻. 沖縄タイムス社. pp. 90,610,625.
33. ↑ "沖縄史の考察". https://www.takushinkan.com/中国拳法の考察/沖縄史の考察/.
34. ↑ ハイコ, ビットマン. "空手道史と禁武政策についての一考察－琉球王国尚真王期と薩摩藩の支配下を中心に－". 金沢大学留学生センター紀要 17: 3. https://kanazawa-u.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=31385&file_id=26&file_no=1.
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Kang 2010, p. 81
36. ↑ Klaproth, Julius (1832) (in fr), San kokf tsou ran to sets, ou Aperçu général des trois royaumes, pp. 169–180, https://books.google.com/books?id=jCNMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA169 .
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 K. Sakai, Robert (1964). "The Satsuma-Ryukyu Trade and the Tokugawa Seclusion Policy". The Journal of Asian Studies 23 (3): 391–403. doi:10.2307/2050758. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-asian-studies/article/satsumaryukyu-trade-and-the-tokugawa-seclusion-policy/EC21243D228DAA2B626385136ED45967. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
38. ↑ "The Satsuma clan of Japan maintained a local office charged with governing Ryukyu.". Naha City Economic and Tourism Department Tourism Division. 29 June 2018. https://www.naha-contentsdb.jp/en/spot/792.
39. ↑ "Nakahara Zenshu: Character and Weapons of the Ryukyu Kingdom". https://ryukyu-bugei.com/?p=3857.
40. ↑ Grant, Ulysses Simpson (2008). Simon, John Y. ed. The Papers. 29: 1 October 1878 – 30 September 1880 (illustrated ed.). SIU Press, Ulysses S. Grant Association. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-8093-2775-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=3zBLjHeAGB0C&pg=PA165. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
41. ↑ Kerr 1953, p. 366–367.
42. ↑ Matsuo, Kanenori Sakon (2005). The Secret Royal Martial Arts of Ryukyu, p. 40, at Google Books.
43. ↑ Kerr 1953, p. 175.
44. ↑ 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.
45. ↑ 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.
46. ↑ Kerr 1953, p. 381.
47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph (2003), "Sho" (in fr), Nobiliare du Japon, p. 56, http://www.unterstein.net/Toyoashihara-no-Chiaki-Nagaioaki-no-Mitsuho-no-Kuni/NobiliaireJapon.pdf .
48. ↑ Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph (1906) (in fr), Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon .
49. ↑ 论战后琉球独立运动及琉球归属问题 – 百度文库
50. ↑ Kerr 1953, p. 236.
51. ↑ "Forgotten Dynasty". 26 September 2013. http://www.tofugu.com/2013/09/26/the-forgotten-dynasty-of-the-ryukyu-islands/.
52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 52.3 52.4 52.5 52.6 52.7 Hamashita, Takeshi. Okinawa Nyūmon (沖縄入門, "Introduction to Okinawa"). Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō, 2000, pp. 207–13.
53. ↑ "Lew Chew (Loochoo)* – Countries – Office of the Historian". https://history.state.gov/countries/lew-chew.
54. ↑ (in ja) 琉球家紋系図宝鑑. Naha: 琉研「沖縄家紋研究会」. August 1992.
55. ↑ "八幡宮の社紋(神紋)". 8 March 2020. https://www.hachiman-sama.or.jp/news/202/.
56. ↑ "安里八幡宮について". http://asatohachimangu.net/about.

### 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, ISBN 978-0-23115318-8, OCLC 562768984, https://books.google.com/books?id=ydVymF_OrWEC .
* Kerr, George H. (1953), Ryukyu Kingdom and Province before 1945, Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, OCLC 5455582 .
* ~~ ~~ (1958), Okinawa: the History of an Island People, Rutland, VT: Charles Tuttle Co, OCLC 722356 .
* Matsuda, Mitsugu (2001), 'The Government of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, 1609–1872, Gushikawa: Yui Pub., ISBN 4-946539-16-6 , 283 pp.
* Murai, Shōsuke (2008), "Introduction", Acta Asiatica (Tokyo: The Tōhō Gakkai (The Institute of Eastern Culture)) 95 .
* 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: Harvard University Press, ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5, OCLC 48943301, https://books.google.com/books?id=UWY1JQAACAAJ .
* Smits, Gregory (1999), Visions of Ryukyu: identity and ideology in early-modern thought and politics, Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 0-8248-2037-1 , 213 pp.

## External links

* Brief History of the Uchinanchu (Okinawans), Uninanchu, http://www.uchinanchu.org/uchinanchu/history_of_uchinanchu.htm, retrieved 30 June 2007 .
* Okinawa Filming Guide Book 2014–2015, Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCVBOkinawaFilmOffice), http://filmoffice.ocvb.or.jp/_pdf/okinawaguide_eng_la.pdf, retrieved 11 February 2017
* Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

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