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Ryukyu Kingdom 琉球國 Ruuchuu-kuku | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1429–1872 | |||||||||||||||||
 RoyalMon (emblem) | |||||||||||||||||
| Anthem: Ishinagu no Uta[1] | |||||||||||||||||
 Royal seal | |||||||||||||||||
 The Ryukyu Kingdom at its maximum extent (present-dayOkinawa Prefecture and theAmami Islands) | |||||||||||||||||
| Status |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Shuri | ||||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Ryukyuan languages (indigenous),Classical Chinese,Classical Japanese | ||||||||||||||||
| Religion | Ryukyuan religion (state religion), Shinto,Buddhism,Confucianism,Taoism | ||||||||||||||||
| Demonym | 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 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 April 1609 | |||||||||||||||||
• Reorganized intoRyukyu Domain | 1872 | ||||||||||||||||
| 27 March 1872 | |||||||||||||||||
| Currency | Ryukyuan,Chinese, andJapanese mon coins[3] | ||||||||||||||||
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| Today part of | Japan | ||||||||||||||||
| History of Ryukyu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Periods
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TheRyukyu Kingdom[a] was a kingdom in theRyukyu Islands from 1429 to 1872. It was ruled as atributary state of theMing dynasty by theRyukyuan monarchy, who unifiedOkinawa Island to end theSanzan period, and subsequently extended the kingdom to theAmami Islands andSakishima Islands. The Ryukyu Kingdom played a central role in themaritime trade networks of medieval East Asia andSoutheast Asia despite its small size.[6] The Ryukyu Kingdom became avassal state of theSatsuma Domain of Japan after theinvasion of Ryukyu in 1609 but retainedde jure independence until it was transformed into theRyukyu Domain by theEmpire of Japan in 1872.[b] The Ryukyu Domain wasformally annexed by Japan in 1879 and reorganized asOkinawa Prefecture, and the Ryukyuan monarchy was integrated into the newJapanese nobility.
In the 14th century small domains scattered onOkinawa Island were unified into three principalities:Hokuzan (北山; Northern Mountain),Chūzan (中山; Central Mountain), andNanzan (南山; Southern Mountain). This was known as theSanzan (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 atShuri, Nanzan was adjacent to the major port ofNaha, andKume-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. At the request of the Ryukyuan King, theMing Chinese sent thirty-six Chinese families fromFujian to manage oceanic dealings in the kingdom in 1392, during theHongwu Emperor's reign. Many Ryukyuan officials were descended from these Chinese immigrants, being born in China or having Chinese grandfathers.[7] They assisted the Ryukyuans in advancing their technology and diplomatic relations.[8][9][10] On 30 January 1406, theYongle 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.[11]
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 theMing emperor in 1421, becoming known asShō Hashi (Chinese:尚巴志; pinyin:Shàng Bāzhì).[citation needed]
Shō Hashi adopted the Chinese hierarchical court system, builtShuri Castle and the town as his capital, and constructed Naha harbor. When in 1469 KingShō 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 ofShō Shin, the second king of that dynasty, who reigned from 1478 to 1526.[12]
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In 1429, during the reign of KingShō Hashi, Ryukyu invadedOkinoerabu Island andYoron Island. This was the first stage of Ryukyu's southward policy(南下政策) out ofOkinawa island.[13] In 1447, KingShō Shitatsu conqueredAmami Oshima.[14] In 1466, KingShō Toku attackedKikai 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. KingShō Toku himself led 2,000 soldiers in large-scale operations but the cost of the war became a cause of domestic discontent.[15] TheAmami Islands became part of the Ryukyu Kingdom's territory from theMuromachi period onwards, along with the otherNansei Islands.[16]
The Amami Islands (Amami Oshima,Tokunoshima,Okinoerabu Island,Kikai Island, etc.) traded with theDazaifu, as mentioned ‘Aakumi Island’(掩美嶋) in theMokkan.[17] During theKamakura -Nanbokucho periods, Amami was under theHojo Tokumune's property.[18] Later Chikama-Shi(千竃氏) was reorganised as stewards(Jitō 地頭) of the Satsuma Province(薩摩国), a territory ofShimazu clan.[19][20] 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.[21]
During this era, the Ryukyu kingdom expanded north and south and new territory provided a stable basis for trade in the kingdom thereafter.
For nearly two hundred years the Ryukyu Kingdom would thrive as a key player in maritime trade withSoutheast and East Asia.[22][23] Central to the kingdom's maritime activities was the continuation of thetributary relationship withMing dynasty China, begun by Chūzan in 1372,[24][c] and enjoyed by the three Okinawan kingdoms which followed it. China provided ships for Ryukyu's maritime trade activities,[25] allowed a limited number of Ryukyuans to study at theImperial 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, andSumatra.[26]
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 Asiansappanwood,rhino horn,tin, sugar, iron,ambergris, Indianivory, and Arabianfrankincense. Altogether, 150 voyages between the kingdom and Southeast Asia on Ryukyuan ships were recorded in theRekidai 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.[26]
The Chinese policy ofhaijin (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.[27] In the late 16th century, however, the kingdom's commercial prosperity fell into decline. The rise of thewokou threat among other factors led to the gradual loss of Chinese preferential treatment;[28] the kingdom also suffered from increased maritime competition from Portuguesetraders.[24]
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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.[29] In 1500, theOyake Akahachi Rebellion broke out inIshigaki Island, one ofYaeyama Islands. King Shō Shin deployed approximately 3,000 troops and 46 warships to conquer the region. In 1507, he invadedKume Island, and in 1522, he suppressed the rebellion of Onikō inYonaguni (与那国・ 鬼 虎 の乱). In 1537 and 1571, he suppressed rebellions in the Amami region.[30]
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.[31] 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.[32]
Around 1590,Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked the Ryukyu Kingdom to aid in hiscampaign to conquer Korea. If successful, Hideyoshi intended to then move against China. As the Ryukyu Kingdom was a tributary state of theMing dynasty, the request was refused. TheTokugawa shogunate that emerged following Hideyoshi's fall authorized theShimazu family—feudal lords of theSatsumadomain (present-dayKagoshima Prefecture)—to send an expeditionary force to conquer the Ryukyus. The subsequentinvasion 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.[24]
Occupation occurred fairly quickly, with some fierce fighting, and KingShō Nei was taken prisoner to Kagoshima and later toEdo (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.[33] However, the Satsuma domain took back the control over some territory of the Ryukyu Kingdom, notably theAmami-Ōshima island group, which was incorporated into the Satsuma domain and remains a part of Kagoshima Prefecture, not Okinawa Prefecture.[citation needed]
The kingdom was described byHayashi Shihei inSangoku Tsūran Zusetsu, which was published in 1785.[34]
In 1655, tribute relations between Ryukyu andQing 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.[33]
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 exceptthe 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.[35]
The Ryukyuan king was a vassal of the Satsumadaimyō, after Shimazu's Ryukyu invasion in 1609, the Satsuma Clan established a governmental office's branch known asZaibankaiya (在番仮屋) orUfukaiya (大仮屋) at Shuri in 1628, and became the base of Ryukyu domination for 250 years, until 1872.[36] The Satsuma Domain's residents can be roughly compared to a Europeanresident in a protectorate.[37] However, the kingdom was not considered as part of anyhan (fief): up until the formal annexation of the islands and abolition of the kingdom in 1879, the Ryukyus were not truly consideredde 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 Satsumadaimyō and those of the shogunate, in trading with China.[35] 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 Satsumadaimyō, 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 onlyhan 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.[citation needed]
According to statements byQing imperial officialLi Hongzhang in a meeting withUlysses 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.[38] Japan ordered tributary relations to end in 1875 after the tribute mission of 1874 was perceived as a show of submission to China.[39]
In 1872,Emperor Meiji unilaterally declared that the kingdom was thenRyukyu Domain.[40][41][42] At the same time, the appearance of independence was maintained for diplomatic reasons with Qing China[43] until theMeiji government annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom when the islands were incorporated asOkinawa Prefecture on 27 March 1879.[44] The Amami-Ōshima island group which had been integrated into Satsuma Domain became a part ofKagoshima Prefecture.[citation needed]
The last king of Ryukyu was forced to relocate to Tokyo, and was given a compensatingkazoku rank asMarquis Shō Tai.[45][46][page needed] Many royalist supporters fled to China.[47] The king's death in 1901 diminished the historic connections with the former kingdom.[48] With the abolition of the aristocracy after World War II, the Sho family continues to live in Tokyo.[49]
Thefamily crest of the Ryukyuan kings is calledMitsu-domoe[52] and it is commonly used in Japan.[53]
InShintoism, Mitsu-domoe represents EmperorOjin (Divine nameYahata). KingShō Toku worshshipped Yahata and adapted the crest. He has also built the Asato Hachiman Shrine.[54]
It is also said to be a balance of three forces, symbolizing the balance of Kitayama, Nakayama, and Nanzan.[citation needed]
| 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 | |
| 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 (thenJapanese Marquis 1884–1901) |
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