Ryukyu KingdomProspered through trade

The Ryukyu Kingdom was a monarchy that existed in Okinawa Prefecture from 1429 to 1879. It developed through trade with East Asia, particularly China, Southeast Asia, and Japan, and built up a unique culture. Even now, although the kingdom no longer exists, the culture of the Ryukyu Kingdom is still deeply rooted in Okinawa. Let's unravel the history of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Until the Establishment of the Ryukyu Kingdom

The Ryukyu Islands, consisting of the main island of Okinawa, the Amami Islands, and the Yaeyama Islands, have been inhabited by people for over 30,000 years and have developed their own unique culture. Around the 12th century, powerful clans known as "Aji" appeared on the main island of Okinawa, and after repeated conflicts and reconciliations, they were united into three kingdoms, Nanzan, Hokuzan, and Chuzan, around the 14th century. This period is known as the Sanzan period, and there is a legend that King Shunten, who founded the Chuzan Kingdom, was a descendant of Minamoto no Tametomo.

The man who unified these three countries was King Sho Hashi of Chuzan Kingdom. He founded the Ryukyu Dynasty in 1429 during the Muromachi period of Japan.

First Sho Dynasty

The Sho clan, whose ancestor was Sho Hashi, ruled the Ryukyu Kingdom for 63 years and seven generations. This period is called the First Sho Dynasty. The first king, Sho Hashi, unified the main island of Okinawa, and the second king, King Sho Hashi, expanded Shuri Castle, developed Naha Port, and focused on trade with China and Japan. He also invaded the Amami Islands and Yaeyama Islands to expand the territory of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

During the time of the First Sho Dynasty, trade with the Ryukyu Kingdom, China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asian countries flourished, and the country accumulated wealth. Many of the products that are familiar to us today, such as spices, aromatic woods, and tea, were brought to Japan from China and Southeast Asia via the Ryukyu Kingdom.

During the reign of the third king, King Sho Chu, he also sent envoys to Java. However, after the death of the fifth king, King Sho Kinbok, a civil war broke out between his son Shilo and his brother Furi over the throne. As a result of the civil war, known as the Shilo-Furi Rebellion, it was Furi, the king's brother, who became king. During this time, the Daiubun part of Shuri Castle was burned down. Furi ascended to the throne as King Sho Taikyu, the sixth king of the Ryukyus, and invited Rinzai monks from Kyoto and became deeply devoted to Buddhism. During the reign of his son, the seventh king, King Sho Toku, the Ryukyu Kingdom expanded its trade destinations, mainly to China, and even to Malacca, Thailand. The scale of trade with Japan and Korea was also expanded, and the kingdom prospered to the height of its prosperity, but after his death at the age of 29, his vassal Kanamaru staged a coup in 1469, and the first Sho clan was expelled.

Second Sho Dynasty

After banishing and eliminating the First Sho lineage, Kanemaru took the title of King Sho En and ascended to the throne of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The royal line from him is called the Second Sho Dynasty. King Sho En was invested with a throne by the Ming Dynasty, the king of the time, and his status was guaranteed, and he was recognized as a king by those around him.

During the reign of the third king, King Sho Shin, a centralized system was established, and the priestesses, called shinjo, were organized under the religious leader Kikoe Okimi, who even controlled the local shrine maidens, called "Noro." In this way, a system was created in which both political and religious power was concentrated under the king of the Ryukyu Kingdom. It also became customary for the position of Kikoe Okimi to be held by a member of the royal family from this period onwards.

However, during the reign of the seventh king, King Shō Nei, in 1609, the Shimazu clan, lord of the Satsuma domain, obtained approval from Tokugawa Ieyasu and launched an invasion of the Ryukyu Islands with approximately 3,000 soldiers.

The Shimazu clan's army began its invasion from Amami Oshima, and landed on the main island of Okinawa, winning over local lords and engaging in battles with the islanders. Small-scale battles and negotiations were repeated between the Ryukyu Kingdom and the Shimazu clan's army, and in 1610, King Shō Nei traveled to Edo with Shimazu Tadatsune, the lord of the Satsuma domain, to meet with Tokugawa Ieyasu and the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada. King Shō Nei's sovereignty over the Ryukyus was recognized, but he was forced to acknowledge that the Amami Islands would become a direct territory of the shogunate.

Furthermore, the following year, in 1611, Shōnei was asked to sign a pledge stating that "Ryukyu has been a vassal state of the Shimazu clan since ancient times," which he accepted.

After that, the Ryukyu Kingdom lost control of trade with Qing to the Satsuma Domain, and the Satsuma Domain established a magistrate's office within the Ryukyu Kingdom. Furthermore, the Kingdom was obligated to send an envoy every time a new Shogun was appointed, and was indirectly incorporated under Japanese rule.
On the other hand, the Ryukyu Kingdom continued to receive fiefs from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and continued to be recognized as the King of Ryukyu by China.

The Meiji Restoration took place in 1867, and the last Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, returned the domains and people to the Emperor, and the Meiji government was born. However, the Satsuma Domain continued to rule the Ryukyu Islands, and the Ryukyu Government, in opposition to this, used the abolition of the domains and establishment of prefectures as an opportunity to establish autonomy and propose to the Meiji Government that it continue its tributary relationship with the Qing Dynasty.

This appeal was not accepted, and the last king, King Shō Tai, was given special treatment as the king of the Ryukyu domain, but was made a member of the nobility and moved out of Shuri Castle. The Ryukyu Kingdom then became Okinawa Prefecture, ruled by the Meiji government.

summary

The lineage of the Second Sho Dynasty continues to this day, and the descendants of the last king, King Sho Tai, served as members of the House of Peers before the war and were involved in national politics. The 23rd head of the family, Sho Mae, established the Ryukyu History and Culture Inheritance Promotion Association in 2019 and is dedicated to protecting the culture and rituals of the Ryukyu Kingdom.