Ryukyu

Japanese: 琉球 - りゅうきゅう

A general term for the Ryukyu Islands. The area of present-day Okinawa Prefecture. Ryukyu is a Chinese name, and was used as the official name of Okinawa from 1372 to 1879. Since the Meiji period, Okinawa has been the common name. The fossil human bones (Minatogawa man) excavated in Minatogawa, Gushikami Village (now Yaese Town) in the southern part of Okinawa Island are believed to be from the Pleistocene era. The Jomon culture moved south from Kyushu and gradually blended into the southeastern climate, and the Nanto pottery culture area with its unique vessel shapes and decorative patterns was established. It was also influenced by ancient Chinese culture, as seen in the excavation of animal-shaped shell and bone products and Ming sword coins, and southern culture, as seen in shell vessels. During the Yayoi period in Japan, shells were collected and shipped to Kyushu, and Yayoi pottery was brought from Kyushu. However, the influence of the Jomon and Yayoi cultures is not seen in the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands. Agricultural techniques based on rice cultivation moved south from Amami much later. Around the 9th century, the country shifted to a fully-fledged agricultural society, and local groups formed as agricultural communities. Between the 10th and 12th centuries, trade with overseas countries began, and powerful chiefs called anji emerged in the areas centered on the main island. The anji imported large quantities of ironware to improve the productivity of their communities, expanded their influence by governing the surrounding areas, and built fortresses called gusuku to reign over them. The anji's goddess was called noro (celebration woman) (called tsukasa in Miyako and Yaeyama), and was the highest priestess in the area they ruled, and was responsible for protecting the anji. The anjis repeatedly fought each other over trade and territories, and by the mid-14th century, the small states of Hokuzan, Chuzan, and Nanzan were formed on the main island of Okinawa. The three kingdoms successively paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty of China, entered the Ming tributary system, and developed while competing with each other. In 1406, Sho Hashi of Nanzan destroyed the Satto dynasty of Chuzan, which was the most powerful at the time, and in 1429 established a unified state based in Shuri (First Sho Dynasty). Hashi's son Taikyu focused on overseas trade, establishing Ryukyu as a transit trade base with a trading area that included Japan, China, Korea, and Southeast Asia, and took pride in being the "bridge of all nations." A storehouse for trade goods for the Shuri royal court was also established in the outer port of Naha, and in 1470, its director, Uchima Kanamaru, took the throne after the death of the seventh king, Sho Toku, and took the name Sho En (Second Sho Dynasty). His son, Shoshin, gathered the Anji from various regions in Shuri, conducted a sword hunt, and established the rank system. He also placed the Noro Tsukasa under the control of Kikoe Okimi, and established local administrative organizations, building a centralized state that controlled the Amami to Yaeyama Islands. The Shimazu clan of Satsuma, who had long intended to control the Ryukyu Islands, invaded the Ryukyu Islands with the permission of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1609, and the kingdom, which had no experience of fighting, surrendered within a few days. As a result, the Amami Islands became a direct territory of the Shimazu clan, and although the area south of the main island of Okinawa was recognized as royal territory, it was incorporated into the feudal domain system under the Shimazu clan, who held the actual control. The Ming Dynasty treated the Ryukyu Islands well among its tributary states, and tribute trade with the Ming Dynasty was highly profitable at the time. The Shimazu clan, eager to seize these interests, allowed Ryukyu to continue as a pseudo-state and maintain its tributary relationship with the Ming, and set up a magistrate's office in Naha to monitor the royal court and seize control over trade with the Ming. They also made it mandatory for the Ryukyus to pay annual taxes to the Kagoshima clan and ordered the dispatch of Chinese-style envoys to the shogunate, showing off their control over the foreign land of Ryukyu. After the Qing dynasty replaced the Ming dynasty in 1661 and unified China, the Ryukyus continued their tributary relationship with the Qing as their suzerain, but the country was still in turmoil under the rule of the Shimazu clan. In this environment, Regent Haneji Choshu pushed through comprehensive reforms of the kingdom's politics and economy, and in the first half of the 18th century, Sai On worked to rebuild the farming villages and royal court finances that had been impoverished by excessive tax burdens. In 1872, the Meiji government established the Ryukyu Domain and appointed King Shō Tai as the domain's king. In 1874, the government dispatched troops to Taiwan, and made it clear to China that Ryukyu was Japanese territory. The following year, the government forced Ryukyu to sever ties with China. Then, in 1879, the government sent troops to Ryukyu and forcibly abolished the domain and established prefectures, creating Okinawa Prefecture (the Ryukyu Disposition). At this point, the Ryukyu Kingdom had completely collapsed. →Ryukyu language/Ryukyu envoys/Ryukyu culture/Ryukyu trade→Related topicsAmami Oshima｜Anji｜Alternative Japanese name｜Eisa｜Okinawa｜Okinawa Island｜Kagoshima Domain｜Kikai Island｜Kyuyo｜Kuramoto｜Imperialization policy｜Shimazu Iehisa｜Shōtai｜Shirasawa Hirogo｜Takezoe Shinichiro｜Nakayama Seikan｜Nakayama Seifu｜Tokunoshima｜Nanban ships｜Yoron Island｜Rekidai Treasure Report

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

琉球諸島の総称。現在の沖縄県地方。琉球は漢名で，1372年から1879年まで沖縄の公式名称として使用。明治以降は沖縄が一般的な名称。　沖縄本島南部の具志頭(ぐしかみ)村（現・八重瀬町）港川で出土した化石人骨（港川人）は，洪積世のものとされる。縄文文化は九州から南下，南東の風土に徐々に溶け込み，独特な器形や装飾文様をもつ南島土器文化圏が成立。さらに獣型の貝・骨製品や明刀銭(めいとうせん)の出土にみられる古代中国文化，貝器にみられる南方文化の影響も受けた。日本の弥生時代には，採取した貝を九州へ移出，九州からは弥生式土器が持ち込まれた。ただし宮古・八重山列島では縄文・弥生文化の影響がみられない。　稲作を主体とする農業技術はだいぶ遅れて奄美(あまみ)から南下。９世紀ごろ，本格的農耕社会へと転換し，農業共同体としての地縁集団が形成された。10−12世紀ごろには海外との交易を開始，本島を中心にした地域に農業共同体のリーダーである按司(あじ)とよばれる強力な首長が出現した。按司は，鉄器を大量に輸入して，共同体の生産性の向上をはかり，周辺地域を支配下に治めて勢力を拡大，グスクとよばれる砦を構築して君臨する。按司のおなり神はのろ（祝女）と呼ばれ（宮古・八重山ではツカサ），支配地の最高神女の地位にあって，按司を守護する役目を担った。按司たちは交易や領地をめぐって互いに対立抗争を繰り返し，14世紀半ばごろには沖縄本島に北山(ほくざん)・中山(ちゅうざん)・南山(なんざん)の小国家が形成される。三山はあいついで中国明(みん)朝に入貢，明の冊封(さくほう)体制に参入し，互いに対抗しながら発展していった。　1406年南山の尚巴志(しょうはし)が，当時最大勢力であった中山の察度(さっと)王統を滅ぼし，1429年には首里(しゅり)に拠点をおく統一国家を成立させた（第一尚氏王統）。巴志の子泰久(たいきゅう)は海外貿易に力を注ぎ，日本・中国・朝鮮・東南アジアを交易圏とした中継貿易基地の地位を確立させ，琉球が〈万国の津梁(しんりょう)〉であると自負した。外港那覇には首里王府の貿易品収蔵庫も設けられ，1470年，その長官であった内間金丸(うちまかなまる)が，７代尚徳の死後王位について尚円と称した（第二尚氏王統）。その子尚真は，各地の按司を首里に集住させて刀狩を行い，位階を整備。またノロ・ツカサを聞得大君(きこえおおきみ)の統制下に置き，地方行政組織も整備して，奄美から八重山を支配下に入れた中央集権国家を築き上げた。　かねてから琉球の支配を意図していた薩摩の島津氏は，1609年徳川幕府の許可を得て琉球に侵攻，戦いの経験のない王国は数日にして降伏した。この結果，奄美諸島は島津氏の直轄領となり，沖縄本島以南は王府領と認められたものの，実質的支配権を握る島津氏のもと，幕藩体制に組み込まれていくことになった。明朝は朝貢国の中でも琉球を厚遇したため，当時，明への朝貢貿易は高い収益を上げていた。その利権を握りたい島津氏は，琉球を疑似国家として存続させて，明との冊封関係を維持させ，那覇には鹿児島藩の在番奉行所を設けて王府を監視，明貿易の管理権を掌握した。また年貢を鹿児島藩に上納することを義務付け，中国風に仕立てさせた使節を幕府に派遣することを命じ，琉球という異国を支配していることを誇示した。1661年，明にかわって清(しん)が中国を統一してから，琉球は清を宗主国として冊封関係を継続するが，島津氏の支配下で国内はなお混乱。こうした中で摂政羽地朝秀(はねじちょうしゅう)が王国の政治・経済全般にわたる改革を推し進め，18世紀前半には蔡温(さいおん)が，過重な税負担で疲弊した農村や王府財政の再建に努めた。　1872年，明治政府は琉球藩を設置して国王尚泰を藩王とし，1874年の台湾出兵を契機に琉球が日本領であることを清国に明示，翌年琉球に対し，清国との断絶を迫った。ついで1879年，政府は軍隊を琉球に送って廃藩置県を強行，沖縄県とした（琉球処分）。ここにいたって琉球王国は完全に崩壊した。→琉球語／琉球使節／琉球文化／琉球貿易
→関連項目奄美大島｜按司｜異称日本伝｜エイサー｜沖永良部島｜鹿児島藩｜喜界島｜球陽｜蔵元｜皇民化政策｜島津家久｜尚泰｜調所広郷｜竹添進一郎｜中山世鑑｜中山世譜｜徳之島｜南蛮船｜与論島｜歴代宝案

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