Conquest of the Ryukyu Islands

Japanese: 琉球征服 - りゅうきゅうせいふく

In 1609 (Keicho 14), the Shimazu clan of Satsuma sent a military force of over 3,000 men under the command of General Kabayama Hisataka to invade Ryukyu. This is also known as the Shimazu Invasion Incident. The Tokugawa government based its foreign policy on restoring diplomatic relations between Japan and Ming China, which had been severed in the mid-16th century, and in order to have Ryukyu mediate negotiations with Ming China for this purpose, they ordered the Shimazu clan to repatriate some Ryukyuans who had washed ashore in the Date domain of Mutsu in the winter of 1602 to their home country, and requested that Ryukyu send a heimonshi (message), but the Ryukyu side did not comply, and the issue of visits became a political issue between Satsuma and Ryukyu.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

1609年(慶長14)薩摩の島津氏が樺山久高を将とする3000余名の軍勢を派遣して琉球を侵略した事件。島津侵入事件ともいう。徳川政権は16世紀半ばに断絶した日明両国の国交回復を対外政策の基本とし，そのための対明交渉を琉球に斡旋させる目的で，1602年冬陸奥の伊達領に漂着した琉球人を島津氏に命じて本国に送還させ，琉球に聘問使（へいもんし）の派遣を要求したが，琉球側がそれに応ぜず，来聘問題は薩琉間の政治問題となった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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