Editing Ryukyu Kingdom

{{short description|Island kingdom in East Asia (1429–1879)}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = {{lang|ryu|琉球國}}<br />{{small|{{transliteration|ryu|Ruuchuu-kuku}}}}
| conventional_long_name = Ryukyu Kingdom
| common_name            = Ryukyu
| status                 = Vassal
| status_text            = {{plainlist|
* [[Tributary system of China|Tributary state]] of the [[Ming dynasty]]<br />(1429–1644)
* Tributary state of the [[Southern Ming]]<br />(1644–1646)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ir.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/bitstream/20.500.12000/33866/1/Vol1No1p21.pdf |title=明清交替期の中琉日関係再考 |language=Japanese |first=Nishizato |last=Kikō |pages=23–25 |access-date=17 May 2021 |archive-date=18 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218181432/http://ir.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/bitstream/20.500.12000/33866/1/Vol1No1p21.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Tributary state of the [[Qing dynasty]]<br />(1646–1875)
* [[Vassal state]] of the [[Satsuma Domain]]<br />(1609–1872)
* Vassal state of the [[Empire of Japan]]<br />(1872–1879)}}
| empire                 = Ming Dynasty, Empire of Japan
| government_type        = [[Monarchy]]
| year_start             = 1429
| date_start             = 
| event_start            = Unification
| year_end               = 1879
| date_end               = 27 March
| event_end              = [[Ryukyu Disposition|Annexed by Japan]]|
| event1                 = [[Invasion of Ryukyu|Satsuma invasion]]
| date_event1            = 5 April 1609
| event2                 = Reorganized into [[Ryukyu Domain]]
| date_event2            = 1872
| p1                     = Hokuzan
| flag_p1                = 
| p2                     = Chūzan
| flag_p2                = 
| p3                     = Nanzan
| flag_p3                = 
| s1                     = Empire of Japan
| flag_s1                = Flag of Japan (1870–1999).svg
| s2                     = Satsuma Domain
| flag_s2                = Flag of Satsuma domain.svg
| s3                     = Ryukyu Domain
| flag_s3                = 
| image_flag             = 
| flag_type              = 
| flag_border            = no
| image_coat             = Hidari mitsudomoe.svg
| symbol_type            = Royal [[Mon (emblem)]]
| other_symbol           = [[File:Seal of the Ryukyu Kingdom.svg|85px]]{{br}}[[Seal (East Asia)|Royal seal]]
| image_map              = Ryukyu orthographic.svg
| image_map_caption      = The Ryukyu Kingdom at its maximum extent (present-day [[Okinawa Prefecture]] and the [[Amami Islands]])
| capital                = [[Shuri, Okinawa|Shuri]]|
| national_motto         = 
| national_anthem        = Ishinagu no Uta<ref name="tokuchi">Seisai Tokuchi『日本文学から見た琉歌概論』（[[Musashinoshoin]]、1972）,299–300</ref>
| common_languages       = [[Ryukyuan languages]] (indigenous), [[Classical Chinese]], [[Classical Japanese language|Classical Japanese]]
| religion               = [[Ryukyuan religion]] ([[state religion]]),<br>[[Shinto]], [[Buddhism]], [[Confucianism]], [[Taoism]]
| leader1                = [[Shō Hashi]]
| year_leader1           = 1429–1439
| leader2                = [[Shō Shin]]
| year_leader2           = 1477–1526
| leader3                = [[Shō Nei]]
| year_leader3           = 1587–1620
| leader4                = [[Shō Tai]]
| year_leader4           = 1848–1879
| title_leader           = [[King of Ryukyu|King]]  {{nobold|({{lang|ryu|國王}})}}
| representative1        = [[Shō Shōken]]
| year_representative1   = 1666–1673
| title_representative   = ''[[Sessei]]''  {{nobold|({{lang|ryu|摂政}})}}
| deputy1                = [[Sai On]]
| year_deputy1           = 1751–1752
| title_deputy           = [[Regent]] {{nobold|({{lang|ryu|國師}})}}
| legislature            = Shuri cabinet ({{lang|ryu|首里王府}}), [[Sanshikan]] ({{lang|ryu|三司官}})
| currency               = [[Ryukyuan mon|Ryukyuan]], [[Cash (Chinese coin)|Chinese]], and [[Japanese mon (currency)|Japanese mon]] coins<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/roberts/coins/Ryuukyuucoins.html|title=Ryuukyuuan coins|date=24 October 2003|access-date=1 June 2017|work=Luke Roberts at the [[University of California, Santa Barbara|Department of History – University of California at Santa Barbara]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804084213/http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/roberts/coins/Ryuukyuucoins.html|archive-date=4 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| today                  = Japan
| demonym                = [[Ryukyuan people|Ryukyuan]]
}}
{{History of Ryukyu}}

The '''Ryukyu Kingdom'''{{efn|{{bulleted list|{{langx|ryu|琉球國|translit=Ruuchuu-kuku}}|{{langx|ja|琉球王国|translit=Ryūkyū Ōkoku}}|[[Middle Chinese]]: {{lang|zh-hant|琉球國}}, {{small|romanized:}} {{lang|zh-latn|Ljuw-gjuw kwok}}|{{lang-mnc|ᠯᡳᠣ ᠴᡳᠣ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ Lio cio gurun}}|[[Classical Chinese]]: {{lang|zh-hant|大琉球國}} ({{Literal translation|Great Lew Chew Country}})<ref name="jinshi">{{cite web|url=http://lishisuo.cass.cn/zsyj/zsyj_whsyjs/201812/t20181225_4799763.shtml|title=琉球国金石文献述略|language=Chinese|publisher=Ancient History Institute of the [[Chinese Academy of Social Sciences]]|date=25 December 2018}}</ref>|Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'',<ref name="foreignnames"/> ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo''|Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou''<ref name="foreignnames"/>|Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe''<ref name="foreignnames">{{cite web|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1449577|title=旧条約彙纂. 第３巻（朝鮮・琉球）|language=Japanese |publisher = [[National Diet Library]] |access-date=20 April 2021}}</ref>}}}} was a kingdom in the [[Ryukyu Islands]] from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a [[Tributary system of China|tributary state]] of [[Ming dynasty|imperial Ming China]] by the [[King of Ryukyu|Ryukyuan monarchy]], who unified [[Okinawa Island]] to end the [[Sanzan period]], and extended the kingdom to the [[Amami Islands]] and [[Sakishima Islands]]. The Ryukyu Kingdom played a central role in the [[maritime history|maritime trade]] networks of medieval East Asia and [[Southeast Asia]] despite its small size. 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.{{efn|Although the Ryukyuan king was a vassal of the [[Satsuma Domain]], the Ryukyu Kingdom was not considered part of any [[Han system|Han]] due to trade relations with China.}} The Ryukyu Kingdom was [[Ryukyu Disposition|formally annexed]] and dissolved by Japan in 1879 to form [[Okinawa Prefecture]], and the Ryukyuan monarchy was integrated into the new [[Kazoku|Japanese nobility]].

== History ==
{{See also|History of the Ryukyu Islands}}

=== Origins of the Kingdom ===

In the 14th century small domains scattered on [[Okinawa Island]] were unified into three principalities: {{nihongo|[[Hokuzan]]|北山||Northern Mountain}}, {{nihongo|[[Chūzan]]|中山||Central Mountain}}, and {{nihongo|[[Nanzan]]|南山||Southern Mountain}}. This was known as the {{nihongo|[[Sanzan period|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, Okinawa|Shuri]], Nanzan was adjacent to the major port of [[Naha]], and [[Kumemura|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.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

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 dynasty|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.<ref>{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Ka6jNJcX_ygC&pg=PA145 |title=The eunuchs in the Ming dynasty| first =Shih-shan Henry | last = Tsai|year=1996|publisher=SUNY Press|edition=illustrated|isbn=0-7914-2687-4|page=145|access-date= 4 February 2011}}</ref> They assisted the Ryukyuans in advancing their technology and diplomatic relations.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Ga-5mPOr2-wC&pg=PR13 |title= The East Asian maritime world 1400–1800: its fabrics of power and dynamics of exchanges| first =Angela | last = Schottenhammer|editor-first = Angela | editor-last = Schottenhammer|volume=4 of East Asian economic and socio-cultural studies: East Asian maritime history|year=2007|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz |edition=illustrated|isbn=978-3-447-05474-4|page=xiii|access-date= 4 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ddcV_cGegX4C&pg=PA125 |title=Maritime sector, institutions, and sea power of premodern China| first =Gang | last = Deng|volume= 212 | series = Contributions in economics and economic history|year = 1999 | publisher=Greenwood |edition=illustrated|isbn=0-313-30712-1|page=125|access-date=4 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ULyu8dNqS1sC&pg=PA39 |title=The Origins of Banana-fibre Cloth in the Ryukyus, Japan| first = Katrien | last = Hendrickx|year=2007|publisher=Leuven University Press|edition=illustrated|isbn=978-90-5867-614-6|page=39|access-date=11 January 2011}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Wade  |first=Geoff |date=1 July 2007 |title= Ryukyu in the Ming Reign Annals 1380s–1580s |ssrn= 1317152 |ssrn-access=free |publisher= Asia Research Institute National University of Singapore |series= Working Paper Series |issue= 93 |page= 75 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.1317152 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

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" ({{lang-zh|c=尚|p=Shàng|links=no}}) by the [[List of emperors of the Ming dynasty|Ming emperor]] in 1421, becoming known as [[Shō Hashi]] ({{lang-zh|c=尚巴志|p=Shàng Bāzhì|links=no}}).{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

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.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Smits|first=Gregory|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1098213229|title=Maritime Ryukyu, 1050–1650|publisher=University of Hawai'i Press|year=2019|isbn=978-0-8248-7708-8|location=Honolulu|page=137|oclc=1098213229}}</ref>

The kingdom extended its authority over the southernmost islands in the Ryukyu archipelago by the end of the 15th century, and by 1571 the [[Amami Ōshima]] Islands, to the north near [[Kyūshū]], were incorporated into the kingdom as well.{{Sfn | Matsuda | 2001 | p = 16}} While the kingdom's political system was adopted and the authority of Shuri recognized, in the Amami Ōshima Islands, the kingdom's authority over the [[Sakishima Islands]] to the south remained for centuries at the level of a [[tributary state|tributary]]-[[suzerain]] relationship.{{Sfn | Murai | 2008 | pp = iv–v}}

===Golden age of maritime trade===
For nearly two hundred years the Ryukyu Kingdom would thrive as a key player in maritime trade with [[Southeast Asia|Southeast]] and East Asia.{{Sfn | Okamoto | 2008 | p = 35}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sitereports.nabunken.go.jp/15957|title=東南アジアと琉球|last=Okinawa Prefectural reserve cultural assets center|date=2012|website=Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan|access-date=2 September 2016}}</ref> Central to the kingdom's maritime activities was the continuation of the [[tribute|tributary]] relationship with [[Ming dynasty]] China, begun by Chūzan in 1372,{{Sfn | Matsuda | 2001 | p = 16}}{{efn|Nanzan and Hokuzan also entered into tributary relationships with Ming China, in 1380 and 1383 respectively.{{Sfn | Okamoto | 2008 | p = 36}}}} and enjoyed by the three Okinawan kingdoms which followed it. China provided ships for Ryukyu's maritime trade activities,{{Sfn | Okamoto | 2008 | p = 36}} allowed a limited number of Ryukyuans to study at the [[Guozijian (Beijing)|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, [[Lê dynasty|Đại Việt]] (Vietnam), Japan, [[Mataram Sultanate|Java]], [[Korea]], [[Rajahnate of Maynila|Luzon]], [[Malacca Sultanate|Malacca]], [[Pattani Kingdom|Pattani]], [[Palembang]], [[Ayutthaya Kingdom|Siam]], and [[Aceh Sultanate|Sumatra]].<ref name= Sakamaki>{{cite journal |last=Sakamaki |first=Shunzō |title=Ryukyu and Southeast Asia |journal=[[Journal of Asian Studies]] |volume=23 |issue=3 |year=1964 |pages=382–384 |doi=10.2307/2050757 |jstor=2050757 |s2cid=162443515 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[File:Qing Seal for King of Ryukyu.svg|thumb|Seal from [[Qing dynasty|Qing China]] giving authority to the King of Ryukyu to rule]]
[[File:Naha Shuri Castle16s5s3200.jpg|thumb|The main building of [[Shuri Castle]]]]
Japanese products—silver, swords, fans, [[lacquer]]ware, [[byōbu|folding screens]]—and Chinese products—medicinal herbs, minted coins, glazed ceramics, brocades, textiles—were traded within the kingdom for Southeast Asian [[sappanwood]], [[Rhinoceros|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.<ref name=Sakamaki />

The Chinese policy of ''[[haijin]]'' ({{lang|zh|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.{{Sfn | Murai | 2008 | p = iv}} 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;{{Sfn | Okamoto | 2008 | p = 53}} the kingdom also suffered from increased maritime competition from Portuguese [[Merchant|traders]].{{Sfn | Matsuda | 2001 | p = 16}}

===Japanese invasion and subordination===
{{main|Invasion of Ryukyu}}
Around 1590, [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] asked the Ryukyu Kingdom to aid in his [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)|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]]—[[daimyō|feudal lords]] of the [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]] [[Han (Japan)|domain]] (present-day [[Kagoshima Prefecture]])—to send an expeditionary force to conquer the Ryukyus. The subsequent [[Invasion of Ryukyu|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.{{Sfn | Matsuda | 2001 | p = 16}}

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.<ref name="hideyoshi">{{harvnb | Kang | 2010 | p = [{{google books |ydVymF_OrWEC| East Asia Before the West: Five Centuries of Trade and Tribute|page =81 | plainurl = yes}}  81]}}</ref> However, the Satsuma domain seized control over some territory of the Ryukyu Kingdom, notably the [[Amami Islands|Amami-Ōshima]] island group, which was incorporated into the Satsuma domain and remains a part of Kagoshima Prefecture, not Okinawa Prefecture.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

The kingdom was described by [[Hayashi Shihei]] in ''[[Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu]]'', which was published in 1785.<ref>{{Citation | author-link = Julius Klaproth| last = Klaproth | first = Julius | year = 1832 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jCNMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA169 | title = San kokf tsou ran to sets, ou Aperçu général des trois royaumes |trans-title=''San kokf tsou ran to sets'', or General overview of the three kingdoms | language = fr | pages = 169–180}}.</ref>

===Tributary relations===
[[File:Ryukyu Tribute Ship Folding Screen Kyoto University Museum.png|thumb|Ryukyu Tribute Ship [[folding screen]] (circa 1830)]]
[[File:Ryukyu_1832.JPG|thumb|An 1832 [[Ryukyuan missions to Edo|Ryukyuan mission to Edo]], Japan; 98 people with a music band and officials]]
[[File:Traditional clothes of Ryukyu.jpg|thumb|Traditional Ryukyuan clothes in late period, which were much closer to the Japanese [[kimono]]]]
In 1655, tribute relations between Ryukyu and [[Qing 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.<ref name="hideyoshi"/>

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 [[Dutch East India Company|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.<ref name="Sakai"/>

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.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Satsuma clan of Japan maintained a local office charged with governing Ryukyu. |date=29 June 2018 |url=https://www.naha-contentsdb.jp/en/spot/792 |publisher=Naha City Economic and Tourism Department Tourism Division |access-date=20 May 2021}}</ref> The Satsuma Domain's residents can be roughly compared to a European [[Resident minister|resident]] in a protectorate.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nakahara Zenshu: Character and Weapons of the Ryukyu Kingdom |url=https://ryukyu-bugei.com/?p=3857 |website=Ryukyu Bugei 琉球武芸 |access-date=8 April 2015}}</ref> However, the kingdom was not considered as part of any ''[[Han (administrative division)|han]]'' (fief): up until the formal annexation of the islands and abolition of the kingdom in 1879, 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.<ref name="Sakai">{{cite journal |last1=K. Sakai |first1=Robert |title=The Satsuma-Ryukyu Trade and the Tokugawa Seclusion Policy |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |date=1964 |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=391–403 |doi=10.2307/2050758 |jstor=2050758 |s2cid=162751444 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-asian-studies/article/satsumaryukyu-trade-and-the-tokugawa-seclusion-policy/EC21243D228DAA2B626385136ED45967 |access-date=23 March 2011|url-access=subscription }}</ref> 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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

According to statements by [[Qing dynasty|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.<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3zBLjHeAGB0C&pg=PA165 |title= The Papers | first =Ulysses Simpson | last = Grant | editor-first = John Y | editor-last = Simon | volume= 29: 1 October 1878 – 30 September 1880 |year= 2008 | publisher = SIU Press, Ulysses S. Grant Association|edition=illustrated|isbn=978-0-8093-2775-1|page=165|access-date= 11 January 2011}}</ref> Japan ordered tributary relations to end in 1875 after the tribute mission of 1874 was perceived as a show of submission to China.{{Sfn | Kerr | 1953 | p = 366–367}}

===Annexation by the Japanese Empire===
{{main|Ryūkyū Disposition}}
In 1872, [[Emperor Meiji]] unilaterally declared that the kingdom was then [[Ryukyu Domain]].<ref>Matsuo, Kanenori Sakon (2005). {{Google books|XeVUCjFVaYQC|''The Secret Royal Martial Arts of Ryukyu''|page=40}}.</ref>{{Sfn | Kerr | 1953 | p = 175}}<ref name = "lin2006">Lin, Man-houng. [http://www.japanfocus.org/-Man_houng-Lin/2258 "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.</ref> At the same time, the appearance of independence was maintained for diplomatic reasons with Qing China<ref>Goodenough, Ward H. [http://ann.sagepub.com/content/323/1/165.1.extract 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.</ref> until the [[Meiji government]] abolished the Ryukyu Kingdom when the islands were incorporated as [[Okinawa Prefecture]] on 27 March 1879.{{Sfn | Kerr | 1953 | p = 381}} The Amami-Ōshima island group which had been integrated into Satsuma Domain became a part of [[Kagoshima Prefecture]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

{{multiple image
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| image1            = Huang Qing Zhigong Tu - 011.jpg
| alt1              = 
| image2            = Huang Qing Zhigong Tu - 012.jpg
| alt2              = 
| footer            = 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 [[Shō Tai|Marquis Shō Tai]].<ref name="papinot">{{Citation | last = Papinot | first = Jacques Edmond Joseph | year = 2003 | language = fr | chapter-url = http://www.unterstein.net/Toyoashihara-no-Chiaki-Nagaioaki-no-Mitsuho-no-Kuni/NobiliaireJapon.pdf | title = Nobiliare du Japon |trans-title=Nobility of Japan | chapter = Sho | page = 56 | chapter-format = [[Portable document format|PDF]]@60}}.</ref><ref>{{Citation | last = Papinot | first = Jacques Edmond Joseph | year = 1906 | language = fr | title = Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon |trans-title=Dictionary of History & Geography of Japan}}.</ref>{{Page needed |date=June 2014}} Many royalist supporters fled to China.<ref>[http://wenku.baidu.com/view/b10e5b6c1eb91a37f1115c49.html 论战后琉球独立运动及琉球归属问题 – 百度文库]</ref> The king's death in 1901 diminished the historic connections with the former kingdom.{{Sfn | Kerr | 1953 | p = 236}} With the abolition of the aristocracy after World War II, the Sho family continues to live in Tokyo.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.tofugu.com/2013/09/26/the-forgotten-dynasty-of-the-ryukyu-islands/|title = Forgotten Dynasty|date = 26 September 2013}}</ref>

== 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 (Ryukyu)|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 [[List of tributaries of Imperial China|tributary relations]] with the [[Mid-Imperial China|Chinese Empire]] begin.{{Sfn | Matsuda | 2001 | p = 16}}
* 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]].<ref name="Hamashita">[[Takeshi Hamashita|Hamashita, Takeshi]]. ''Okinawa Nyūmon'' (沖縄入門, "Introduction to Okinawa"). Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō, 2000, pp. 207–13.</ref>
* 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]]).<ref name =Hamashita />
* 1458 – [[Amawari]]'s rebellion against the Kingdom.
* 1466 – [[Kikai Island]] invaded by Ryukyu.
* 1470 – [[Shō En]] (Kanemaru) establishes the Second Shō dynasty.<ref name=Hamashita />
* 1477 – [[Shō Shin]], whose rule is called the "Great Days of Chūzan", ascends to the throne.<ref name=Hamashita/> Golden age of the kingdom.
* 1500 – [[Sakishima Islands]] annexed by Ryukyu.
* 1609 – (5 April) ''[[Daimyō]]'' (Lord) of [[Satsuma Domain|Satsuma]] in southern [[Kyūshū]] [[Invasion of Ryukyu|invades the kingdom]]. King [[Shō Nei]] is captured.<ref name=Hamashita />
* 1611 – In accordance with the peace treaty, Satsuma annexes the [[Amami Islands|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.<ref name=Hamashita/> He establishes the first foreign hospital on the island at the Naminoue [[Gokoku-ji (Okinawa)|Gokoku-ji]] Temple.
* 1852 – Commodore [[Matthew C. Perry]] of the [[US Navy]] visits the kingdom and establishes a coaling station in Naha.<ref name=Hamashita/>
* 1854 – Perry returns to Okinawa to sign the Loochoo Compact with the Ryukyuan government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/countries/lew-chew|title=Lew Chew (Loochoo)* – Countries – Office of the Historian|website=history.state.gov}}</ref> Bettelheim leaves with Perry.
* 1866 – The last official mission from the [[Qing Empire]] visits the kingdom.
* 1872 – [[Emperor Meiji]] unilaterally declares 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 "[[German Emperor's Tributary Monument|friendship monument]]" on Miyako Island. / Japan [[Taiwan expedition of 1874|invades Taiwan]] on behalf of Ryukyu.
* 1879 – Japan abolishes Ryukyu Domain and declares the creation of [[Okinawa Prefecture]], formally annexing the islands.<ref name=Hamashita /> Shō Tai is forced to abdicate, but is granted the rank of {{nihongo|marquis|侯爵|kōshaku}} within the [[Kazoku|Meiji peerage system]].<ref name="papinot" />

== Monarchy ==

=== Royal crest ===
The [[Mon (emblem)|family crest]] of the Ryukyuan kings is called [[Tomoe|Mitsu-domoe]]<ref>{{Cite book |title=琉球家紋系図宝鑑 |date=August 1992 |publisher=琉研「沖縄家紋研究会」 |location=Naha |publication-date=August 1992 |language=ja |trans-title=Ryukyu Family Crest Genealogy Treasure Book}}</ref> and it is commonly used in Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-08 |title=八幡宮の社紋(神紋) |url=https://www.hachiman-sama.or.jp/news/202/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=前橋八幡宮 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250406004728/https://www.hachiman-sama.or.jp/news/202/ |archive-date=April 6, 2025 }}</ref>

In [[Shinto]]ism, Mitsu-domoe represents Emperor [[Emperor Ōjin|Ojin]] (Divine name [[Hachiman|Yahata]]). King [[Shō Toku]] worshshipped Yahata and adapted the crest. He has also built the Asato Hachiman Shrine.<ref>{{Cite web |title=安里八幡宮について |url=http://asatohachimangu.net/about |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=Asato Hachiman Shrine}}</ref>

It is also said to be a balance of three forces, symbolizing the balance of Kitayama, Nakayama, and Nanzan.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

=== List of Ryukyuan kings ===
{{Main|King of Ryukyu}}

{| class="wikitable"
|- 
|+ Kings of Ryukyu Islands
|-
! Name !![[Chinese character]]s !! Reign !! Dynasty !! Notes
|-
|[[Shunten]]||{{lang|ryu|舜天 shuntin}}  ||1187–1237||Shunten dynasty||
|-
|[[Shunbajunki]]||{{lang|ryu|舜馬順熈 shunbajunchi}}||1238–1248||Shunten dynasty||
|-
|[[Gihon (Ryukyu)|Gihon]]||{{lang|ryu|義本 gifun}} ||1249–1259||Shunten dynasty||
|-
|[[Eiso (Ryukyu)|Eiso]]||{{lang|ryu|英祖 eeso}} ||1260–1299||Eiso dynasty||
|-
|[[Taisei (Ryukyu)|Taisei]]||{{lang|ryu|大成 teeshii}} ||1300–1308||Eiso dynasty||
|-
|[[Eiji (Ryukyu)|Eiji]]||{{lang|ryu|英慈 eeji}} ||1309–1313||Eiso dynasty||
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Kings of Chūzan
|-
|[[Tamagusuku]]||{{lang|ryu|玉城 tamagushiku}} ||1314–1336||Eiso dynasty||
|-
|[[Seii (Ryukyu)|Seii]]||{{lang|ryu|西威 see-i}} ||1337–1354||Eiso dynasty||
|-
|[[Satto]]||{{lang|ryu|察度 sattu}} ||1355–1397||Satto dynasty||
|-
|[[Bunei (Ryukyu)|Bunei]]||{{lang|ryu|武寧 bunii}} ||1398–1406||Satto dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Shishō]]||{{lang|ryu|尚思紹 shoo shisoo}} ||1407–1421||First Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Hashi]]||{{lang|ryu|尚巴志 shoo hashii}} ||1422–1429||First Shō dynasty||as King of Chūzan
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Kings of Ryukyu
|-
!Name!![[Chinese character]]s!!Reign!!Line or dynasty!!Notes
|-
|[[Shō Hashi]]||{{lang|ryu|尚巴志 shoo hashii}} ||1429–1439||First Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Chū]]||{{lang|ryu|尚忠 shoo chuu}} ||1440–1442||First Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Shitatsu]]||{{lang|ryu|尚思達 shoo shitaa}} ||1443–1449||First Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Kinpuku]]||{{lang|ryu|尚金福 shoo chinfuku}} ||1450–1453||First Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Taikyū]]||{{lang|ryu|尚泰久 shoo teechuu}} ||1454–1460||First Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Toku]]||{{lang|ryu|尚徳 shoo tuku}} ||1461–1469||First Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō En]]||{{lang|ryu|尚圓 shoo in}} ||1470–1476||Second Shō dynasty||{{aka}} Kanemaru Uchima
|-
|[[Shō Sen'i]]||{{lang|ryu|尚宣威 shoo shin-i}} ||1477||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Shin]]||{{lang|ryu|尚真 shoo  shin}} ||1477–1526||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Sei]]||{{lang|ryu|尚清 shoo shii}} ||1527–1555||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Gen]]||{{lang|ryu|尚元 shoo gwan}} ||1556–1572||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Ei]]||{{lang|ryu|尚永 shoo ii}} ||1573–1586||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Nei]]||{{lang|ryu|尚寧 shoo nii}} ||1587–1620||Second Shō dynasty||ruled during Satsuma invasion; first king to be Satsuma vassal
|-
|[[Shō Hō]]||{{lang|ryu|尚豊 shoo fuu}} ||1621–1640||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Ken]]||{{lang|ryu|尚賢 shoo chin}} ||1641–1647||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Shitsu]]||{{lang|ryu|尚質 shoo shichi}} ||1648–1668||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Tei]]||{{lang|ryu|尚貞 shoo tii}} ||1669–1709||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Eki]]||{{lang|ryu|尚益 shoo ichi}} ||1710–1712||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Kei]]||{{lang|ryu|尚敬 shoo chii}} ||1713–1751||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Boku]]||{{lang|ryu|尚穆 shoo buku}} ||1752–1795||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō On]]||{{lang|ryu|尚温 shoo un}} ||1796–1802||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Sei (r. 1803)]]||{{lang|ryu|尚成 shoo shii}} ||1803||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Kō]]||{{lang|ryu|尚灝 shoo koo}} ||1804–1828||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Iku]]||{{lang|ryu|尚育 shoo iku}} ||1829–1847||Second Shō dynasty||
|-
|[[Shō Tai]]||{{lang|ryu|尚泰 shoo tee}} ||1848 – 11 March 1879||Second Shō dynasty||last King of Ryukyu (then [[Kazoku|Japanese Marquis]] 1884&ndash;1901)
|}

== See also ==
[[File:Location of the Ryukyu Islands.JPG|thumb|Location of the Ryukyu Islands]]
[[File:Ryukyu Kingdoms of Sanzan era.jpg|thumb|Hokuzan, Chūzan, Nanzan]]
* [[Foreign relations of the Ryukyu Kingdom]]
* [[Foreign relations of Imperial China]]
* [[Gusuku]]
* [[History of the Ryukyu Islands]]
* [[Sakishima Islands#History|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 ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last = Akamine |first = Mamoru |title = The Ryukyu Kingdom: Cornerstone of East Asia |year = 2016 |publisher = University of Hawaii |isbn = 978-0824855178 }}
* {{Citation |last = Kang |first = David C. | year = 2010 | title = East Asia Before the West: Five Centuries of Trade and Tribute |url = {{Google books | ydVymF_OrWEC | East Asia Before the West: Five Centuries of Trade and Tribute |plainurl = yes }} |location = New York, NY | publisher = Columbia University Press |oclc = 562768984 |isbn = 978-0-23115318-8 }}.
* {{Citation |last = Kerr |first = George H. |year = 1953 |title = Ryukyu Kingdom and Province before 1945 |location = Washington, DC |publisher = [[National Academy of Sciences]], National Research Council | oclc = 5455582 | author-link = George H. Kerr }}.
* {{Citation | last = Kerr | first = George H | year = 1958 | title = Okinawa: the History of an Island People |location = [[Rutland (town), Vermont|Rutland, VT]] | publisher = [[Tuttle Publishing|Charles Tuttle Co]] | oclc = 722356 | author-mask = 3 }}.
* {{Citation | last = Matsuda | first = Mitsugu | year = 2001 | title = 'The Government of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, 1609–1872 | type = dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Hawaii in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, January 1967 | place = Gushikawa | publisher = Yui Pub. | isbn = 4-946539-16-6 }}, 283 pp.
* {{Citation | last = Murai | first = Shōsuke | title = Introduction | journal = [[Acta Asiatica]] | volume = 95 | year = 2008 | place = Tokyo | publisher = The Tōhō Gakkai (The Institute of Eastern Culture)}}.
* {{Citation | last = Okamoto | first = Hiromichi | title = Foreign Policy and Maritime Trade in the Early Ming Period Focusing on the Ryukyu Kingdom | journal = Acta Asiatica | volume = 95 | year = 2008 }}.
* {{Citation | last = Nussbaum | first = Louis-Frédéric | year = 2002 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UWY1JQAACAAJ | title = Japan Encyclopedia | location = Cambridge, MA | publisher = [[Harvard University Press]] | isbn = 978-0-674-01753-5 | oclc = 48943301 }}.
* {{citation | last = Smits | first = Gregory | year = 1999 | title = Visions of Ryukyu: identity and ideology in early-modern thought and politics | place = Honolulu, HI | publisher = [[University of Hawaii Press]] | isbn = 0-8248-2037-1 }}, 213 pp.
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Citation | url = http://www.uchinanchu.org/uchinanchu/history_of_uchinanchu.htm | title = Brief History of the Uchinanchu (Okinawans) | publisher = Uninanchu | access-date = 30 June 2007 | archive-date = 25 August 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160825091350/http://www.uchinanchu.org/uchinanchu/history_of_uchinanchu.htm | url-status = dead }}.
* {{Citation | publisher = Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCVBOkinawaFilmOffice) | url = http://filmoffice.ocvb.or.jp/_pdf/okinawaguide_eng_la.pdf | title = Okinawa Filming Guide Book 2014–2015 | access-date = 11 February 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170211160349/http://filmoffice.ocvb.or.jp/_pdf/okinawaguide_eng_la.pdf | archive-date = 11 February 2017 | url-status = dead }}
* [http://sitereports.nabunken.go.jp/en Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan], Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

{{coord|26|12|N|127|41|E|type:country_source:kolossus-cawiki|display=title}}

{{Monarchs of Ryukyu}}
{{Former Monarchies}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryukyu Kingdom}}
[[Category:Ryukyu Kingdom| ]]
[[Category:Ryukyu Islands|Kingdom]]
[[Category:Former countries in East Asia]]
[[Category:Former countries in Japanese history]]
[[Category:Former kingdoms]]
[[Category:Island countries]]
[[Category:1429 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:1879 disestablishments in Asia]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1429]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1879]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of East Asia]]
[[Category:History of Okinawa Prefecture]]