Liuqiu | |||||||||||
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Chinese | 流求 琉求 琉球 留求 瑠求 | ||||||||||
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Liuqiu or Lewchew was a realm said to have existed in the East China Sea. During the 18th and 19th centuries,it was referred to as Liukiu in English;and,Lieou-kieou in French. [1] Referenced in various historical Chinese texts such as the Book of Sui ,it is variously identified with Taiwan Island,the Penghu Islands (Pescadore Islands),and the Ryukyu Islands.
A detailed description of an island kingdom called "Liuqiu" may be found in the Book of Sui . [2] Chinese Liuqiu was first attested in the Book of Sui (636),which stated that Sui China had sent expeditions to what it called Liuqiu (流求) three times in 607 and 608. [3] The Book of Sui places the report on Liuqiu second to last within the chapter on "Eastern Barbarians" (Dongyi),following the report on Mohe and preceding the report on Wa (Japan). The text describes the territory of Liuqiu and its people as follows:
There is no scholarly consensus on what specific territory "Liuqiu" refers to in the Book of Sui and History of Yuan . Chang Biyu notes that "Some scholars believe that the record of 'Liuqiu' referred to the Liuqiu Island near Taiwan,while some say it was a reference to what are now the Ryukyu Islands ... and others suggest that it was a general term referring to islands in the East China Sea and nearby waters". [4]
In Japanese and Western scholarship,however,it is often assumed that the Book of Sui referred directly to what would later become the Ryukyu Kingdom. [5]
In his Daoyi Zhilüe (1349),Wang Dayuan clearly used "Liuqiu" as a name for Taiwan or the part of it near to Penghu. [6] Chinese records written during the Mongol Yuan dynasty suggested that Liuqiu was Taiwan. For example,the Wenxian Tongkao (1317) stated that Liuqiu was located to the east of Quanzhou,a port city facing the Taiwan Strait,and was visible from the Penghu Islands in the middle of the strait. [3] Similarly,the History of Yuan (1369),which was compiled by the succeeding Ming dynasty,reinforces the identification of Liuqiu as Taiwan. According to the book,the Mongols tried in vain to subjugate what it called Liuqiu (瑠求) twice in 1292 and 1297. The Penghu Islands and Liuqiu faced each other and the envoys of 1292 visited Penghu en route to Liuqiu. [3] [7] [8] The fact that the Chinese characters assigned to Liuqiu have changed over time (流求,留仇,流虬,瑠求,琉球,etc.) indicates that it was borrowed from some non-Chinese language. However,the Okinawan language's form of the word,Ruuchuu (ルーチュー [9] [10] ),is unlikely to be the origin of the word as the prohibition of word-initial /r/ is an areal feature of Okinawan and related languages. Hence,most scholars seek its etymological root in Austronesian languages of Taiwan. [3]
In later works,the name refers to the Ryukyu Islands in general or Okinawa,the largest of them. The Ming emperor's letter to Okinawa in 1372 announcing the formation of his new dynasty addressed Okinawa as the "country of Liu-qiu." [11] After ShōHashi unified the three kingdoms on Okinawa,the Xuande Emperor gave him the title "King of Liuqiu" in 1428. [12] While this small independent monarchy of seafaring traders was similar to the settlements found in Japan's southern islands,its culture was more strongly influenced by the mainland Chinese. [13] Indeed,the name "Ryukyu" is simply the Japanese form of Liúqiú. Early modern Chinese sources also specifically called Okinawa (the largest of the Ryukyus) as "Greater Liuqiu" and Taiwan Island as the "Lesser Liuqiu". [14] In the 18th century Liuqui Guo Zhilue,it was identified as Ryukyu with specific reference to an island of Gumishan (Kume Island) ruled by a Gumi chief. [15] This text also described this area around 1644 as under strict control of the Japanese shogunate - which is true for the Ryukyu Kingdom (See Invasion of Ryukyu). [15] The word remained alien to the Okinawans;that no instance of it can be found in the ritual songs in the 22 volumes of the Omoro Sōshi,which reflects the Okinawan world-view. [16]
The name Liuqiu,in intermittent use since the Ming Dynasty,also remains the official name for Xiaoliuqiu Island southwest of Taiwan. There are sources that refer to Xiaoliuqiu (little Liuqiu) as the old Chinese name for Taiwan. [17]
Gusuku often refers to castles or fortresses in the Ryukyu Islands that feature stone walls. However, the origin and essence of gusuku remain controversial. In the archaeology of Okinawa Prefecture, the Gusuku period refers to an archaeological epoch of the Okinawa Islands that follows the shell-mound period and precedes the Sanzan period, when most gusuku are thought to have been built. Many gusuku and related cultural remains on Okinawa Island have been listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites under the title Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu.
This article is about the history of the Ryukyu Islands southwest of the main islands of Japan.
The Ryukyu Kingdom was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a tributary state of imperial Ming China by the 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 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. The Ryukyu Kingdom was formally annexed and dissolved by Japan in 1879 to form Okinawa Prefecture, and the Ryukyuan monarchy was integrated into the new Japanese nobility.
Eisa is a form of folk dance originating from the Okinawa Islands, Japan. In origin, it is a Bon dance that is performed by young people of each community during the Bon festival to honor the spirits of their ancestors. It underwent drastic changes in the 20th century and is today seen as a vital part of Okinawan culture.
The Sanzan period is a period in the history of the Okinawa Islands when three lines of kings, namely Sanhoku, Chūzan and Sannan, are said to have co-existed on Okinawa Island. It is said to have started during King Tamagusuku's reign and, according to Sai On's edition of the Chūzan Seifu (1725), ended in 1429 when Shō Hashi unified the island. Historical records of the period are fragmentary and mutually conflicting. Some even question the co-existence of the three polities.
The Ryukyu Islands, also known as the Nansei Islands or the Ryukyu Arc, are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands and Okinawa Prefecture. The larger are mostly volcanic islands and the smaller mostly coral. The largest is Okinawa Island.
Bunei was King of Chūzan. He was the second and last ruler of the Satto dynasty.
Okinawan names today have only two components, the family names first and the given names last. Okinawan family names represent the distinct historical and cultural background of the islands which now comprise Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. Expatriates originally from Okinawa also have these names.
Eiso was a semi-legendary ruler of Okinawa Island. He was the founding monarch of the Eiso dynasty.
Zenchū Nakahara was a Japanese scholar, known particularly for his work on the Omoro sōshi, a written collection of songs and poems which constitutes an oral history of Okinawa and the Ryūkyū Kingdom.
Taiki was a diplomat of the Chūzan Kingdom.
The Second Shō dynasty was the last dynasty of the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1469 to 1879, ruled by the Second Shō family under the title of King of Chūzan. This family took the family name from the earlier rulers of the kingdom, the first Shō family, even though the new royal family has no blood relation to the previous one. Until the abolition of Japanese peerage in 1947, the head of the family was given the rank of marquess while several cadet branches held the title of baron.
The First Shō dynasty was a dynasty of the Ryukyu Kingdom on Okinawa Island in the 15th century, ruled by the First Shō family under the title of King of Chūzan. According to the official history books compiled during the second Shō Dynasty, it lasted from 1406 to 1469. However, the official account is considered unreliable by modern historians because it contradicts contemporary sources.
Okinawa (沖縄) is a name with multiple referents. The endonym refers to Okinawa Island in southwestern Japan. Today it can cover some surrounding islands and, more importantly, can refer to Okinawa Prefecture, a much larger administrative division of Japan, although the people from the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands still feel a strong sense of otherness to Okinawa.
The Ryukyu Kingdom (1372–1879) on Okinawa Island used various writing conventions, all of which were markedly different from spoken registers. A unique feature of Ryūkyū's writing conventions is that in the Old Ryūkyū period (?–1609), it developed a predominantly kana writing convention that was based on sōrō-style Written Japanese but exhibited heavy Okinawan influence. After the conquest by Satsuma Domain in 1609, however, this style of writing was replaced by standard sōrō-style Japanese that was written predominantly with kanji. Other than that, Okinawan features were confined to the recordings of songs to sing, poems to read aloud, and plays to perform verbally, and did not have an autonomous status as literary writing. Instead, the samurai class of the kingdom was aligned with the literary tradition of mainland Japan that was established during the Heian period.
The Hyōtō Ryūkyū-koku ki (漂到流球国記) was a book written by Japanese Buddhist monk Keisei in 1244. He interviewed travelers who, during a sea voyage to Song China, drifted to what they believed to be Ryūkyū. It reflects the long-lasting Japanese perception of Ryūkyū as the land of man-eating demons.
King of Sannan was a title given to a line of local rulers on Okinawa Island from the late 14th century to the early 15th century. Contemporary sources on the kings of Sannan are scarce and mutually conflicting. The narratives on the kings have gradually been expanded over time. In historiography, the term Sannan conventionally refers to a realm supposedly under their control. Sannan is also known as Nanzan (南山). The new term was coined in the 18th century by Sai On by flipping the two-character title.
King of Sanhoku was a title given to a line of local rulers on Okinawa Island from the late 14th century to the early 15th century. Contemporary sources on the Kings of Sanhoku are extremely scarce, and narratives on them have gradually been expanded over time. In historiography, the term Sanhoku conveniently refers to a realm supposedly under their control. Sanhoku is also known as Hokuzan (北山). The new term was coined in the 18th century by Sai On by flipping the two-character title.
Ryukyuan tea ceremony is a tea ceremony popular in the Ryukyu Islands. Ryukyuan tea ceremony is influenced by both Chinese tea ceremony and Japanese tea ceremony. Based on the unique taste of tea drinking, the unique tea culture of the Ryukyu Islands has been formed. Although there are imports from Japan and China, Ryukyu also produces tea and tea sets locally, providing conditions for the consumption of tea by the Ryukyu people. This tea-drinking preference of drinking both Japanese and Chinese teas is believed to be the foundation of Ryukyu's unique tea culture.
The earliest confirmed descriptions of visits by Han Chinese people to Taiwan occurred during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) and Chinese objects such as pottery were found there, suggesting trade between Taiwanese indigenous peoples and the Han Chinese in prior periods. Trade between Han and Taiwanese indigenous peoples increased during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Pirates and fishermen also started visiting Taiwan. By the early 17th century, there were 1,500–2,000 Han people inhabiting one or two villages in southwestern Taiwan. Most of them were engaged in seasonal fishing and left afterwards but some stayed and planted crops.