Timeline: Okinawa: A Chronology of Historical Moments in the Ryukyu Islands

By Stephen A. Mick McClary

This book will give you a basic understanding of the origin of Okinawa, its emergence onto the world's stage, and its evolution over the centuries to become the subtropical paradise that we've come to know and love.

Having collected so many books and papers about pre-war, wartime and post-war Okinawa, it occurred to me that there is an almost endless array of publications, each offering abundant facts, opinions and uncertainties as to events, dates of events and details of just about every aspect of the principalities, kingdom, province, then finally prefecture of Okinawa-ken including its 27-year interruption under U.S. occupation.

There is no way to present a comprehensive volume that covers all aspects of Okinawa's past and present without necessitating the use of a wheelbarrow to move it from one place to the next - it would be that big! This book's content is inspired by and is representative of what I've read and, to a lesser degree what I've researched on the Internet. Some of it is derived from personal experience or observation. If you can't find information on a particular subject, that just means that I haven't experienced it, don't have it in my library or perhaps I do but haven't read it yet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665555067

Stephen A. Mick McClary

Stephen "Mick" McClary grew up and traveled widely, including three years in Europe, in a military family. It was in his adult life, and during his own military career that his first exposure to Okinawa occurred. He lived in Japan's southernmost prefecture, on the island of Okinawa, for over seven years in the 1970s and '80s. His love for Okinawa wasn't instantaneous. Arriving on Okinawa the first time in 1972 as a newlywed and soon thereafter as a new father, Mick didn't delve into Ryukyu's rich history right away. He had things like family and job obligations that occupied the majority of his time until his departure in 1975. Such a pity that there wasn't someone there to prod him along, to encourage him to learn the language, to get out and explore. Ah, but there was someone who would have been happy to do the prodding, if only he had asked. His fascination grew during the 1980s and it has been a love affair with Okinawa and an Uchina learning experience ever since. Only after departure from the island in 1990 did Mick realize how much he had not accomplished throughout the seven years of living there. As is the case for many of us, he didn't appreciate the opportunities at hand when they were at hand. That came later. As one might say, it grew on him over time. It was during the span of 1986-1990 when he was back on Okinawa as a busy Family Practice clinician that he began his infatuation with the history and culture of Okinawa's old Ryukyu Kingdom. Even during over four years of living on island there never seemed to be time to explore and to learn. Only after leaving the island a second time did he recognize and regret having missed chances to be more intimately involved in local history culture. Recognizing how sad it is that so many people who currently live on the island do little more than their job and when they're not working they grouse and gripe about having "nothing to do." They say that they can't wait to "get off this rock and back home." Mick created a website in 1996 dedicated to much of which he learned about the islands and the people. In 2013 he made his first trip back to Okinawa after a physical absence of twenty-three years. Four subsequent return trips in recent years, each lasting from 5-7 weeks, have given him further opportunity to immerse himself amid the people and to more deeply explore and learn. Now, with this book, Mick hopes to be the one to prod and to encourage folks who are already there, folks who are on their way, and those who are contemplating a trip to Okinawa. Mick and his wife, Debb, currently reside in west central Montana. They began their family with the birth of their two sons, DyLon and Zachary, both of whom were born on Okinawa. After returning to the States they adopted their first daughter, Brittney, from Calcutta, India, and shortly thereafter returned to Okinawa for another four years. During that time on Okinawa their second daughter, Kinsey, came along. Kinsey was adopted from the Philippines. Kinsey flew with them aboard an Air Force medical evacuation aircraft from Clark Air Base in the PI to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. Her adoption was completed in Japanese Family Court, then re-adoption (to get official U.S. documentation) in Fort Benton, Montana. Finally, their third daughter, Ashley, came to them through adoption in Great Falls, Montana.

Book preview

© 2022 Stephen A. Mick McClary. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

1st Edition

Published by AuthorHouse 03/31/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-5507-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-5505-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-5506-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022905086

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Prefatory Notes

Acknowledgements

How This Book Works

Section One

Maps

Section Two

Chronology

Section Three

Subject Index

Section Four

Sources / References

沖縄

a Rope in the Open Sea

Contributing editors:

Michael J. Alexander

Rob Oechsle

Stephen A. Mick McClary

www.ClickOkinawa.com

Coverimage.jpg

Cover images (by the author) Upper: traditional Ryukyu tile roof that in my opinion demonstrates diversity and imperfection while working together for a common purpose. (Nakamura House) – Center: rice straw represents interweaving of the diverse peoples who came together from islands far and wide, organizing and evolving as harmonious Ryukyuans (Ryukyu Mura) – Lower: stone wall at Shuri-jo projecting the strength, foundation, and durability of the culture. (Shuri Castle)

Some say that tile roofing began in the 1300s during the reign of Satto while others say that such roofing became known to Okinawa during the reign of King Shō Nei, when Korean potters arrived in the Ryukyu Islands by way of Satsuma in 1617. Zabilka credits the industry on Okinawa to a Chinese immigrant, Wang Ying-Teh, who is said to have brought his skill in 1580. It was during this period that tile came to replace earlier roofing materials of thatch or wood. Tiles were first used to top off fire towers that were built at Naha and at Shuri after temples and shrines at Naminoue had burned. Around 1670 new glazing and firing techniques were introduced from Japan and they soon became available in quantities sufficient to allow for more widespread use.

Prefatory Notes

Every aspect of Okinawa’s history merits a detailed accounting. Consideration of space does not permit an exhaustive account of every relevant topic of its history nor comprehensive treatment of any single subject, so I have chosen to offer you an abbreviated reference of what I’ve gleaned from my readings. While some of my entries may be of great interest to you and leave you wanting for more, I shall be satisfied to know that your appetite for more expansive discovery and discussion on the subject has been whetted. My hope is that you will be inspired to do more independent research. Given the wide range of subjects represented, the reader may favor a particular factoid, event, or revelation immediately, while leaving others somewhat inconsequential. Not a problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that there are no exhaustive details in this work regarding whatever you find that piques your curiosity. Think of it as an overview and bear in mind that it represents what I have learned through my reading, most of which is derived from my personal library.

This book represents a people for whom I discovered my passion back in the 1980s. Having collected and read so many books and papers about pre-war, war-time, and post-war Okinawa, it occurred to me that there is an almost endless array of publications, each offering abundant facts, opinions and definitely many uncertainties as to events, dates of events, and details of just about every aspect of the principalities, kingdom, province, then finally the prefecture of Okinawa-ken, including its 27-year interruption under U.S. occupation. A prime example of such uncertainties is trying to determine the date of construction of Shurei-mon, or for that matter Shuri-jo. Another conundrum is trying to determine which year(s) the Omoro Sōshi was written. Some believe that the Omoro Sōshi itself was entirely fabricated by Shuri elites who were rewriting or even embellishing or imagining their own history. There are many variables and many unknowns.

I have no intent or desire to pose as an expert in any sense but do hope to serve you the reader a chronological organization of information – a compendium, if you will – relating to what has created the sub-tropical paradise that true Okinawaphiles treasure today.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been involved in a discussion about some aspect of Okinawa’s history only to find myself rifling through books in search of details and answers. How often have been times that I thought I had the answer only to discover that someone, somewhere, in some other publication had presented information in contradiction to what I had previously read in another? In this volume I have endeavored to present a condensation and organization of what I have read and in some cases what I have learned from living in and exploring with my family and friends, or alone, the old Ryukyu Kingdom.

As I have read and studied, I’ve discovered that something is missing – a definitive one-stop resource that has information in one place, between the covers of one book, that will give me everything I seek. If such a resource existed, Oh, what a tome that would be! This isn’t that. But you hold in your hands a chronology of data gleaned from my reading of many books, papers, articles, brochures, and other devices in my Okinawa Library. Those resources are mostly limited to English-language publications so that fact in and of itself should lead you to conclude that my work, by leaving out other-than-English language publications cannot possibly be definitive.

There is no way to present a comprehensive volume that covers all aspects of Okinawa’s past and present without necessitating the use of a wheelbarrow to move it from one place to the next – it would be that big! This book’s content is inspired by and is representative of what I’ve read and, to a lesser degree what I’ve researched on the Internet. Some of it is derived from personal experience or observation. If you can’t find information on a particular subject, that just means that I haven’t experienced it, don’t have it in my library or perhaps I do but haven’t read it yet.

Most of the material in this book is derivative, but then, how can a history be anything but? Most of what is included in this volume is taken directly from myriad resources, some even generously cited verbatim. I have no intent to pass myself off as a wordsmith, and with a keen appreciation and respect for the work of others, no effort has been made by this writer to improve upon their works. Instead, I have expanded on much of what has already been written, derived from the knowledge, experience, and expertise of others. Some sources are more credible and reliable than the next and when there’s doubt or conflicting accounts, I have related such inconsistencies. In some cases, I’ve done quite a bit of digging for facts and accounts that help to achieve, at the very least, consensus.

Perhaps it would be more accurate if I were to identify myself as an editor in lieu of claiming authorship despite much of the content in this compendium being my own. Interpretations, opinions, and extrapolations have been exercised in the preparation of what you are invited to read but by no means is there a promise that all data is incontrovertible. I wasn’t there. Sorely few folks have actually been on-site over the centuries to observe history in the making. Even fewer have been involved in the making of that history. With that said, I accept full responsibility for whatever inaccuracies may be found here. So, again, bearing in mind that a history is by its very name and nature a derivative exercise, please enjoy this for what it is intended.

… and with that … Where to begin? Imagine,

You’ve just left the shore of your fishing village with your brothers in a rickety craft hoping to make a good catch and a decent profit. Out to sea, a storm’s brewing and you decide to get back to shore in time, but it’s too late – you’ve lost control. You’re adrift and end up beached upon a rocky islet somewhere. You find ways to survive for months, waiting for a savior to appear on the horizon. That day finally arrives - you’re spotted and taken aboard a foreign ship. But you’re one man fewer than you were at the outset of your fishing expedition. One of your brothers has died.

Aboard the ship you’re on your way back home. Or are you? The ship, flying under a foreign flag is not allowed to enter a Japanese port in order to return you to your home island and, in fact, if you were to return to your home you would face nearly certain execution for no reason other than that you, for whatever reason, departed Japan in the first place. So, what do you do?

You sail on with your seafaring benefactor to another world - a continent on the other side of the globe. You’re well cared for. A fine education is provided. All other considerations aside, you’re living a pretty good life. But you want to go home.

You and your brothers work hard to earn money to buy a small boat then arrange to take that boat aboard a trade ship that you know will be sailing back into your part of the world. When you get to where you’re pretty sure you’re near home – and that it’s not likely that you’ll lose your head to a flashing sword - the captain of the trade ship bids you farewell as his crew helps you lower your little boat over the side. In you go and off you go, rowing against the wind or maybe with the tide. Exhausted, you reach shore and find yourself on the small island of Okinawa. From a Mabuni beach you manage, in time, to make your way back to your beloved village.

Or maybe …

You suddenly appear in a strange town from out of nowhere, uninvited, and demand of your host that he provide you with free room and board. That demand denied, you hopefully appeal to the humane side of the authority and gesture to your children and wife, begging that they be given at the very least a place to stay for one night. The woman and the children are dreadfully weary. Oh, but if only your family might rest after a long and arduous voyage.

Your host, indeed, a gentle and not a haughty person, relents and offers you the use of a temple in which to rest your weary bones. You gratefully accept his offer to allow your family to stay for one night – but in the morning you toss out all of the temple furnishings (they are beneath your dignified self), unpack your own stuff, make yourself at home and stay for seven or eight years, all the while haranguing the townsfolk to accept your own religious teachings. You make daily demands of your host that are grudgingly accommodated. You have made of yourself something that cannot be described as anything better than a mendō kusai hito (real pain in the ass). Eventually someone else comes along in a big black ship and your host begs - nay, pleads with that ship’s captain to carry you away.

Or maybe …

You’re a poor farmer, working your fingers to the bone every day just to feed yourself and your family. A bully barges into your village, takes over your farm and all the farms of your friends. And … he makes you work that farm just as hard as you ever did before. Ah, but that’s not enough for the bully. On top of taking your home, your land, and your labor he demands that you give him a sizable portion of your crop yield. The bully expects prompt payment-in-full from your village and farms and doesn’t really care how your village comes up with it. What if you get sick and can’t work your farm to contribute your share of the ransom? Everyone else in the village must work harder to make up for what you are unable to produce. The bully doesn’t care how he gets his cut; only that he gets his cut.

Or maybe …

You’re plugging along, living your life – not an affluent life but at least it’s peaceful and for the most part easy-going. In a matter of weeks, you’re no longer farming. You have been conscripted by unwelcomed forces who have occupied your land and have forced you to build bunkers, harbors, and airfields in preparation for war. A war that’s not even of your own doing. Your children have been ripped away from what once was their schools and stuck into labor units with promises of them being divinely rewarded for their sweat – and for their lives that should be so proudly and so willingly sacrificed for the interlopers’ emperor. Before long, all Hell breaks loose and your family and your life, and the land that you once knew - the land you tended so lovingly, - your homes and temples, your entire culture disappears before your very eyes. If you are among those unfortunate 150,000 or so countrymen who will lose their lives, then you won’t grieve the loss. You won’t survive to realize it.

Or maybe …

It’s election day and for the first time in your life you are among the first in your entire nation to be told that you have just as much right as your husband, brother or uncle to cast a ballot.

Or maybe … maybe you will find many adventures, stories of victories, stories of defeat, and tales of great sadness as you peruse these pages. I can only hope that you will enjoy the ride!

Oh, one more thing… you’re going to find inconsistencies in the manner in which I refer to Okinawa. I have tried to use a reference appropriate to the date, era or period of time in which the event existed. For a time prior to 1429, the main island of Okinawa was home to three principalities with Chūzan as the predominant power center, but Chūzan shouldn’t be interpreted as all of the archipelago. There have been so many different names given in various publications, many of which depend upon who wrote the text. For example, the Portuguese called it Lequios, the French called it Likeujo, etc. Throughout most of the book I refer to the islands as Ryukyu or, after 1879, simply Okinawa. The proper spelling of old Okinawa is Ryūkyū, but I have chosen to use the simpler Ryukyu.

Maybe one more thing to think about… is it proper to say, in Okinawa or on Okinawa? I believe that if one is referring to the main island it is proper to say on Okinawa but if referring to the entire archipelago I would say in Okinawa, as in the prefecture. Similarly, one would say that they are on Maui but in" the State of Hawaii.

Acknowledgements

A work such as this cannot be accomplished without guidance, clarifications, and recommendations by trusted allies. Among those who have generously given their time and expertise to this task, I hope to make clear my thanks and admiration.

Michael Alexander, who is himself a publisher with many years’ experience, has offered technical advice that has been invaluable. Thanks, Mike!

Rob Oechsle, a long-time resident and renowned amateur local Island historian, has contributed to my efforts with photos, stories, corrections and suggestions – critical requirements that I cannot adequately quantify. In his heart he knows how much I appreciate him. We have wandered through many sites on Okinawa and he has taught me much about the island that we cherish.

My wife, Debb, who doesn’t share the same level of enthusiasm as I regarding Ryukyu’s rich culture and history yet has understood my prolonged absences while working on this project.

For their generosity in lending images, a hat tip to my friend, Donn Cuson who maintains an enormous collection of images and documents at his well-known website, rememberingokinawa.com is appreciated.

Thanks, Donn, Rob, Mike, and especially, Debb.

1.jpg

Flag of ancient Ryukyu Kingdom

Top: Blue on black circle on white background. Bottom: Black, red, black stripes

003%20-%20ryukyu%20seal.jpg

Seal of the Ryukyu Kingdom

(photo by the author, Shuri-jo, 2015)

4.jpg

5.jpg The Okinawa Prefecture symbol represents the ocean (outer circle); the white O is for Okinawa and harmony of her people; and the red inner circle represents globally developing Okinawa Prefecture.

Okinawa, over centuries, has been referred to by any number of names: Lequeo, Lequios, Lequeyo, Loqueo, Liuchiu, Liu-Kiu, Likiou, Liqueo, Liquieux, Likeujo, Lieoo-Kieoo, Lieu-Kieu, Likeo, Lieuchieux, Loo Choo, Riu-ku, Riukiu, Rūkyū and Ryukyu

The Onna Nabe Myth

Upon the occasion of a royal progress through the countryside into northern Okinawa, local poet Onna Nabe was notified that she must entertain the king. At once she replied:

(Okinawan transcription from Tyra (Taira) Buntaro, My Fifty Favorite Okinawan Songs, (Naha, 1954) p. 5)

This slight verse is known and quoted even to this day throughout Okinawa. Perhaps nostalgia for a happier past under the Okinawan kings is reinforced by a romantic tale that Onna Nabe fell hopelessly in love with the king during their brief sojourn together. When he returned to Shuri, the country poet cast herself from a cliff near the beautiful field near Manzanmo where kings of long ago held picnics where his fellow countrymen gathered to watch the sun set, or to ponder the moon, and where today stand monuments commemorating the verse, the romance, and its tragic ending. (4)

♦

No, I was wrong when I said all the people of Shuri huddled at home: there was one young man, up on the roof of his house in Yamakawa-cho, who was determinedly battling the typhoon. Anyone observing this solitary figure would surely have concluded that he had lost his wits. Wearing only a loincloth, he stood on the slippery tiles of the roof and held in both hands, as though to protect him from the howling wind, a tatami mat. He must have fallen off the roof to the ground time and again, for his nearly naked body was smeared all over with mud. . . . The stance he took was most impressive, for he stood as if astride a horse. . . . The wind struck the mat and the youth with full force, but he stood his ground and did not flinch.—Togawa Yukio (quoted in Funakoshi, 1975, pp. 46-4

How This Book Works

The book is organized into four sections:

Section One

consists of Maps from various points in time. I have intentionally not included more recent maps since those are readily available. Instead I include older maps and charts to provide some historical perspective to those periods of Okinawa’s history.

Section Two

is the Chronology in which events are discussed in ascending temporal order. Details will be provided in this section. Once again, I have provided the reader brief data without in-depth details. Think of my entries as milestones to pique your interest, provide some quick facts, and hopefully inspire further inquiry and investigation.

Section Three

is an Alphabetical Index with dates that correspond to a subject of interest. For example, if curious to know about the island’s past railroads, you would look for Railroad on Okinawa in Section Three and find references to dates. Details for those dates can then be read in Section Two. On the topic of names, I have employed the common technique of placing the family name first followed by the given name, except for Westerners. Where we say Douglas MacArthur the Japanese form might be MacArthur Douglas (without a comma). Another example, the name Ieyasu Tokugawa is rendered in Japanese as Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Please also bear in mind that a date depicted in the index is not necessarily the date of the event. If you look for when sugar was first introduced to Okinawa, you might find Sugar introduced to Okinawa and the date 1374. You cannot take the short-cut of assuming that 1374 is when sugar was introduced into the Ryukyus. If you go to the 1374 entry in Section Two (the details) you will find much more discussion than the fact that one author, Morris, gave a date. Erroneous as that date may be I’m happy that he did because no other reading that I’ve done comes anywhere near pinning it down to a specific year. But since Morris tossed in the year 1374 it gave me a good place to put the discussion within the chronology. So, don’t simply accept the date in Part Three as … well, you get it, right?

Section Four

Contains my many Citations. Without their expertise this would be a book of mostly blank pages.

So, let’s get started!

♦

"The history of Okinawa is essentially the story of a minor kingdom with few resources, and of an unwarlike people, forever seeking balance between powerful neighboring states." (George Kerr, Okinawa: the history of an Island People, 1958 First edition)

SECTION ONE

MAPS

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Chart of Great Loo Choo, by Captain Basil Hall, 1816

7.jpg10.jpg

Port Melville on the Northwest side of Great Loo Choo Island

Captain Basil Hall, commanding the British ship Lyra, 1816

8.jpg11.jpg

Naha Port and town

Captain Basil Hall, commanding the British ship Lyra

SANZAN

Three Principalities of

Ryukyu before 1429

Renamed during the reign of Shō Shin during administrative reorganization

Hokuzan – Northern Mountain 北山, Kunigami

Chūzan – Middle Mountain 中山, Nakagami

Nanzan – Southern Mountain 南山, Shimajiri

SECTION TWO

CHRONOLOGY

12.jpg

The Dawn of Ryukyu – until Sanzan Era

The Ryukyu Kaibyaku Shinwa (myth about the creation of the Ryukyu Kingdom as recorded in Chūzan Seikan and in Omoro sōshi):

The beginning of the Ryukyu Kingdom is written in Kyōyō, the first official history of the Ryukyu Kingdom. In Japanese, Kyōyō means communal/sharing. Here is the translation:

At the beginning, the sea was rough, and waves were overflowing. There was no place for man to dwell. Then, a man and a woman appeared upon this wasteland. The man’s name was Shinireku (Shirumichu), and the woman’s name was Amamiku (Amamichu). They moved earth and stones, planted trees, stopped the waves from overflowing, and started to live on the island. And then, utaki (sacred place) were built, and men began to thrive.

Afterwards, the man and the woman gave birth to three boys and two girls. The first boy was called Tensonshi and he became the first king. The second boy became the first aji [a landlord, similar to a Japanese daimyo] and the third boy became the first farmer. The first girl became a kimigimi or kimigami [a priestess who administers religious services within the entire kingdom], and the second girl a noro [a priestess who administers religious services in a local area. A noro performed devotional rituals to ancestors and performed several other functions such as divining auspicious days for such events as marriage, burial, travel, or planting crops.] As the guardian of sacred groves and oracular shrines she resembled the priestess of Greek tradition. [Her influence and prestige were tremendous in the days when a virgin daughter or sister of the king was chief high priestess and assisted in royal affairs. The office of noro was usually retained in noble families from generation to generation. Traditionally, the noro wore white as a symbol of purity, a head decoration of feathers, and a necklace of beads. Among the beads were some magatama, curved in the shape of a comma. Three simple hearthstones in or near the noro’s home were a center of worship. She was also responsible for maintaining the hearth fire, moving it from place to place and from island to island.] Afterwards, more and more people started inhabiting the Ryu̅kyu̅ Kingdom.

At first, people did not farm. They found their daily food by picking up wild fruit and hunting animals. Then, Amamiku brought rice seeds from the Nirai-kanai [a mythical place from which all life originates.] and scattered them in Tamagusuku [this is mentioned in the Chronicles of the origin of the Ryukyu Kingdom]. Tensonshi taught people how to farm, which marks the beginning of the agricultural activities in the Ryukyu Kingdom.

The Nirai-kanai, the place from where Amamiku brought rice seeds, is a paradise beyond the sea, the residence of the Gods. [The relation of the Nirai-kanai and the people is also mentioned in "Omoro Sōshi." A song about the Nirai-kanai can be found in the first volume (of the Omoro Sōshi), and another, about the creation myth, in volume ten.]

Tensonshi also taught people how to make salt, vinegar, and alcohol. People learned how to make clothes from plants and trees, becoming more and more prosperous. During the Tensonshi Era, the Ryukyu Kingdom was divided into three parts, Kunigami, Nakagami, and Shimajiri. One aji was chosen to govern each region, bringing peace to the people.

The Successive rulers of Chūzan

(Ryūkyū after 1429)

(Central Mountain principality) (aka: Nakagami) – based in Urasoe

The SHUNTEN Dynasty

Beginning of the Gusuku Period – 1187

(Maybe as early as 1050 - see 1187)

Before 1406, although referred to by some as kings there is no written historical evidence that they were anyone or anything more than powerful anji/aji, or territorial lords. The power centers came to be known as the three principalities: Chūzan (Central), Nanzan/San’nan (Southern) & Hokuzan/Sanboku (Northern)

1872-1879 it was Ryukyu han (fiefdom) - no longer a kingdom.

From 1879 on it has been Okinawa ken (Japanese Prefecture)

Successive rulers of Nanzan – Ozato Dynasty

Successive rulers of Hokuzan Dynasty

(Northern Mountain principality)

Sometimes spelled Haniji. Little is known about Haneji’s

history or reign. He organized chieftains in the north after

Tamagusuku declared himself chieftain of all of Okinawa.

His descendents included Shō Shōken, aka Haneji Wōji Chōchū.

Very little is recorded in history about Min.

In the book The Promise to Hokuzan he is

referred to only as Crown Prince Min IV.

Third and last chief of Hokuzan. Sent missions to Korea announcing his

succession and to China seeking investiture and recognition as the ruler

of all of Okinawa. Of the three, he was the

most active ruler in diplomacy

and trade with China, sending 14 missions in his 15-year reign. In 1416,

one of his retainers, Gosamaru, defected to

Chūzan whereupon Shō Hashi

invaded and defeated Hananchi’s army at

Nago Castle. Hananchi himself

was defeated at his home castle at Nakijin

when one of his retainers, Motobu

Taihara, betrayed him and opened the gates

allowing Hashi’s forces to come in.

Defeated, Hananchi committed seppuku.

Pre-historic

◆ The earliest human inhabitants of what is known today as Okinawa were Yamashita Cavemen (ca. 32,000 years ago) with the discovery of what was reported by the Okinawa Board of Education in the year 2000, as an 8-year old female (determined via carbon dating) and Minatogawa Man (ca. 18,000 years ago). Okinawa clearly passed through an Old Stone Age. Human remains shed important light on the origins of the Japanese people. (54)

◆ During the last Ice Age, which ended approximately 15,000 years ago, Japan was connected to the continent through several land bridges, notably one linking the Ryukyu Islands to Taiwan to the south and to Kyushu to the north, one linking Kyushu to the Korean peninsula, and another one connecting Hokkaido to Sakhalin and the Siberian mainland. In fact, the Philippines and Indonesia were also connected to the Asian mainland. This allowed migrations from China and Austronesia towards Japan, about 35,000 years ago. These were the ancestors of the modern Ryukyuans (Okinawans), and the first inhabitants of all of Japan. The Ainu came from Siberia and settled in Hokkaido and Honshu some 15,000 years ago, just before the water levels started rising again. Nowadays the Ryukyuans, the Ainus and the Japanese are considered three ethnically separate groups. (173)

◆ Okinawa’s Jomon (initial Shell midden) period began about 7,000 years ago. For a long period, Okinawa remained within the Jomon cultural sphere but gradually formed its own distinctive cultural identity. Jomon signifies the cord-marked pattern style of pottery of the period. (54)(154)

◆ There is evidence that Yayoi (Yayoi-Heian; late Shell midden) culture was introduced into Okinawa from mainland Japan, but its impact was not decisive. No traces have yet been found of any influences of Japan’s Kofun (burial mound) period, which follows the Yayoi in Japanese history. (54)(154)

600 B. C.

◆ Japan’s first Emperor, Jimmu Tenno, issued an Imperial Rescript, a translation of which reads, "We shall found the Empire and cover the whole of that which is under the Heavens." Japan pursued that for over 2,500 years culminating in its near demise shortly following its attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 with ultimately devastating consequences for Okinawa. (11)

403-221 B.C.

◆ The oldest archaeological finds of Chinese origin found in Amami and the Ryukyus consist, among other items, of Warring States Period (403-221 BC) coins, known as meitousen (Ming knives), from the Kingdom of Yan (before 222 BC); Han dynasty (206 B.C. – 220) bronze arrowheads; goshu-sen coins, widely used in China from the Han until the Sui dynasty (581-619); and old coins of the Tang dynasty inaugural currency. (93)

216 B.C.

◆ Chinese emperor Ch’in Shih Huang Ti dispatched 3,000 young men and women in search of the Land of the Happy Immortals, and to find the secret for transforming base metals into gold. The ships that conveyed them on their quest never returned and it was speculated that they had perhaps established themselves either in Japan or in the Ryukyu Islands. (4) Another possibility is, of course, something as simple as having been lost at sea.

7th Century

◆ Early Chinese and Japanese texts do indicate some knowledge of the island groups extending from the modern Taiwan to the Kyushu coast. The 7th Century Chinese text Sui shu (History of the Sui dynasty) records the toponym Ryukyu, and this has been the name by which Chinese have known the islands since. The Japanese Shoku-Nihongi mentions missions from Tane, Yaku, Amami and Tokuno to the Japanese court in 699. (ARI Working Paper No. 93 Asia Research Institute, Singapore)

605 A.D.

◆ The first known recorded reference to the Ryukyu Kingdom was when the kingdom was invaded by China. There is mention of an "island country located in the East China Sea which can be reached by sailing for five days" in the official history of the era the Sui Shu (compiled between Common Era 636-656) (1)(ryukyu-okinawa.net)

608*

◆ Chinese Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty sent Zhu Kuan on an expedition to Liu Chiu (Okinawa) in search of the Land of the Happy Immortals. The intent of the Chinese was to demand that the Okinawans acknowledge subjugation to the Chinese Emperor. None of the Chinese, however, were able to understand the Liu Chiu native tongue and, of course, no Liu Chiuan could understand Chinese. Despite the failure of the Chinese to accomplish their mission – or perhaps because of it – a battle ensued, and the invaders withdrew taking back to the Chinese mainland about 1,000 captive Okinawans. The following year Zhu Kuan returned to Liu Chiu but only to return armor that had been worn by those who were previously taken captive. (1)(11)(93)(98)

*references (93, 98) says that Kuan’s expedition occurred a year earlier, in 607. Reference (98) further defines it as the third year of Ta Yeh of the Sui Dynasty.

616

◆ Nihon Shōki, the historical records of Japan, records the arrival of 30 people from Yaku at the Yamato court in this year. During this period the court of Yamato received many visitors from Nanto (islands south of Kyushu). However, the Yamato nation did not hold sway over the Nanto area which included what is now Okinawa. (54)

636

◆ Sui Shu ("Account of the Liuqiu Kingdom" in the Book of Sui), records of the Sui Dynasty compiled in China during the Tang dynasty, feature the first recorded appearance of the name Ryukyu. However, it is not clear whether the name referred to Okinawa or to Taiwan. (54)(93)

698

◆ A Japanese expedition ventured south into the Ryukyu Islands with its mission, in the name of Emperor Mommu, to lay claim to the southern islands. The mission landed on the northern Ryukyu Islands of Tanegashima, Yaku, Amami, and Tokuno but never made it as far south as the main island of Okinawa. Shortly after that, some representatives of those northern islands paid a visit to Japan and brought with them some gifts that were presented at the Grand Shrine at Ise. The Japanese officials misconstrued the purpose of the visit and the gifts, thinking that it was a tribute mission. As such the Japanese considered the northern Ryukyuans to be acknowledging imperial Japanese authority. (3)(11)

743

◆ A Japanese expedition landed on the main Ryukyu island of Okinawa. (3)

753

◆ Kibi no Makibi, the Japanese ambassador to the Tang, visited Okinawa in 753. It thus appears that the main island of Okinawa was a major stopping place for maritime intercourse between what are today the Japanese islands and China from at least the 8th Century. (ARI Working Paper No. 93 Asia Research Institute, Singapore)

◆ The first known recorded use of the name "uchinawa" relating to present-day Okinawa appeared in a Japanese report in the year 753. The report concerned a shipwreck and a Japanese mission to Tang China. The ship had been dispatched to China from Nara during the reign of Empress Koken. The ship was carrying Fujiwara no Kiyokawa and Abe no Nakamaro, both of whom became Tang officials and never returned to Japan. (4)(57)

853

◆ A Japanese priest-scholar named Chisho, on a mission from Japan to China, was temporarily stranded upon the shores of a southern island, thought to be present day Okinawa. Upon his return he reported having encountered cannibals. Okinawans do not accept that account and there is nothing in existing documents to support such a claim. It is possible that Chisho did indeed make landfall in Ryukyu and while there observe and misinterpret the Ryukyuan tradition of cleaning the bones of their deceased in liquor during a time of the surviving family’s ceremonial feasting near the family tomb. It may also be that Chisho’s sojourn on Okinawa occurred during a time of famine thereby inspiring or reinforcing his erroneous assessment of cannibalism. (4)

11th Century

◆ Potters on Tokunoshima produced kamuiyaki, a gray stoneware, during the eleventh century. Pottery pieces such as those pre-dated the beginning of the Gusuku Period and have been excavated from gusuku sites as well as villages throughout the islands marking their endurance, wide distribution and usage. Despite production of kamuiyaki coming from so remote a site as Tokunoshima it is clear that the potters found their way into the inter-islands trade market. In June 1983, two kiln sites were discovered in the southern part of Tokunoshima. Those two were at Isen Cho. Seven more were found in 1985 and five more in 1986 and 1990. By 2005 over 100 kiln sites had been located on that single remote island. The kilns are subterranean, dug into the slope of a bank to a depth of from 0.8 to 2 meters with an average height of 1 meter and a floor which slopes 30 to 40 degrees upward from the mouth. The most common vessel form at the kiln site and in consumption sites is a small mouthed, short necked, jar with bulging sides (tsubo). There are also bowls (wan), wide mouth jars (hachi), grating bowls (suribachi), long necked and short necked tsubo, spouted pouring vessels (kiusu), and cups. (168)

12th Century

◆ The period of origin of the vast Shimazu estates in Satsuma (in present day Kyushu. Kyūshū means Nine Provinces).

Overview of the Shimazu Family:

A powerful warrior clan that controlled the southern tip of the Japanese island of Kyushu from the 12th to the 19th centuries. Ensconced in their isolated stronghold on the southern frontier of Japan, the Shimazu were the only feudal family to play a leading role in Japanese history in both medieval and modern times. During the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603–1867), the family’s Satsuma fief was the third largest in the country. Then, in the Meiji Restoration, Shimazu warriors, together with warriors loyal to the Mōri family in Chōshū, overthrew the Tokugawa in 1867 and established the new Imperial government. Men from the Satsuma fief continued to dominate the Japanese government until the close of World War I, and the Japanese navy long afterward.

The Shimazu family was founded in the late 12th Century by Shimazu Tadahisa (1179–1227). Being one of Shimazu Yoritomo’s many illegitimate sons, Tadahisa had been adopted into the Koremune family and in time received appointment as High Constable (Shugo) of Satsuma (southern Kyushu). Proceeding to his territories in 1196, Tadahise enlarged them by bringing Osumi district and part of Hyuga under his control. He built a castle in Satsuma and adopted the place name for his domain. The clan prospered by taking advantage of trade with Korea and the Ryukyu Islands. By the 16th Century the Shimazu had become the major power in southwestern Japan, and they controlled most of the island of Kyushu.

The Shimazu family was ultimately defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–98) in 1587 in his efforts to reunify Japan. Hideyoshi allowed the Shimazu clan to keep the southern part of their domain, and thereafter they became one of his staunchest allies. In 1600, however, the Shimazu clan joined the other great lords of western Japan in a futile effort to avoid the hegemony of Hideyoshi’s successor, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616). After the fighting ended, the Shimazu made peace with Tokugawa and were permitted to keep their relatively inaccessible domain.

In 1609 the Shimazu House conquered the Ryukyu Islands and forced that territory to pay tribute to Satsuma. China had declined to conduct trade with Japan but that policy failed to exclude Japan from sharing in such matters of trade. Since the Ryukyu islanders continued their traditional tributary trade with China, Satsuma had indirect access to Chinese luxury products. Although over the next 20 years the Tokugawa House gradually imposed restrictions that closed Japan to almost all trade and intercourse with foreign countries, the Shimazu were able to continue their trade with the Ryukyu Islands, and through them, China. The Shimazu also continued aloof from the Tokugawa and nurtured a hatred for the Tokugawa House among their warriors. After Satsuma led the movement that overthrew the Tokugawa in 1867, the fief of Satsuma was dissolved and made into the Kagoshima prefecture of the new central government, which gave the head of the Shimazu clan the hereditary rank of prince. (4)(Britannica.com)

1165

◆ Minamoto Tametomo (1139 – Apr 23, 1170), the legendary Japanese samurai warrior, and traditional link between Japan and Okinawa, banished from Japan by the Taira clan*, arrived at a small cove opposite Yagaji Island, Unten, on the Motobu Peninsula thus establishing a regular relationship between the Ryukyus and Japan. The Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education, in 2013, indicated that Minamoto had been exiled from Japan and subsequently attempted to escape from exile. He was "washed away with the fate of heaven" and hence the Unten Port on Motobu was so named Untenko, (fate of heaven harbor). Some writers have said this to be a legend, others an historical fact. Ryukyu legend credits Tametomo with amazing feats of strength and miracles of archery. Takamine, a Ryukyuan lord of a manor standing close to what is now Makiminato, received Tametomo as a guest into his home. Tametomo soon married the daughter of his host and their union quickly begot a son, Shunten, in 1187. Soon thereafter the opportunity arose for Tametomo to leave his exile in the Ryukyu Islands and to return to Japan. He did so, leaving behind his bride and his son. His wife waited daily, in vain, on the shores of Makiminato, or Machi-minato (Waiting Harbor), and it is said by some that her vigil was the inspiration for the story of a later century called Madame Butterfly. Because Minamoto had sired Shunten, who rose to the throne of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Japan thus considered itself to be the origin of the royal house of the Shunten Dynasty. Believing itself to be dominant, Japan over the course of some 450 years made several incursions into the Ryukyus.

* the Taira clan was formed by the 9th grandson of Japan’s Emperor Kammu during the 9th Century. The Taira family developed grand estates in northern Kyushu and alliances throughout Japan. The Minamoto family derived from the 10th Century Emperor Seiwa. During the 12th Century the Taira family clashed with the Minamoto family which was another land-rich, powerful and influential family in southern Kyushu. Both families claimed their descent from the imperial house.

NOTE: Although some say that the story of Minamoto and his abandoned wife and son are derived from Ryukyuan legend it is around this point in history where legendary accounts begin to merge with documented histories found in writings from China, Japan and Korea. (3)(4)(11)(16)

1180

◆ The first recorded instance of Japanese seppuku was carried out by Minamoto Tametomo. He had abandoned his wife and son in Ryukyu to return to the fighting in Japan. On his way to Oshima he and his comrades entered Sagami Bay and were set upon by the armed forces of the Vice-governor of Izu. Knowing that he was trapped and that his destruction was imminent he chose to end his own life with a ceremonial flourish and thereby setting the precedent of seppuku – better to take one’s own life than to be taken by an adversary. (4)(samurai-archives)

1186

◆ Whether factual or mythical, there exists the account of a man by the name of Riyu who took control of Okinawa during a tumultuous time of wide-spread civil unrest as anji (alt: aji) (feudal lord or petty chieftain) were in revolt against the overlord. Riyu, one of that overlord’s retainers, assassinated the 24th overlord of the Tenson Dynasty. Riyu then fancied himself the paramount chief but his reign was quite brief. By devious means he had made himself the 25th and final leader of the Tenson dynasty. Shunten, the son of Minamoto Tametomo, and Lord of Urasoe overthrew Riyu in 1187 and thus began the Shunten Dynasty. (4)

◆ Meanwhile, in Japan, also in 1186, the powerful Taira Clan organization was soundly defeated by Tametomo’s nephew Minamoto Yuritomo. The government administrative center was relocated from Kyoto to Kamakura. A number of Taira adherents fled, many to the south. It is widely believed that they made their way at least as far as Okinawa main island. To this day we find that Taira is a common family name on Okinawa. And, by the way, the later Tokugawa shoguns were of Minamoto stock. (4)

1187

◆ 1187 marks the end of the Tensonshi dynasty (which is said to have lasted some 17,802 years). (See 1186). Thereafter, Okinawa was supposedly divided into three magiri (districts), Kunchan to the north, Nakagami in the central portion, and Shimajiri in the south. Okinawans regard the time prior to 1187, beginning with the creation of Kudaka, as an Elysian era. The years between 1187 and 1429 are the Gusuku Period, named after the Japanese word for Ryukyuan castles or fortifications. Smits writes in his revisionist history that the Gusuku Period began as early as around 1050 when power centers began to spring up throughout the islands.

Castle is a word that is commonly used in the interpretation of the word gusuku. Whereas the word castle may conjure visions of large European stone edifices, in terms of Okinawan gusuku it will be more fitting to consider it as a fortification, for there were no majestic castles in the Ryukyus. Indeed, there were sizable and magnificent structures in which the overlords resided – Shuri-jo being a prime example. Since no other of such high residences any longer exist, we can only imagine their grandeur. (3)(11)(155)

◆ Shunten, born to Minamoto Tametomo and the daughter of an Okinawan noble, assumed the title of King of Chūzan at Urasoe Castle. In this era, local chieftains known as anji (alt: aji) appeared throughout Okinawa, fighting each other from their gusuku strongholds. Shunten is said to have brought peace to quarreling factions and the reign of the Shunten Dynasty lasted until 1260 when King Gihon, Shunten’s grandson, could no longer deal with the trials and tribulations of widespread disease, and abdicated the throne. (see 1260) (3)(54)

◆ Shimazu Tadahisa, founder of the Shimazu House (clan) was appointed by Minamoto Yoritomo, who was Japan’s first Shogun, as shugo (constable) of the three provinces of Satsuma, Osumi, and Hyuga and as jito (steward) of the twelve islands as the Okinawa archipelago was called. One theory holds that his appointment as jito marks the beginning of Satsuma’s authority over the island country of Ryukyu. (37)

1188

◆ Zabilka wrote that Shuri-jo (Shuri Castle) was built in 1188. Most authoritative works confess that the date of the castle’s original construction is unknown but later than 1188, and probably after 1238. (139)

1190-1196

◆ Yoritomo (May 9, 1147 – Feb 9, 1199), nephew of Tametomo (see 1165), overthrew the Taira clan thus establishing himself as Superintendent of the Sixty-six Provinces, and then in 1192 as Sei-i Tai Shogun (barbarian subduing generalissimo). Yoritomo’s illegitimate son, Tadahisa, having been adopted into the Koremune family, eventually rose to the office of shugo (high constable) in southern -Kyushu. Soon thereafter he expanded his realm to include Satsuma, the Osumi district and part of Hyuga. He built a castle at Satsuma and claimed for himself that part of Kyushu and the Southern Islands. There is disagreement among historians regarding just how far into the southern islands his control reached. (Kerr wrote that his governance included "a few scattered nearby [islands] in offshore waters that included Tanegashima.) Over the ensuing several hundred years, as the title was renewed and reinterpreted, the realm came to include all of the southern islands," including Okinawa, as far perhaps as Yonaguni which lies far to the southwest between Yaeyama and Taiwan. Aware of what was happening around themselves and wishing to secure their own position against growing influence from mainland Japan, the leadership of Okinawa set about consolidation of the several individual anji (petty chieftains) throughout the Ryukyus into a single central authority at Urasoe. (4)(16)

1200s

◆ Buddhism was introduced to Ryukyu, at Urasoe, in the 13th Century. Gokuraku-ji was the temple built near Urasoe castle. Gokuraku is Japanese for paradise. It was renamed Ryūfuku-ji in the late 1400s. (see 1265) (140)(samurai-archives)

1237

◆ Shunten died. His son, Shumba-Junki became king and reigned for 11 years. It was during his reign that Shuri Castle was constructed, the art of writing was introduced, and the first 47 kana symbols were adopted in Ryukyu. (4)

NOTE: It is not clear when the castle was built. Most sources that I’ve read place its construction during the reign of Satto (aka Chadu), king of Ryukyu (r. 1355-1395), some as early as 1237 (Zabilka says 1188. That would have been when Shunten reigned though.), but all agree that it was unmistakably the primary royal palace by 1427, during the reign of Shō Hashi. (Samurai-Archives)(139)

1260

◆ From Urasoe Castle, Eiso assumed the crown, King of the Ryukyus, establishing the Eiso dynasty. He built Gokuraku-ji in 1265, a Buddhist temple, and sought to consolidate his rule in a variety of ways. His