The Legacy of the Ryukyu Kingdom

Before Okinawa, the unified and independent Ryukyu Kingdom existed for four hundred years—from the fifteenth century until the kingdom’s annexation by the Meiji government in 1879. What was this island nation like and what kind of world did it exist in? With maritime trade from China and Korea connecting Malacca and Siam at the heart of the kingdom’s golden age, this book centers on the ancient Ryukyu period. Passionate historian and Okinawa native, Takara Kurayoshi plumbs the depths of Okinawa’s distant and obscure past to piece together a comprehensive image of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The Legacy of the Ryukyu Kingdom is an ambitious work that raises penetrating questions with profound implications for contemporary concerns.

TAKARA Kurayoshi
Takara Kurayoshi is professor emeritus at the University of the Ryukyus. He received his BA in Ryukyuan history from Aichi University of Education and his PhD from Kyushu University. He has been a specialist at the Okinawa Historical Materials Editorial Office, director of Urasoe City Library, chief examiner at Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum, and executive director of The Okinawa History Research Society. A native of Okinawa, he was born on Izena Island in 1947 and raised on the island of Minamidaitōjima. He has written and contributed to many works on Ryukyu, including Ryūkyū Ōkoku no kōzō [The Structure of the Ryukyu Kingdom] (Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 1987); Ajia no naka no Ryūkyū Ōkoku [The Ryukyu Kingdom in Asia] (Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 1998); Ryūkyū Ōkokushi no tankyū [Quest for the Ryukyu Kingdom’s History] (Gajumaru Shorin, 2011); and Ryūkyū no jidai [The Age of Ryukyu] (Chikuma Shobō, 2012).

*information as of time of publication

JIIA series
History

Publisher:
Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture

Hardcover
¥4,400 + tax
ISBN 9784866582580
210 mm x 148 mm / 190 pp. / March 2025

eBook
ISBN 9784866582597 (ePub)
ISBN 9784866582603 (PDF)

CONTENTS
Foreword
Preface to the English Edition
Introduction
Chapter I: Discovering the Kingdom
1. The Pioneer of Okinawan Studies / 2. Kawakami Hajime’s Careless Words / 3. The Origin of Uniqueness
Chapter II: Ancient Ryukyu
1. The Period of Transformation Begins / 2. The Road to the Kingdom / 3. The Era of King Shō Shin: Establishment of the Kingdom / 4. Toward an Era of Change
Chapter III: Ryukyu in Asia
1. The Theater of Engagement / 2. Characteristics of Overseas Trade / 3. In Search of Possible Ryukyuan History
Chapter IV: The Kingdom of Writs
1. Rediscovery / 2. What Is Reflected? / 3. What the Document Format Reveals
Chapter V: The Organization of the Kingdom
1. Various Officials / 2. What Were Hiki? / 3. The Military Defense Structure and the Kōri-Hiki System
Conclusion
1. What Ancient Ryukyu Represents / 2. For the Sake of Restoration
Postscript
Historical Timeline for Ryukyu/Okinawa
Key References
About the Author and Translator