Ryukyu Kingdom

The Ryukyu Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 14th century to the 19th century. The Kings of Ryukyu unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Yaeyama Islands near Taiwan.

Japanese invasion (1609)

In 1609, the kingdom fell to a Japanese expeditionary force from Kagoshima. The Shuri castle and national treasury in Naha were robbed, King Sho Nei was took as prisoner to Kagoshima. Also he was released after two years, Ryukyu was forced to recognize Satsuma overlordship after then, with the cession of Amami Islands.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As Ming China prohibited trade with Japanese, the Lord of Satsuma fief utilized the kingdom as a puppet state for profitable trade with China. The King of Ryukyu also sent diplomatic missions to Edo, capital of feudal Japan.

Related Topics:
Satsuma - China - Edo - Japan

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After the Meiji Restoration, the modern Japanese government abolished the kingdom and established the prefecture of Okinawa in 1879. King Sho Tai was exiled to Tokyo, and died there in 1901. Qing China made some diplomatic protests to the Japanese government in vain.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~