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Gusuku Sites And Related Properties Of The Kingdom Of Ryukyu
The is an UNESCO World Heritage Site which consists of nine sites all located in the Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The heritage sites include two ''utaki'' (or sacred sites, one a gate and the other a grove), the Tamaudun mausoleum, one garden, and five ''gusuku'' castles sites, four of which are ruins and one of which is a reconstruction. The sites were inscribed based on the criteria that they were a fine representation of the Ryūkyū Kingdom's culture, whose unique blend of Japanese and Chinese influence made it a crucial economic and cultural junction between several neighboring states. History The construction of ''gusuku'' began throughout the Ryukyu Islands during the Gusuku Period (1187-1314) with the rise of chieftains and feudal lords called '' Aji'' at the approach of the 12th century. During this period, people who had been living in coastlines along low-lying areas had moved to higher ground to build villages inland. Agriculture, such as paddy rice, wheat and millet, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shuri Castle
was a Ryukyuan ''gusuku'' castle in Shuri, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Between 1429 and 1879, it was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, before becoming largely neglected. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed. After the war, the castle was re-purposed as a university campus. Beginning in 1992, the central citadel and walls were largely reconstructed on the original site based on historical records, photographs, and memory. In 2000, Shuri Castle was designated as a World Heritage Site, as a part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. On the morning of 31 October 2019, the main courtyard structures of the castle were again destroyed in a fire. History The date of construction is uncertain, but it was clearly in use as a castle during the Sanzan period (1322–1429). It is thought that it was probably built during the Gusuku period, like many other castles of Okinawa. When King Shō Hashi unified the three princ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanzan Period
The is a period in the history of the Okinawa Islands when three lines of kings, namely , and , are said to have co-existed on Okinawa Island. It is said to have started during King Tamagusuku's reign (traditional dates: 1314–1336) 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. Contemporary sources Okinawa does not have their own contemporary records of the Sanzan period. Contemporary sources are limited to Chinese and, to a far lesser extent, Korean diplomatic records. They are in a fragmentary fashion and probably overshadowed by diplomatic fictions. Since the Chinese sources simply record local rulers who contacted China, they do not rule out the possibility that some other local rulers co-existed without establishing diplomatic contacts. For this reason, Okinawa's real ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nakagusuku Castle
is a ''gusuku'' in the village of Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa, Japan. It is one of a number of castles built on the island of Okinawa by the Ryukyu Kingdom now in ruins. The legendary Ryukyuan commander, Gosamaru, built the fortress in the early 15th century to defend against attacks from the east by Lord Amawari of Katsuren Castle. Amawari attacked the castle in 1458 and defeated Gosamaru shortly before his own castle was attacked by Uni-Ufugusuku. The castle was visited by Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853, who noted that the walls seemed to be designed to absorb cannon fire. The six courtyards of this fortress with stacked stone walls make it a prime example of a gusuku. It was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2000. It is regarded as one of the 100 most famous castles in Japan. Less than away from the castle is the Nakagusuku Hotel ruins The , also known as the Royal Hotel or , is an abandoned, unfinished hotel in Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa. It sits no more ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sakishima Islands
The (or 先島群島, ''Sakishima-guntō'') ( Okinawan: ''Sachishima'', Miyako: ''Saksїzїma'', Yaeyama: ''Sakїzїma'', Yonaguni: ''Satichima'') are an archipelago located at the southernmost end of the Japanese Archipelago. They are part of the Ryukyu Islands and include the Miyako Islands and the Yaeyama Islands. The islands are administered as part of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Inhabited islands Sakishima Islands *Miyako Islands (former Miyako Subprefecture) ** Miyakojima City ***Ikema Island (''Ikema-jima'') *** Irabu Island (''Irabu-jima'') ***Kurima Island (''Kurima-jima'') ***Miyako Island (''Miyako-jima'') ***Ōgami Island (''Ōgami-jima'') ***Shimoji Island (''Shimoji-shima'') ** Tarama Village ***Tarama Island (''Tarama-jima'') *** Minna Island (''Minna-jima'') *Yaeyama Islands (former Yaeyama Subprefecture) ** Ishigaki City ***Ishigaki Island (''Ishigaki-jima'') ** Taketomi Town *** Aragusuku Island (''Aragusuku-jima'') *** Hateruma Island (''Hateruma-jima' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ryukyu Kingdom
The Ryukyu Kingdom, Middle Chinese: , , Classical Chinese: (), Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'', ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo'', Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou'', Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe'' 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 i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shō Hashi
was the last King of Chūzan and the first king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, uniting the three polities of Chūzan, Hokuzan, and Nanzan by conquest and ending the Sanzan period. Family * Father: Shishō * mother: daughter of Miiko * Wife: sister of Inami Ryoji * Children: ** Hirata Sashiki ** Shō Chū ** Sho Nankijin ** Seiji Yasuji ** Sho Kinpuku ** Sho Furi ** Sho Taikyu ** Maeda Ajinosuke Biography As lord (''aji'') of Sashiki Magiri, he was seen as an able, well-liked administrator within his own lands who rose in prominence at the opening of the 15th century. He led a small rebellion against the lord of Azato district in 1402, however some historians believe it was against the neighboring Ōzato Castle. Hashi then went on to overthrow chief Bunei of Chūzan in 1404 and placed his father Shō Shishō on the throne. Even with his father as chief, however, Hashi held true political power, and organized envoys to Nanking, to assure China, to which the Ryūkyū polities wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ming China
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, the majority ethnic group in China. Although the primary capital of Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng (who established the short-lived Shun dynasty), numerous rump regimes ruled by remnants of the Ming imperial family—collectively called the Southern Ming—survived until 1662. The Ming dynasty's founder, the Hongwu Emperor (r. 1368–1398), attempted to create a society of self-sufficient rural communities ordered in a rigid, immobile system that would guarantee and support a permanent class of soldiers for his dynasty: the empire's standing army exceeded one million troops and the navy's dockyards in Nanjing were the largest in the world. He also took great care breaking the power of the court eunuchs and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Okinawa Islands
The Okinawa Islands ( or ) are an island group in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and are the principal island group of the prefecture. The Okinawa Islands are part of the larger Ryukyu Islands group and are located between the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture to the northeast and the Sakishima Islands of Okinawa Prefecture to the southwest. The Okinawa Islands, apart from the main island, contain three smaller island groups: the Kerama, Yokatsu and Iheya-Izena island groups. The Okinawa Islands are the political, cultural and population center of Okinawa Prefecture. The prefectural capital of Naha is within the island group. 90% of the population of the prefecture reside within the Okinawa Islands, primarily on the largest island of the group, Okinawa Island. Access to the various Okinawa Islands is primarily via small airports which connect to Naha Airport. Additionally, the islands are connected via ferry service to the Port of Naha in the prefectural capital. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nanzan Castle
, officially , is a Ryūkyūan gusuku and was the largest in, and capital of, Nanzan until 1429. It is in ruins, and is located in Itoman. History Nanzan Castle was built in the early 14th century, and became capital of Nanzan in 1314 when the Lord of Ōzato, Ōzato Ofusato, broke away from the chieftain Tamagusuku at Urasoe Castle. It sat on a hill near the fishing town of Itoman and the farming village of Ōzato. There was a small inlet at the bottom of the hill that allowed merchant ships to trade directly with the castle.Kerr, George H. ''Okinawa, The History of an Island People'', Second Printing, Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, 1959, p. 60 The strategic location of the castle allowed Nanzan to compete with Chūzan and outlive Hokuzan , also known as before the 18th century, located in the north of Okinawa Island, was one of three independent political entities which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century during Sanzan period. The political entity was identified a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nanzan
Nanzan (), also known as Sannan (山南) before the 18th century, located in the south of Okinawa Island, was one of three independent political entities which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century. The political entity was identified as a tiny country, a kingdom, or a principality by modern historians, however the ruler of Nanzan was in fact not "kings" at all, but petty lords with their own retainers owing their direct service, and their own estates. Okinawa, previously controlled by a number of local chieftains or lords, loosely bound by a paramount chieftain or king of the entire island, split into these three more solidly defined kingdoms within a few years after 1314; the Sanzan period thus began, and would end roughly one hundred years later, when Chūzan's King Shō HashiTechnically, Hashi's father Shō Shishō was king of Chūzan in 1419, and neither was called "Shō" until that name was granted them by the Ming court in 1421. conquered Hokuzan in 1419 and Nanzan in 142 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Urasoe Castle
is a Ryukyuan ''gusuku'' which served as the capital of the medieval Okinawan principality of Chūzan prior to the unification of the island into the Ryukyu Kingdom, and the moving of the capital to Shuri. In the 14th century, Urasoe was the largest castle on the island, but today only ruins remain. Description The castle ruins lie behind the modern city of Urasoe, on the northern edge of Naha, today the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. It sits roughly 130-140m above sea level, and consists of two sections, arranged for the most part along a northwest–southeast axis. The ''Kogusuku'' (old castle) and ''Migusuku'' together cover an area roughly 380m long by 60-70m wide, the ''kogusuku'' being on a slightly higher rise to the east of the ''migusuku''. A series of interconnected enclosures cross the site from east–west. As much of the site has been extensively damaged, both historically and more recently, the overall size, layout and structure of the castle is difficult to asc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chūzan
was one of three kingdoms which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century. Okinawa, previously controlled by a number of local chieftains or lords, loosely bound by a paramount chieftain or king of the entire island, split into these three more solidly defined kingdoms within a few years after 1314; the Sanzan period thus began, and would end roughly one hundred years later, when Chūzan's King Shō Hashi conquered Hokuzan in 1419 and Nanzan in 1429. The united Okinawan state was called the Ryūkyū Kingdom, but would continue to be referred to as "Chūzan" in various official documents of the Ryukyuan royal government, and those of many other states in the region. History Tamagusuku succeeded his father Eiji as kingEiji is also identified as head chieftain of Okinawa of Okinawa at the age of nineteen, in 1314. However, he lacked the charisma or leadership abilities to command the respect and loyalty of the various territorial lords (''aji''), and many rebelled soon afterwards. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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