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Shunten
, also known as , was a legendary ruler of Okinawa Island. Shunten is the earliest chief in Okinawa for whom a name is known. He is said to have taken power after defeating an usurper to the throne by the name of Riyū who had overthrown the 25th king of the Tenson dynasty. Origin The ''Chūzan Seikan'' (1650), the first official history of the Ryūkyūan Kingdom, and ''Chūzan Seifu'' (1701) state that Shunten was the son of ''samurai'' Minamoto no Tametomo (1139–1170). Tametomo was exiled to a penal colony on Izu Ōshima following his defeat in the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156. According to the story, Tametomo then became lost at sea some time later, arrived on Okinawa, and settled down with the sister/daughter of the '' anji'', or local chieftain, of Ōzato. Ōzato is located at the south of Okinawa Island in the present-day city of Nanjō. Shunten, according to the two histories, was the son of Tametomo and the sister/daughter of the Ōzato ''anji''. However, these works w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genealogy Of The Kings Of Chūzan
, also known as King of Lew Chew, , or more officially , was a title held by several lineages from Okinawa Island until 1879. It effectively started in 1372 when Satto greeted a Chinese envoy from the newly established Ming dynasty although his son Bunei was the first to be officially recognized as the King of Chūzan. However, the official Okinawan narrative traces the line of succession further back to the legendary ruler Shunten, who supposedly ascended to the throne in 1187. Another peculiar feature of the official Okinawan narrative is the notion of the single line of succession, instead of Chinese-style dynastic changes, even though they clearly recognized that several unrelated lineages had taken over the position. Early forms of the narrative The earliest known form of the narrative dates to the reign of King Shō Shin of the Second Shō dynasty. A stone monument dated 1522 makes reference to "three dynasties of Shunten's, Eiso's and Satto's". His son King Shō Sei exp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shunbajunki
was a legendary local ruler of Okinawa Island. Shunbajunki was the second ruler of the Shunten dynasty. He succeeded his father Shunten in 1237.Kerr, Shunbajunki's reign is noted for the construction of Shuri Castle and the introduction of the Japanese ''kana'' writing system. The Chinese language and writing system was not to be introduced until roughly a century later; even after that time, government documents continued to be written in ''kana'', as did much poetry. Shunbajunki died in 1248, and was succeeded by his son Gihon Gihon is the name of the second river mentioned in the second chapter of the biblical Book of Genesis. The Gihon is mentioned as one of four rivers (along with the Tigris, Euphrates, and Pishon) issuing out of the Garden of Eden that branched fr .... Notes References * Kerr, George H. (1965). ''Okinawa, the History of an Island People.'' Rutland, Vermont: C.E. Tuttle CoOCLC 39242121*Shinzato, Keiji, et al. ''Okinawa-ken no rekishi'' (History o ... [...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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tenson Dynasty
The was the first dynasty in the traditional historiography of the Ryukyu Islands. According to the Ryukyuan creation myth, the Heavenly Emperor (天帝), who lived in the Heavenly ''Gusuku'' (天城), ordered Amamikyu to create the Ryukyu Islands. Without sexual intercourse, she became pregnant by a male deity, Shinerikyu, and populated the islands. Generations of mankind lived in caves and fields. At last there emerged a , who had three sons and two daughters:Kerr. p36. the first son became the first king, the second son became the first lord (''Aji''), the third son became the commoners; both daughters became the priestesses, the elder daughter became the first '' kikoe-ōgimi'', while the younger became the first '' noro''.Glacken, Clarence. ''The Great Loochoo''. University of California Press, 1955. Pp 29-30. The ''Chūzan Seikan'' claimed that the Tenson dynasty had twenty-five kings and ruled for seventeen thousand years. The last king was assassinated and usurped by a powe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naminoue Shrine
is a Shinto shrine in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, the ''ichinomiya'' (primary shrine) of the prefecture. It sits atop a high bluff, overlooking Naminoue Beach and the ocean. Originally a sacred space of the native Ryukyuan religion, due to its location and natural beauty, it was dedicated to '' nirai kanai'', the mythical source of all life, and to the sea. At some point it came to be known as ''Hana gusuku'' and ''Nanminsan''; ''Nanmin'' is the Okinawan reading of 波上, meaning "above the waves", which is pronounced as Naminoue in standard Japanese. In 1890, it was recognized in the system of State Shinto. It is among the ranked, nationally significant shrines or . History According to legend, it was founded after a fisherman, who had come to that spot to fish everyday, caught a mysterious stone. He began to pray to it, and began to receive better hauls in his fishing; the stone glowed, and the man treasured it. However, the gods (''kami'') stole the stone, and t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Urasoe
is a city located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The neighboring municipalities are Naha to the south, Ginowan to the north, and Nishihara to the east. As of November 2012, the city has an estimated population of 113,718 and a population density of 5,956.9 persons per km2. The total area is 19.09 km2. United States Marine Corps base Camp Kinser is located on the city's coast. Etymology The name "Urasoe" is made up of two kanji characters. The first, , means "a coastal area", and the second, , means "ruling" or "uniting". The name is a reference to "ruling over many areas". Geography Urasoe sits to the south of Okinawa Island. Urasoe is rugged and hilly to the east, and the city slopes gently to the East China Sea in the west. Urasoe, while formerly agricultural, has become heavily urbanized due to its proximity to the prefectural capital of Naha. Neighboring municipalities *Naha *Ginowan * Nishihara Transportation The city is served by Naha Airport and the Okinawa Expr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Urasoe, Okinawa
is a city located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The neighboring municipalities are Naha to the south, Ginowan to the north, and Nishihara to the east. As of November 2012, the city has an estimated population of 113,718 and a population density of 5,956.9 persons per km2. The total area is 19.09 km2. United States Marine Corps base Camp Kinser is located on the city's coast. Etymology The name "Urasoe" is made up of two kanji characters. The first, , means "a coastal area", and the second, , means "ruling" or "uniting". The name is a reference to "ruling over many areas". Geography Urasoe sits to the south of Okinawa Island. Urasoe is rugged and hilly to the east, and the city slopes gently to the East China Sea in the west. Urasoe, while formerly agricultural, has become heavily urbanized due to its proximity to the prefectural capital of Naha. Neighboring municipalities *Naha *Ginowan * Nishihara Transportation The city is served by Naha Airport and the Okinawa Expr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chūzan Seikan
, compiled in 1650 by Shō Shōken, is the first official history of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. In six scrolls, the main text occupies five and an accompanying summary the sixth. Unlike later official histories such as ''Chūzan Seifu'' and ''Kyūyō'', which were written in kanbun, ''Chūzan Seikan'' is largely written in Japanese, other than for the summary and a number of quotes in Chinese. The account of Shō Nei, whose reign saw invasion and subjugation by Satsuma, opens with the statement that the kingdom had been in subordinate vassal status to the Shimazu clan since the Eikyō era. The account of the siring of Shunten by Minamoto no Tametomo was similarly exploited during the Meiji period and after to help legitimize the annexation of the kingdom and its reconfiguration first as the Ryūkyū Domain and subsequently as Okinawa Prefecture. See also * List of Cultural Properties of Japan - writings (Okinawa) This list is of the Cultural Properties of Japan designated in the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Urasoe Yodore3
is a city located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The neighboring municipalities are Naha to the south, Ginowan to the north, and Nishihara to the east. As of November 2012, the city has an estimated population of 113,718 and a population density of 5,956.9 persons per km2. The total area is 19.09 km2. United States Marine Corps base Camp Kinser is located on the city's coast. Etymology The name "Urasoe" is made up of two kanji characters. The first, , means "a coastal area", and the second, , means "ruling" or "uniting". The name is a reference to "ruling over many areas". Geography Urasoe sits to the south of Okinawa Island. Urasoe is rugged and hilly to the east, and the city slopes gently to the East China Sea in the west. Urasoe, while formerly agricultural, has become heavily urbanized due to its proximity to the prefectural capital of Naha. Neighboring municipalities *Naha *Ginowan * Nishihara Transportation The city is served by Naha Airport and the Okinawa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gihon (Ryukyu)
was a legendary local ruler of Okinawa Island. Gihon was the third and last ruler of the Shunten dynasty. He succeeded his father Shunbajunki at the age of 44, in 1248. Gihon's reign was marked by terrible disasters, including famine, epidemics, and devastating typhoons. Around 1254, he appointed a young lord by the name of Eiso to be Regent (''Sessei''), and to aid in managing these disasters. Gihon felt personally responsible for the disasters and abdicated in 1259 or 1260, and shortly thereafter "withdrew into the forest alone."Kerr, p51. Eiso succeeded him as king and established a new dynasty. The precise location, date, and circumstances of Gihon's death are unknown, though it is safe to assume he died shortly after his abdication. Local legends allege that he was last seen at the cliffs of Hedo Point, the northernmost point on Okinawa Island, and his tomb is located nearby. Notes References * Kerr, George H. (1965). ''Okinawa, the History of an Island People.'' Rutla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Okinawa Island
is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately long, an average wide, and has an area of . It is roughly south of the main island of Kyushu and the rest of Japan. It is north of Taiwan. The total population of Okinawa Island is 1,384,762. The Greater Naha area has roughly 800,000 residents, while the city itself has about 320,000 people. Naha is the seat of Okinawa Prefecture on the southwestern part of Okinawa Island. Okinawa has a humid subtropical climate. Okinawa has been a critical strategic location for the United States Armed Forces since the Battle of Okinawa and the end of World War II. The island was under American administration until 1972, and today hosts around 26,000 US military personnel, about half of the total complement of the United States Forces Japan, spread among 32 bases and 48 training sites ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
