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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 ...
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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 ...
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Ashikaga Shogunate
The , also known as the , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Muromachi-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 669. The Ashikaga shogunate was established when Ashikaga Takauji was appointed ''Shōgun'' after overthrowing the Kenmu Restoration shortly after having overthrown the Kamakura shogunate in support of Emperor Go-Daigo. The Ashikaga clan governed Japan from the Imperial capital of Heian-kyō (Kyoto) as ''de facto'' military dictators along with the ''daimyō'' lords of the ''samurai'' class. The Ashikaga shogunate began the Nanboku-chō period between the Pro-Ashikaga Northern Court in Kyoto and the Pro-Go-Daigo Southern Court in Yoshino until the South conceded to the North in 1392. The Ashikaga shogunate collapsed upon outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, entering a state of constant civil war known as the Sengoku period, and was finally dissolved when ''Shōgun'' Ashikag ...
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Hagoromo (play)
is among the most-performed Japanese Noh plays. Tyler, Royall. ''Japanese No Dramas.'' Penguin Classics (1992)p96 . It is an example of the traditional swan maiden motif. Sources and history The earliest recorded version of the legend dates to the eighth century.Blacker, Carmen. ''Collected Writings of Carmen Blacker.'' Routledge (2000)p44 . The play however apparently combines two legends, one concerning the origins of the Suruga Dance (''Suruga-mai'') and another the descent of an angel onto Udo Beach. A parallel story may also be found in the 14th volume of the fifth-century ''Sou-shen chi''. A poem by the 11th century poet Nōin is quoted. The authorship of the Noh play ''Hagoromo'' is unknown. The earliest references to the play in historical records date to 1524, which suggests that it was written well after Zeami (c. 1363 – c. 1443), also called , was a Japanese aesthetician, actor, and playwright. His father, Kan'ami Kiyotsugu, introduced him to Noh th ...
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Seii (Ryukyu)
was a legendary local ruler of Okinawa Island. He succeeded his father, Tamagusuku was a legendary local ruler of Okinawa Island. According to Ryukyu's official history, Okinawa was split into three polities during the reign of Tamagusuku.Kerr, He was the third son of Eiji (r. 1309-1313), he was the fourth ruler of the E ..., in 1336, at the age of ten. His reign is characterized by the meddling of his mother in government affairs, and her corruption. The king's mother took advantage of her privileges and position, and severely damaged popular support for her son. Seii died in 1349.Kerr, George. (2000). The ruler of Urasoe, Satto, seized power for himself. (2002). , p. 85. Notes References * Kerr, George H. (1965). ''Okinawa, the History of an Island People.'' Rutland, Vermont: C.E. Tuttle CoOCLC 39242121* (2002). . Naha: Okinawa Bunka-shaOCLC 170411659 (1997 ed.) 1328 births 1349 deaths Kings of Ryūkyū 14th-century Ryukyuan people {{RyukyuKing ...
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Itoman, Okinawa
''ʔIcuman'' is a city located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The city occupies the southern tip of Okinawa Island. As of April 2013, the city has an estimated population of 59,605 and a population density of 1,335.53 persons per km². The total area is 46.63 km². Geography Itoman sits on a flat tableland with craggy rolling hills of Ryukyuan limestone which range between Cape Kyan to the south and the sugar cane fields in front of Yozadake to the north. The south of the town is known for its steep sea cliffs around Cape Kyan and the Mabuni Cliffs. History Itoman has a long history as a fishing port. In the pre-modern period its fisherman ventured as far as the Indian Ocean. Records indicate that the fisherman made contact with Australia and New Guinea. By 1908 the village of Itoman numbered 8,000 residents, almost all involved in the fishing industry. Men of Itoman worked on fishing boats, and women worked at the transport and sale of fish in the prefectural capitol of Na ...
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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 ...
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Ōzato Castle
, officially , is a Ryukyuan gusuku built in Nanzan and used until 1429. It, and the village of Ōzato, are named after the Ōzato Dynasty of Nanzan. It is in ruins, and is an officially designated historical site in Nanjō City, Okinawa.Tokumori, Lima, and Mark Ealey. "Cultural Affairs Council Recommends Two Okinawan Sites to Minister of MEXT." Ryukyu Shimpo aha19 November 2011: n. pag. Ryukyu Shimpo. Web. 13 January 2014. History Nanzan was established in 1314 when the Lord of Shimajiri-Ōzato, Ōzato Ofusato, broke away from the chieftain Tamagusuku at Urasoe Castle. The castle was built in the 14th century West of the farming village of Ōzato, and became the seat of the Aji of Ōzato Magiri. It fell into disuse after the capture of Nanzan Castle in 1429. During an excavation of the site, Chinese ceramics were found, showing the extensive trade that Nanzan had done with Ming China. In 2012, Ōzato castle became an officially designated historical site on Okinawa Isla ...
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Aji (Ryūkyū)
Aji An ''aji'', ''anji'', or ''azu'' was a ruler of a petty kingdom in the history of the Ryukyu Islands. The word later became a title and rank of nobility in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It has been theorized to be related to the Japanese ''aruji'' ("master"), and the pronunciation varied throughout the islands. It ranked next below a prince among nobility. The sons of princes and the eldest sons of ''aji'' became ''aji.'' An ''aji'' established a noble family equivalent to a shinnōke of Japan. The ''aji'' arose around the twelfth century as local leaders began to build ''gusuku'' (Ryukyuan castles). Shō Hashi was an ''aji'' who later unified 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 ... as king. The title ''aji'' variously designated sons of the king and regiona ...
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Omoro Sōshi
The is a compilation of ancient poems and songs from Okinawa and the Amami Islands, collected into 22 volumes and written primarily in hiragana with some simple kanji. There are 1,553 poems in the collection, but many are repeated; the number of unique pieces is 1,144. The hiragana used, however, is a traditional orthography which associates different sounds to the characters than their normal Japanese readings, due to it originally being based on an earlier stage of Northern Ryukyuan that has not yet undergone vowel raising characteristic of the modern languages. The characters used to write ''omoro'', for example (おもろ), would be written this same way, but pronounced as ''umuru'' in Okinawan. The poetry contained in the volumes extends from the 12th century, or possibly earlier, to some composed by the Queen of Shō Nei (1589-1619). Though formally composed and recorded at these times, most if not all are believed to derive from far earlier traditions, as a result of th ...
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Kyūyō
is an official history of the Ryūkyū Kingdom compiled between 1743 and 1745 by a group of scholar-officials led by . Written in kanbun, and numbering twenty-two scrolls, a supplementary volume in three scrolls documents relations with Satsuma, while a separate volume known as is a compendium of one hundred and forty-two legends and folktales formerly transmitted orally. Later records continued to be added to the chronicle until 1876. The name, like for Nagasaki and for Satsuma, is likely a poetic invocation of "Ryūkyū". See also * List of Cultural Properties of Japan - writings (Okinawa) This list is of the Cultural Properties of Japan designated in the categories of and for the Prefecture of Okinawa. National Cultural Properties Classical texts As of 1 August 2020, two Important Cultural Properties have been designated, be ... References {{DEFAULTSORT:Kyuyo Japanese chronicles Ryukyu Kingdom Edo-period history books ...
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Sai Taku
, also known by his Japanese-style name , was a Ryukyuan aristocrat and bureaucrat in the royal government of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Sai Taku was born in Kumemura on January 4, 1645. He descended from Cai Xiang. He took part in the compilation of ''Rekidai Hōan'', an official compilation of diplomatic documents of the royal government. In 1697, he was ordered to translate the ''Chūzan Seikan'' (中山世鑑), an official history book, into Chinese, and renamed it '' Chūzan Seifu'' (中山世譜). Sai Taku was also known for his poetry, many of which were included in his poetry collection. He had two sons, Sai En (蔡淵) and Sai On (1682–1762), or Cai Wen in Chinese, also known as , was a scholar-bureaucrat official of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, serving as regent, instructor, and advisor to King Shō Kei. He is renowned for the many reforms he initiated and oversaw, and is amo ... (蔡温). References蔡鐸 1645 births 1725 deaths Ryukyuan Confucianists People of the Ry ...
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