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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å¸), 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-Ågimi'', while the younger became the first '' noro''.Glacken, Clarence. ''The Great Loochoo''. University of California Press, 1955. Pp 29-30. The ''ChÅ«zan 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] |
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni the westernmost. The larger are mostly high islands and the smaller mostly coral. The largest is Okinawa Island. The climate of the islands ranges from humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification ''Cfa'') in the north to tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification ''Af'') in the south. Precipitation is very high and is affected by the rainy season and typhoons. Except the outlying DaitŠIslands, the island chain has two major geologic boundaries, the Tokara Strait (between the Tokara and Amami Islands) and the Kerama Gap (between the Okinawa and Miyako Islands). The islands beyond the Tokara Strait are characterized by their coral reefs. The Ōsumi and Tokara Islands, the northernmost of the islands, fall un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gusuku
often refers to castles or fortresses in the Ryukyu Islands that feature stone walls. However, the origin and essence of ''gusuku'' remain controversial. In the archaeology of Okinawa Prefecture, the ''Gusuku period'' refers to an archaeological epoch of the Okinawa Islands that follows the shell-mound period and precedes the Sanzan period, when most ''gusuku'' are thought to have been built. Many ''gusuku'' and related cultural remains on Okinawa Island have been listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites under the title ''Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu''. Philological analysis The '' Yarazamori Gusuku Inscription'' (1554) contains phrases, "pile ''gusuku''" (ãã™ãã¤ã¾ã›) and "pile up ''gusuku'' and ..." (ãã™ãã¤ã¿ã¤ã‘ã¦); apparently, ''gusuku'' in these phrases refers to stone walls. In the ''Omoro SÅshi'' (16th–17th centuries), the term ''gusuku'' is written as "ãã™ã," or "ãã™ã" in hiragana. Occasionally, the Chinese c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amamikyu
Amamichuu, or , is the creation goddess of the Ryukyu Islands in the Ryukyuan religion. Name Amamikyu's name comes from the reading of the Chinese characters 阿摩美久 or 阿摩彌姑, which were most likely written ad hoc for the Okinawan pronunciation. Readings can vary widely from Amamikyu, Amamikyo, Amamikiyo, Amamiko, Amamiku, Amamigu, Amamichuu, and Amanchuu. "Amamikyu" was used by George H. Kerr in his ''Ryukyu: Kingdom and Province Before 1945'' in 1953. Creation myth The beginning of ''ChÅ«zan Seikan'' details the creation of the Ryukyu Islands. The Heavenly Emperor (天å¸), who lived in the Heavenly Gusuku (天城), looked down on the world and saw that there were no islands, so he ordered Amamikyu (阿摩美久) to create the Ryukyu Islands. She asked for materials to build the islands, so the Heavenly Emperor sent Shinerikyu to bring her grasses, trees, and stones. She descended to Earth on Kudaka Island, and then made landfall on Okinawa Island on the spot of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aji (Ryukyu)
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 shinnÅke of Japan. The ''aji'' arose around the twelfth century as local leaders began to build ''gusuku'' (Ryukyuan castles). ShÅ Hashi was an ''aji'' who later unified Okinawa Island as king. The title ''aji'' variously designated sons of the king and regional leaders. During the Second ShÅ Dynasty, when the ''aji'' settled near Shuri Castle, the word came to denote an aristocrat in the castle town. A pattern for addressing a male ''aji'' began with the place he ruled and ended with the word ''aji'', for exam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kikoe-Ågimi
首里・那覇方言データベース was the highest ranking priestess of the Ryukyuan religion during the period of the . The position of was formally established during the reign of King () in order to centralize the religious order. Only a royal woman could be appointed to the position of . After Ryukyu's annexation by Japan in 1879, this position was formally abolished, but the last continued her role until her death in 1944. List of ...
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Noro (priestess)
(, sometimes or ) ( ryu, ヌール, nuuru) are priestesses of the Ryukyuan religion at Utaki. They have existed since at least the beginning of the Gusuku period (late 12th century) and continue to perform rituals even today. They are distinct from (psychics), but are classified as ("godly people"). History According to the and , the first were the daughters of Tentei-shi, who was a descendant of the creation goddess, Amamikyu. The first daughter became the first (), and the second daughter became the first village priestess (). The god of fire gave a piece of fire from Ryūgū-jŠto each to create a village hearth, from which each family in the village would take fire to maintain their own family hearths. The maintained the royal hearth. The were charged with conducting official rituals and ceremonies for their respective village. The was charged with conducting rituals and ceremonies on behalf of the entire kingdom, and traveled with the king to Sefa-utaki to worshi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chūzan Seikan
, compiled in 1650 by ShÅ ShÅken, is the first official history of the RyÅ«kyÅ« Kingdom. In six scrolls, the main text occupies five and an accompanying summary the sixth. Unlike later official histories such as ''ChÅ«zan Seifu'' and ''KyÅ«yÅ'', which were written in kanbun, ''ChÅ«zan Seikan'' is largely written in Japanese, other than for the summary and a number of quotes in Chinese. The account of ShÅ 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 EikyÅ 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 RyÅ«kyÅ« 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] |
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 RiyÅ« who had overthrown the 25th king of the Tenson dynasty. Origin The ''ChÅ«zan Seikan'' (1650), the first official history of the RyÅ«kyÅ«an Kingdom, and ''ChÅ«zan Seifu'' (1701) state that Shunten was the son of ''samurai'' Minamoto no Tametomo (1139–1170). Tametomo was exiled to a penal colony on Izu ÅŒshima following his defeat in the HÅgen 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 ÅŒzato. ÅŒzato is located at the south of Okinawa Island in the present-day city of NanjÅ. Shunten, according to the two histories, was the son of Tametomo and the sister/daughter of the ÅŒzato ''anji''. However, these works w ... [...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] |
