Aji An ''aji'', ''anji'', or ''azu'' was a ruler of a petty kingdom in the

history of the Ryukyu Islands This article is about the history of the Ryukyu Islands southwest of the main islands of Japan. Etymology The name "Ryūkyū" originates from Chinese writings. The earliest references to "Ryūkyū" write the name as 琉虬 and 流求 () in the ...

. The word later became a title and rank of

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

in the

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 ...

. It has been theorized to be related to the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

''aruji'' ("master"), and the pronunciation varied throughout the islands. It ranked next below a

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

among nobility. The sons of princes and the eldest sons of ''aji'' became ''aji.'' An ''aji'' established a noble family equivalent to a

shinnōke was the collective name for the four cadet branches of the Imperial family of Japan, which were until 1947 entitled to provide a successor to the Chrysanthemum throne if the main line failed to produce an heir. The heads of these royal houses ...

of Japan. The ''aji'' arose around the twelfth century as local leaders began to build '' gusuku'' (Ryukyuan castles).

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 ...

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 Shō Dynasty, when the ''aji'' settled near

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 ...

, 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 example, "Nago ''Aji''". For women, the suffix ''ganashi'' or ''kanashi'' (加那志) followed: "Nago ''Aji-ganashi''".

List of Aji (1873)

*Oroku Aji (Oroku Udun) *Yuntanza Aji (Yuntanza Udun) *Yoshimura Aji (Yoshimura Udun) *Yonashiro Aji (Yonashiro Udun) *Tomigusuku Aji (Tomigusuku Udun) *Osato Aji (Osato Udun) *Urasoe Aji (Urasoe Udun) *Tamagawa Aji (Tamagawa Udun) *Kunigami Aji (Kunigami Udun) *Omura Aji (Omura Udun) *Motobu Aji (Motobu Udun) *Misato Aji (Misato Udun) *Haneji Aji (Haneji Udun) *Nago Aji (Nago Udun) *Kin Aji (Kin Udun) *Uchima Aji (Uchima Udun) *Mabuni Aji (Mabuni Udun) *Nakazato Aji (Nakazato Udun) *Goeku Aji (Goeku Udun) *Ogimi Aji (Ogimi Udun) *Gushikami Aji (Gushikami Udun) *Mabuni Aji (Mabuni Udun) *Tamashiro Aji (Tamashiro Udun) *Gushikawa Aji (Gushikawa Udun) *Takamine Aji (Takamine Udun) *Kushi Aji (Kushi Udun) *Katsuren Aji (Katsuren Udun)

References

*Higashionna, Kanjun. (1957). ''Ryukyu no rekishi'', Tokyo: Shibundo. *Higashionna, Kanjun. (1964). ''Nanto fudoki'', Tokyo: Okinawa Bunka Kyokai Okinawa Zaidan. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aji (Ryukyu) Noble titles Military engineers

List of Aji (1873)

See also

References