Okinawa: the History of an Island People

618 Pages·2000·15.002 MB·English

by  Kerr, George H

"The first full-length monograph on the
history of the Ryukyu Islands in any
Western language ... a standard work."
- Paci[ic Affairs
Revised Edition
with .Jn Afterword by ~litsugu S.Jkih.Jr.J
OKINAWA@
The History of an Island People

OKINAWA~
The History of an Island People
Revised Edition
George H. Kerr
with an afterword by Mitsugu Sakihara
TUTTLE Publishing
I I
Tokyo Rutland, Vermont Singapore

INSCRIBED TO THE MEMORY OF
HIGA SHUHEI
WHO HAS FOLLOWED MAKISHI PECHIN
INTO THE PAGES OF OKINAWAN HISTORY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii
A NoTE oN NAMES, CHRoNOLOGY, WEIGHTs, AND MoNEY xvii
INTRODUCTION: OKINAWA, THE UNITED STATES, AND CURRENT HISTORY J
PART ONE
CHUZAN: INDEPENDENT KINGDOM
IN THE EASTERN SEAS
I. THE LEGENDARY PAST (TO A.D. 1314) 21
ISLAND PATHWAYS ON ANCIENT SEA FRONTIERS, 21
PREHISTORIC UFE IN THE RYUKYUS, 26
THE "EASTERN SEA ISLANDS" OF CHINESE TRADITION, 29
OKINAWAN ORIGIN MYTHS AND SAFE HAVENS IN THE SEA ISLANDS, 35
CHINESE AND JAPANESE NOTICES BEFORE THE 12TH CENTURY, 39
TALES OF TAMETOMO, AN EXILED JAPANESE, AND OF HIS SON SHUNTEN, 45
TRADmONS OF SHUNTEN AND OTHER EARLY "KINGS" ON OKINAWA, 50
THE SHIMAZU FAMILY IN KYUSHU: "LORDS OP THE TWELVE SOUTHERN
ISLANDS," 56
2. A CENTURY OF CoNFLICT (1314-1398) 6o
THREI! .RIVAL CIDEPTAINS BID FOR CHINESE RECOGNmON, 60
SATTO OF CHUZAN: OKINAWA AND THE CHINESE TRIBUTE SYSTEM. 62
OKINAWA IN MARITIME TRADE THROUGHOUT PAR EASTERN SEAS, 74
GROWTH AND CHANGE ON OKINAWA, 78
3· THE GREAT DAYS OF CHUZAN (1398-1573) 83
HASHI AND THE "FIRST SHO DYNASTY," 83
THE "SECOND SHO DYNASTY" AND ITS FOUNDER, SHOEN, 101
SHO SHIN'S REIGN: THE "GREAT DAYS OF CHUZAN," 104
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
OKINAWA Al\ID THE OUTER ISLANDS: IIUYAK0, YAEYAMA, AND AMAMI
OSHIMA, 116
OKINAWAN TRADE WITH THE INDIES AND SOUTHEAST ASIA, 124
FORMAL RELATIONS WITH CIDNA, 130
RELATIONS WITH JAPAN: TRADE AND POLITICS, 135
THE TURNING POINT, 143
PART TWO
ISOLATION: "LONELY ISLANDS
IN A DISTANT SEA"
4· CONTINENTAL WAR AND LOSS OF INDEPENDENCE (1573-1609) 151
WAR IN KOREA SPELLS DISASTER IN OKINAWA, 151
SATSUMA INVADES THE RYUKYU ISLANDS, 1609 (KEICHO 14), 156
THE CONDITIONS LAID DOWN FOR A KING's RANSOM, 160
SERVING TWO MASTERS: THE PROBLEMS OF DUAL SUBORDINATION, 166
PROTESTANT TRADERS AND CATHOLIC PRIESTS IN 17TH-cENTURY
OKINAWA, 169
WAR AND REBELLION IN CIDNA AND ITS EFFECT IN OKINAWA, 174
SATSUMA AND THE OKINAWAN TRADE WITH CIDNA, 179
5· THE YEARS OF ISOLATION (1609-1797)
A NEW ECONOMIC LIFE: At.iRICULTURE TAKES THE PLACE OF FOREIGN
TRADE, 183
GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE UNDER SATSUMA'S WATCHFUL EYE, 185
SHO JD-KEN, PRINCE AND PRIME MINISTER, 191
SAl ON'S STATESMANSHIP: THE STRUGGLE FOR ECONOMIC SURVIVAL, 199
CULTURAL AND INTELLECTUAL LIFE IN THE I 8TH CENTURY, 210
STUDENTS ABROAD AND RIOTS AT SHURI, 225
THE WESTERN BARBARIANS REAPPEAR: A SECOND TURNING POINT, 227
PART THREE
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
6. THE BARRIER ISLANDS (1797-1853) 237
WESTERN RIVALS IN EASTERN WATERS, 237
THE RYUKYUS ON JAPAN'S DEFENSE PERIMETER, 239
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
YEARS OF ECONOMIC DISASTER, 241
SATSUMA EXPLOITS OKINAWA TO EVADE THE SECLUSION EDICTS, 245
CIDNA'S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE WESTERN BARBARIANS, 248
BRITISH VISITORS: CAPTAIN HALL's MOMENTOUS VOYAGE AND
NAPOLEON'S INTEREST IN THE RYUKYUS, 249
MISSIONARIES, MERCHANTS, AND NAVAL DIPLOMATS: THE ANGLO-CHINESB
WARS, 260
FRENCH PRESSURE AT SHURI AND SATSUMA's REACfiON, 275
THE MISSIONARY BETTELHEIM APPEARS IN OKINAWA, 279
BETTELHEIM CREATES A PROBLEM FOR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, 289
7· THE MOUSE AND THE EAGLE: PERRY IN OKINAWA (1853-1854) 297
AMERICAN PRESSURE ON JAPAN: PERRY's PLANS FOR OKINAWA, 297
PERRY's FIRST VISIT, MAY AND JUNE, 1853, 307
THE AMERICAN BASE ON OKINAWA: JULY, I8SJ-JULY, 1854, ]20
THE "LEW CHEW COMPACT" WITH THE UNITED STATES, 330
THE END OF THE BETTELHEIM AFFAIR, 337
8. JAPAN "PROTECTS" THE 0KINAWANS (1855-1878) 342
OKINAWA, SATSUMA, AND THE EUROPEAN POWERS: THE MAKISHI-ONGA
AFFAIR, 342
CONFUSION AND HARDSHIP, 1861-72, 350
THE LAST ENTHRONEMENT AT SHURI AND THE MEIJI RESTORATION IN
JAPAN, 352
UNOErENDED OKINAWA: A FRONTIER PROBLEM FOR JAPAN, 354
THE FORMOSA INCIDENT: JAPAN'S EXCUSE FOR STRONG ACTION, 356
TOKYO PROCLAIMS PARAMOUNT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE RYUKYU
KINGDOM, 360
SHURI CHALLENGES AND ANGERS THE TOKYO GOVERNMENT, 365
DIRECT INTERVENTION: THE MATSUDA MISSIONS, 1875 AND 1879, 371
PART FOUR
OKINAWA-KEN: FRONTIER PROVINCE
9· THE RYUKYU KINGDOM COMES TO AN END (!879-1890) 381
CRISIS AT SHURI: THE KING's ABDICATION, MARCH 27, 1879, ]81
THE RYUKYUS AGAIN BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL ISSUE: GENERAL GRANT'S
MEDIATION, 384
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