History of Okinawa

Ryukyu Kingdom
琉球國
1429–1879
Flag Royal Seal
Capital		Shuri
Languages		Ryukyuan (native languages), Classical Chinese
Religion		native Ryukyuan religion, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shinto, Taoism
Government		Monarchy
King (国王)
•	1429–1439	Shō Hashi
•	1477–1526	Shō Shin
•	1587–1620	Shō Nei
•	1848–1879	Shō Tai
Sessei (摂政)
•	1666–1673	Shō Shōken
Kokushi (国師)
•	1751–52	Sai On
Legislature		Shuri Ō-fu (首里王府), Sanshikan (三司官)
History
•	Unification	1429
•	Satsuma invasion	April 5, 1609
•	Reorganized into Ryukyu Domain	1875
•	Annexed by Japan	March 11, 1879
Area		2,271 km2 (877 sq mi)
Preceded by Succeeded by Hokuzan Chūzan Nanzan Kagoshima Prefecture Okinawa Prefecture
Today part of		Japan

This article is about the history of the Ryukyu Islands southwest of the main islands of Japan.

The name "Ryūkyū" originates from Chinese writings. The earliest references to "Ryūkyū" write the name as 琉虬 and 流求 (pinyin: Liúqiú; Jyutping: Lau⁴kau⁴) in the Chinese history Book of Sui in 607. It is a descriptive name, meaning "glazed horn-dragon".

The origin of the term "Okinawa" remains unclear, although "Okinawa" (Okinawan: Uchinaa) as a term was used in Okinawa. There was also a divine woman named "Uchinaa" in the book Omoro Sōshi, a compilation of ancient poems and songs from Okinawa Island. This suggests the presence of a divine place named Okinawa. The Chinese monk Jianzhen, who traveled to Japan in the mid-8th century CE to promote Buddhism, wrote "Okinawa" as 阿児奈波 (Hanyu Pinyin: A'érnàibō; Cantonese Jyutping: Aa²ngai⁴noi⁶bo¹; Japanese: Ajinawa, Aninawa). The Japanese map series Ryukyu Kuniezu labeled the island as 悪鬼納 (Wokinaha) in 1644. The current Chinese characters (kanji) for Okinawa (沖縄) were first written in the 1702 version of Ryukyu Kuniezu.

The ancestry of the modern-day Ryukyuan people is disputed. One theory claims that the earliest inhabitants of these islands crossed a prehistoric land bridge from modern-day China, with later additions of Austronesians, Micronesians, and Japanese merging with the population. The time when human beings appeared in Okinawa remains unknown. The earliest human bones were those of Yamashita Cave Man, about 32 000 years ago, followed by Pinza-Abu Cave Man, Miyakojima, about 26 000 years ago and Minatogawa Man, about 18 000 years ago. Of them, perfect bodies were excavated of the Minatogawa man. They probably came through China and were once considered to be the direct ancestors of those living in Okinawa. No stone tools were discovered with them. For the following 12 000 years, no trace of archaeological sites was discovered after the Minatogawa man site.

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Wikipedia