Ryukyu Kingdom

In 1429, Shō Hashi of Chūzan united the Hokuzan, Chūzan, and Nanzan regions of Okinawa, forming the first Shō Dynasty and the Ryukyu Kingdom. The kingdom functioned as an independent nation, flourishing in sea trade, most notably with China. Hashi established Shuri Castle as the governing center of the kingdom. To strengthen the feudal system of its time, Hashi made all the governing lords, or the “Aji,” pledge loyalty to his royal government. Hashi also collected all weapons present to prevent civil unrest. This is one of several instances in Ryukyu’s history when the absence of ancient military weapons led to a strong emphasis on developing unarmed combat techniques.

Hashi welcomed foreign influences, which shaped the kingdom’s early government and culture. He expanded free trade and peace treaties with neighboring countries to safeguard and promote Ryukyu’s well-being.

After Hashi’s passing, subsequent reigns were marked by controversies, power struggles, and costly foreign campaigns. Then, in 1477, Ryukyu’s King Shō Shin, the third ruler of the second Shō Dynasty, came to power. His long reign has been described as “The Great Days Of Chūzan,” a period of great peace and relative prosperity.

Shō Shin institutionalized his government, ordering the governing Aji to be relocated to Shuri Castle. There, they would become more immersed in Shuri culture than in the ideas of their previous regions. To prevent insurrection, the Aji’s weapons were confiscated and used for the kingdom’s defense.

Economic, craftsmanship, and cultural growth surged as goods, materials, and laborers across the Ryukyus moved in and out of Shuri. The kingdom had become a tributary state of China, and the Ryukyu Kingdom established itself as a center for Southeast Asian trade.

The Ryukyu Kingdom also practiced a class system that was loosely created prior to Shō Hashi’s rule, established during Shō Shin’s rule, and refined during the 17th century. During Ryukyu’s feudal era, society was separated into three classes. The royal class comprised the King, Aji, and upper-class Oyakata, closely followed by the warrior class, who committed themselves to developing and practicing Ryukyu’s native fighting arts. The lowest class was the common class, made up of merchants, farmers, fishermen, and artisans. This societal framework derived from modified Chinese ideas and was designed to uphold social order, guarantee stability, and arrange the community based on specific Ryukyuan social and political needs.

As the Ryukyu Kingdom thrived, its growing wealth and strategic position in Asian trade began to draw the attention of external powers and set the stage for an impending conflict. By the late 17th century, tensions with Japanese samurai Toyotomi Hideyoshi escalated, leading to an invasion by the Satsuma Province, who expanded their influence and control over the region until Japan formally annexed the kingdom in 1879.