A Primer on the Ryukyu Kingdom: From Unification to the Disposition
A small kingdom open to the sea, it flourished on trade linking China, Japan and Southeast Asia, and brought a culture all its own into bloom. Let's trace its roughly 450-year story through the figures who shaped it and the events that turned its course.
The history of the Ryukyu Kingdom comes into focus when you see it as one broad current: conflict, unification, prosperity, subordination, and end.
Here we take up the key figures and events at each turning point of the era.
The Figures and Turning Points That Moved the Kingdom
The Three Kingdoms PeriodSanzan jidai
Before unification, Okinawa Island was split among three powers—Hokuzan, Chuzan and Nanzan—locked in rivalry. It was an age in which each traded with China (the Ming) and competed with the others.
Source:首里城公園 公式（沖縄美ら島財団）
Sho HashiSho Hashi
Sho Hashi, who led the power of Chuzan, defeated Hokuzan and Nanzan in stages over many years and is said to have brought the three together by 1429. This marked the start of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and his royal line is called the First Sho dynasty.
Source:沖縄県公式ホームページ
King Sho EnSho En-o
Originally known as Kanamaru, he came to the throne in 1470 through a coup and founded a new royal line, the Second Sho dynasty. Every king thereafter descended from this house.
Source:首里城公園 公式（沖縄美ら島財団）
King Sho ShinSho Shin-o
The third king of the Second Sho dynasty, he gathered the regional aji (lords) to Shuri over his long reign to tighten his rule, and put in order the systems of ritual and rank. He is regarded as the king who built the kingdom's golden age.
Source:首里城公園 公式（沖縄美ら島財団）
The Satsuma InvasionSatsuma shinko
In 1609, the Satsuma domain (the Shimazu clan) sent troops and subdued Ryukyu. From then on, the kingdom was placed in a position of serving two masters—paying tribute to China while also coming under Satsuma's control.
Source:沖縄県公式ホームページ
The Ryukyu DispositionRyukyu shobun
In 1879, the Meiji government deployed troops and police to abolish the Ryukyu domain and establish Okinawa Prefecture. With this the Ryukyu Kingdom came to an end, and the last king, Sho Tai, was relocated to Tokyo.
Source:沖縄県公式ホームページ
FAQ
When did the Ryukyu Kingdom begin and end?
Roughly from 1429, when the Three Kingdoms were unified, to 1879, when Okinawa Prefecture was established. It lasted about 450 years.
Why did it serve both China and Japan?
Even after the 1609 Satsuma invasion, tribute trade with China brought great profit and prestige, so the kingdom chose to keep ties with both. This is known as dual subordination to China and Japan.
Why are the kings all named "Sho"?
"Sho" was the royal family name. There were two separate houses, the First and Second Sho dynasties, but both took "Sho" as the name of their royal line.
Where was the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom?
Shuri (present-day Shuri, Naha City). Centered on Shuri Castle, it was the seat of politics, diplomacy, ritual and the performing arts.