Writing and Printing

History of the Ryukyu Islands

This article is about the history of the Ryukyu Islands. The Ryukyu Islands stretch from Kyushu to Taiwan and historically served as an important maritime crossroads linking Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. In the 15th century, Shō Hashi unified the three kingdoms of Okinawa and established the Ryukyu Kingdom. The kingdom prospered through intermediary trade and developed its own distinct culture, languages, and political system centered on Shuri Castle. In 1609, the Satsuma Domain invaded the islands, bringing them under Japanese control, although the kingdom formally maintained its independence. In 1879, the Meiji government reorganized the territory as Okinawa Prefecture. During World War II, the Battle of Okinawa caused devastating destruction and loss of life. After the war, the islands were placed under U.S. administration until they were returned to Japan in 1972.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Izhitsa
• ▸Foveaux Strait
• ▸Biopython

Uncatalogued shelf

Text from Wikipedia; plate via Wikimedia Commons. Text CC BY-SA 4.0; plate freely licensed (see Commons). Source record. Images and catalogue data are reproduced from open-access collections.