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Ryukyu Islands
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The Ryukyu Islands are part of the (literally Southwest Islands).
From around 1800 on, they have spelled Luchu, Loo-choo, or Lewchew, from the Chinese Liuqiu. They consist of a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit of the East China Sea and stretch southwest from the island of Kyushu to the island of Taiwan.
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Encyclopedia
The Ryukyu Islands are part of the (literally Southwest Islands).
From around 1800 on, they have spelled Luchu, Loo-choo, or Lewchew, from the Chinese Liuqiu. They consist of a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit of the East China Sea and stretch southwest from the island of Kyushu to the island of Taiwan. The islands are administratively divided into Satsunan Islands to the north, belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, and Ryukyu Shoto to the south, belonging to Okinawa Prefecture, Japan (Yoron Island is the southernmost island of the Satsunan Islands and Yonaguni the southernmost of the Ryukyu Islands). The largest of the islands is Okinawa Island.
The islands have a subtropical climate with warm winters and hot summers. Precipitation is very high, and is affected by the rainy season and typhoons.
The archipelago is home to the Ryukyuan languages. The original dialects are native to each island and distinct from one another.
Naming
Japanese
In Japanese, the definition of the , literally meaning "Ryukyu Islands", is somewhat different from the English definition of the word. In Japanese, the term Ryukyu Shoto is used to refer to the part of the Nansei Islands which is in Okinawa Prefecture (the southern half), as opposed to islands of the same group located in Kagoshima Prefecture (the northern half).
Modern usage of the word in Japanese, however, is usually replaced by the word , which is considered its synonym. When referring to the region in the broad sense, the Nansei Islands are sometimes referred to as , literally "Amami-Okinawa Region", or variations thereof. For example, the Japanese train timetables uses variations of Nansei Shoto, Okinawa, Amami, etc., but completely avoids using the word Ryukyu.
English
In English, until well into the late 1800s (Meiji period in Japan), the word "Ryukyu" was spelled Luchu, Loo-choo, or Lewchew. These spellings were based on the Chinese pronunciation of the characters for "Ryukyu" (which is "Liúqiú" in modern Mandarin).
History
The Ryukyu Kingdom was once an independent kingdom occupying the island chain, from Yonaguni Island in the southwest to Amami Oshima in the north. In 1372, it became a tributary state of the Ming Dynasty.
In 1609, Shimazu Tadatsune, Lord of Satsuma, invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom with a fleet of 13 junks and 2,500 samurai, thereby establishing suzerainty over the islands. They faced little opposition from the Ryukyuans, who lacked any significant military capabilities, and who were ordered by King Sho Nei to surrender peacefully rather than suffer the loss of precious lives. After that, the kings of the Ryukyus paid tribute to the Japanese shogun as well as the Chinese emperor.
In 1879, the Meiji government announced the annexation of the Ryukyus. Messengers sent by the Ryukyuan king had knelt outside the Beijing offices of Chinese Prime Minister Zongli Yamen for three days, pleading not to be separated from China. China, weakened from internal corruption and colonial occupation (including that of Japan) refused the request to send military protection. Instead, China made diplomatic objections and asked Great Britain to arbitrate. Great Britain decided that Japan's claim to the islands was stronger and ruled in Japan's favor. The claims of the indigenous Ryukyuans to the land were ignored.
In the process of annexation, the Japanese military assassinated Ryukyu politicians and civilians who opposed the takeover. The Ryukyu Kingdom became part of its northern neighbor, the Satsuma han. Later, it became its own prefecture, Okinawa Prefecture, when the prefectural system was adopted nationwide. Compulsory Japanese education was enforced on the Ryukyu children, whereby they were taught Japanese language, culture and identity, while strictly forbidden the use of their native language.
Military activity on the island, before and during WWII, especially the Battle of Okinawa, had a devastating effect on the Okinawan people. A huge loss of civilian life left many feeling that they were being mistreated by both the Japanese and American military. Okinawa remains the poorest prefecture in Japan to this day.
The US was granted control over Ryukyu Islands south of 29°N latitude amongst other Pacific islands, under the San Francisco Peace Treaty between the Allied Powers and Japan. US military control over Okinawa began in 1945 with establishment of the Okinawa Advisory Council. This organization eventually became the government of the Ryukyu Islands which existed from 1952 to 1972. Sovereignty was given to Japan in 1972.
Today, there are a number of issues arising from Ryukyuan history. Some Ryukyuans and some Japanese feel that people from the Ryukyus are not "real" Japanese. Some natives of the Ryukyus claim that the central government is discriminating against the islanders by allowing so many American soldiers to be stationed on bases in Okinawa with a minimal presence on the mainland. Additionally, there is some discussion of secession from Japan.
Many popular singers and musical groups come from the Ryukyus. These include (among many others) the pop groups Begin and Orange Range, singers Namie Amuro and Gackt, as well as the group Da Pump. See also Ryukyuan Music and Ryukyuan songs.
People
The Ryukyuans are known for their longevity. The attributes this phenomenon to a combination of diet, exercise, and lifestyle practices.
Traditionally, the people of the Ryukyus speak a chain of languages related to Japanese as members of the Japonic language family. Since the latest Japanese invasion in 1879, Japanese has become the main language of public life on the Ryukyus, especially on Uchina (Okinawa). Younger and middle-aged people tend not to speak a Ryukyuan language as fluently as Japanese, if at all.
Ecology
Nansei Islands subtropical evergreen forests
The Ryukyu Islands are recognized by ecologists as a distinct subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion. The flora and fauna of the islands have much in common with Taiwan, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia, and are part of the Indomalaya ecozone.
Coral reefs
The coral reefs of the Ryukyus are one of the World Wildlife Fund's Global 200 ecoregions. The reefs are endangered by sedimentation and eutrophication, mostly a result of agriculture, as well as damage from fishing.
Major islands
This list is based on present day Japanese geographic names:
- Nansei Islands
- Satsunan Islands (The Northern Half)
- Osumi Islands with:
- Tanegashima, Yakushima, Kuchinoerabujima, Mageshima in the North-Eastern Group,
- Takeshima, Iojima, Kuroshima in the North-Western Group.
- Tokara Islands (The Shichi-to): Kuchinoshima, Nakanoshima, Gajajima, Suwanosejima, Akusekijima, Tairajima, Kodakarajima, Takarajima
- Amami Islands: Amami Oshima, Kikaigashima, Kakeromajima, Yoroshima, Ukeshima, Tokunoshima, Okinoerabujima, Yoronjima
- Ryukyu Shoto (The Southern Half)
- Okinawa Islands (The Central Group or Ryukyu proper): Okinawa Island (aka. Okinawan mainland, Okinawa honto), Kumejima, Iheyajima, Izenajima, Agunijima, Iejima, Iwo Tori Shima (Iotorishima)
- Sakishima Islands ("Further Isles")
- Miyako Islands: Miyakojima, Ikema, Ogami, Irabu, Shimoji, Kurima, Minna, Tarama
- Yaeyama Islands: Iriomote, Ishigaki, Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima, Aragusuku, Hatoma, Yubujima, Hateruma, Yonaguni
- Senkaku Islands (claimed by PRC and ROC): Uotsurijima, Kuba Jima, Taisho Jima, Kita Kojima, Minami Kojima
Notes:
- For some of the island names above, the suffix -jima, -shima, and -gashima can be interchanged, omitted, or appended. The suffix means "island." In general, the islands are listed from north to south where possible.
- "Shoto" is replaced with "Islands" in the list except for Ryukyu Shoto, since the term "Ryukyu Islands" already exists in English. The Japanese term refers only to the islands that comprise Okinawa Prefecture, while the English term refers to the entire chain of islands between Kyushu and Taiwan.
- Ryukyu Retto refers to what was once the territory of the former kingdom, which are the Amami Islands, Okinawa Islands, Miyako Islands, and Yaeyama Islands.
See also
External links
- , from MSN Encarta
- National Archives of Japan:
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