Okinawan at Heart

My thanks go to a reader from Brazil who got me started on the search for a definitive answer to the question: what happened to King Gihon...

In the Ryukyu kingdom, one’s genealogical record was an important status symbol.   Genealogy determined social status and the types of wor...

The King, his Chief Councillor or Sessei , and the Three Councillors called the Sanshikan constituted the top level of the Shuri royal gov...

Although the Satsuma clan took control of foreign trade and imposed heavy taxes on Ryukyu, they did not change the basic government struct...

The invasion of Ryukyu by Japan in 1609 led to many changes in Okinawan life.  In particular the government of the kingdom had to change t...