“Concealing Ryukyu-Japanese Relations from Qing China and the Problems of Castaways,”

The Journal of the Historical Society of Japan (Shigaku Zasshi) 114-11, 2005.

[Abstract]

Early-modern Ryukyu (modern Okinawa prefecture) is defined temporally as the period from 1609, when it was invaded by Satsuma domain, until its annexation by Meiji Japan in 1879. During this period, the Ryukyu government continued the tributary relationship initiated in the fourteenth century with Ming China, while it was brought into the political orbit of Tokugawa Japan. The presence of two large states in the same region often causes discord, but early-modern Ryukyu kept this paradoxical situation relatively stable. One reason for this was the Ryukyu court’s policy of concealing its relations with Japan from China (in particular, Qing China). Previous research has identified this policy, but its actual implementation has not yet been adequately examined.

This article examines the Ryukyu court’s efforts to mask Ryukyu-Japanese relations by focusing on castaways: Ryukyuan castaways to China and Chinese or Korean castaways to Ryukyu. The problems associated with castaways worried the Ryukyu government as a potential cause of exposure of the relations with Japan. Techniques and excuses for hiding interactions with Japan, who learned techniques, how they were practiced, and who knew of the concealment is discussed.

The author attempts to show that (1) the kingdom of Ryukyu had a national policy for concealing relations with Japan from China, (2) this policy formed not only a wall with China but also a wall with Satsuma, which sought to control Ryukyu’s foreign relations, (3) as a result, the policy secured the space within which the Ryukyu court was able to exercise its own discretion, and (4) by controlling this space the Ryukyu court maintained peaceful relations with both China and Japan. The concealment policy supplemented the court’s adaptation to the coexistence of two states trying to impose theories of rule over Ryukyu and enabled stable and independent governance in the seams between these two larger neighbors. The court’s governance overlapped with its efforts to adjust to and escape from the contradictions of being overseen by China and Japan. Finally, it is pointed out that the boundary zone between China and Japan was managed autonomously by a boundary zone.

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