Our Series on Former Countries takes us to the Ryukyu Kingdom. This kingdom existed as a nominally independent state, though it was at times tributary to Imperial China and Japan, from 1429 to 1879.
The Ryukyu Islands form a string of volcanic islands that stretch from Taiwan to the Japanese island of Kyushu. They form the limit between the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea, and lie at about 400 nautical miles of the Chinese shores.
Local island societies were consolidated into a single kingdom in medieval times, which proved to be a powerful maritime state despite its relatively small size. The imperialist views of its two gigantic neighbours, China and Japan, led it to form alliances, first with China and, as of 1609, with Japan. Japan annexed the Ruykyu Islands in 1872 during the Meiji Period and transformed it into a Japanese Province in 1879. Today, the Ryukyu Islands keep a distinct cultural character and dialect.
More on the Rykyu Kingdom
The Ryukyu Kingdom
