Following his successful invasion of Okinawa by Japan, Lord Shimazu of the Satsuma clan of Kyushu made several major
changes to Okinawa that would strongly affect Okinawa's future development.
New
Rules for Foreign Trade
Satsuma desired the Ryukyu kingdom
because of its extensive foreign trade. However, in theory, the Shogun of
Japan had decreed that only the port of Nagasaki, Japan was sanctioned for trade with
outsiders, and furthermore trade was only allowed with Dutch and Chinese ships.
Okinawa was in a difficult position,
serving two masters. They feared reprisals from the Japanese Shogun for trading
with China. Likewise, they feared reprisals from China if China were to
consider them Japanese and therefore impose an embargo on Naha port.
In order for Satsuma to continue
trade through the port of Naha in Okinawa, Satsuma needed to disguise its actions.
Lord Shimazu therefore ordered Okinawa to hide their true relationship with Japan to
outsiders, so as to avoid reprisal from Japan's Shogun. He also did not
want to lose face with China and thereby lose that lucrative trade
relationship.
The instructions to Okinawa from
Satsuma were as follows to implement this scheme:
- Whenever a foreign ship came into port, all Japanese
personnel were to leave Shuri and Naha.
- Chinese were henceforth forbidden to settle in Okinawa.
- Okinawans were ordered to pretend to be ignorant of
Japanese language.
- An official list of questions and answers was prepared
to deal with inquisitive strangers
The “Japanization” of
Okinawa
Despite any appearances to outsiders, Satsuma wanted to curb the Chinese
influence in Okinawa and bring the country more in line with Japanese
ways. In particular, there was a clash of
cultures between Chinese Confucian scholars and Japanese Buddhist priests. One
of Satsuma’s first acts was to appoint a Japanese Buddhist Priest named Kikuin as
Sessei, or prime minister, in 1611.
Okinawa was continually reminded to
conduct business in Japanese-like fashion with Satsuma, and were encouraged to
emulate the Japanese in all matters not relating to trade with China. This included medical practices, religious
beliefs (Shinto and Buddhism), wood and metal handicrafts, and agricultural
methods.
From 1611 to 1626, Satsuma demanded
that national hostages be provided as a sign of allegiance. These hostages included royal sons,
descendants of former lords, and princes of aji (lords).
Each hostage served two years in Kagoshima.
This was not only a means of ensuring obedience from the Ryukyu
government, but also an opportunity to expose these young persons to Japanese
customs, philosophy, and culture.
Beginning in 1630, each of the Sanshikan were required to live in
Satsuma for three years. This practice
ended in 1646.
In 1631, a Resident Commissioner
position was established. This person
served a three-year term and represented Satsuma. Essentially all communications and
transactions between Okinawa and Satsuma went through him.
Tribute
Missions to Edo
Okinawa was also now expected to
make tribute missions to Edo (Tokyo) on a regular basis. This meant that
Okinawa was now paying tributes to both China and Japan, adding further to the
economic burden on their country.
These tribute missions to Edo were
fully controlled by Satsuma. They would start from Kagoshima and make their way
overland to Edo. The entourage from Okinawa included top members of the
Shuri government and a large staff of scholars, craftsmen, administrative
officers, and merchants. They were accompanied by an armed Satsuma
escort. The Okinawans would then return to their home country with many
new ideas, as well as new technology from Japan of importance to the Ryukyu
economy.
These tribute missions had a strong
influence on Okinawa, and were another major factor in the
"Japanization" of Okinawa. There were a total of 18 missions to
Edo from 1611 to 1850.
Okinawan Economy Shifts from Trade to Agriculture
Satsuma took over all control of
foreign trade for its own purposes, and this cut off a major source of wealth
for Okinawa. Independent trade with Southeast Asia was ended.
Satsuma also took most of the wealth of the country as taxes. Tribute missions
to Japan were also now required of Okinawa, in addition to the Chinese
missions. The Ryukyu kingdom was forced to find ways to survive, based on their
own island resources. The standard of living steadily declined.
This led to an increased emphasis on
agriculture in Okinawa. There was tremendous pressure put on villages to
produce enough to feed and clothe the people in Shuri, Naha, Kume, and
Tomari, and to pay the taxes demanded by Satsuma. And of course, the
peasants and commoners themselves needed to produce enough so that they would
have something left for their own survival.
It just so happens that an
enterprising fellow named Noguni Sokan, while on a trading mission to China in
the early 1600's, just a few years before the Japanese invasion, discovered a plant that would become
a life-saver for Ryukyu – the "Okinawan" sweet
potato.
