China Concedes to Protect Ryukyu, but the Kingdom is not Restored

Abstract

In April 1879, after Japan got rid of the Ryukyu Domain and made it a prefecture, China’s Minister to Japan He Ruzhang lodged protest after protest and presented notes to Japan.

Appendix

9.1.1 A Refutation of Munenori Terashima’s Explanation: By Shō Tokukō (with comments).

On the 21st day of the 6th moon, at the request of the Chinese government, I, Ryukyu’s Shikwan Shō Tokukō, refute Japanese Foreign Minister’s letter in detail as follows for your information:

• 1. Japan says that my country is part of its southern islands and has long been under its administration. It also says that according to Japanese history, Ryukyu began to send tributes to Japan during the Chinese Sui and Tang dynasties. All these are lies.

  During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Ryukyu gradually developed a relationship with China and also tried to do business with Japan, Korea, Siam, Java, and Burma. During the Wanli Reign of the Ming Dynasty, Magoshichirō Harada, a Japanese, frequently came to Ryukyu for trade. He was well-versed in geography. He was a favorite official of the famous Japanese general Hideyoshi Toyotomi. He suggested to Hideyoshi: If we go to Ryukyu and tell them that we are going to attack the Ming Dynasty, they will definitely swear allegiance to you. Hideyoshi accepted the suggestion and wrote a letter to Ryukyu, stating: Over the past century, lords in Japan vied for the thrones, but I have conquered them all so that all of them, near and far, have come to surrender to me. I plan to attack the Ming Dynasty, not out of my intention, but in compliance with the will of Heaven. I hope Ryukyu will send its troops to help next spring. If you fail to do so, I will send my navy to kill you all.

  Ryukyu feared the power of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and so it swore allegiance to him. If the Japanese version of history is right in its claim that Ryukyu had become part of Japan during China’s Sui and Tang dynasties, why had it not sworn allegiance to Japan in the Wanli Reign of the Ming Dynasty? It is self-evident that this is not true. Japanese history books are just full of lies. These say that Dazaifu stationed officials in Ryukyu’s southern islands. The fact is that the Japanese merchants doing business in Ryukyu prepared maps of Ryukyu and presented them to the Japanese history center to boost its claim. Sapanwood is a special product of Ryukyu, but so far it has never been given to Japan as tribute. If Ryukyu began sending tributes to Japan back in Sui and Tang times, why does Japan still have no sapanwood from Ryukyu now? Evidence can hardly be found about what happened more than 1,000 years ago, but Japan just keeps inventing stories.

(This is a refutation of Japan’s assertion that Ryukyu had long been a vassal of Japan. To back its assertion, Japan even invented historical stories that Ryukyu began sending tribute to Japan as far back as the Sui and Tang dynasties. There was simple trade between the countries at that time. If Ryukyu had become a vassal of Japan back then, why, Shō Tokukō asked, would Japan demand allegiance from Ryukyu centuries later in the days of Hideyoshi? The “officials” sent by Dazaifu (now Fukuoka) were just ordinary merchants and were used to exaggerate Japan’s presence in Ryukyu.

However, it must be clarified that Ryukyu did not have trade with Siam, Java and other Southeast Asian countries until after the Hongwu Reign of the Ming Dynasty: Ryukyuan ships were just not seaworthy enough to voyage to those distant countries in Sui and Tang times).

• 2. Ryukyu is 4,000 li from Fujian,⁸¹ and there are chains of islands between them. The Yaeyama Islands are close to Taiwan; they lie only 400 li from it. The Annals of Japan is wrong to state that Ryukyu is 10,000 li from Fujian with no stopping off point between them. Ryukyu is 3,000 li from Satsuma and there are groups of islands between them, including seven or eight Ryukyuan islands and the five Ryukyuan islands seized by Japan in the 37th year of the Wanli reign [1609]. The Annals of Japan is also wrong in stating, “Ryukyu is just a short hop from Japan’s Satsuma by boat.” Today Japan considers Ryukyu to be an area of Satsuma a long-standing part of its southern islands. That is a groundless, nonsensical and deceitful claim.

  (Foreign Minister Munenori Terashima used the Annals of Japan to make Satsuma and Ryukyu seem geographically closer than they were, stating that Ryukyu was just a short hop from Japan’s Satsuma by boat. He deliberately made out China to be more distant, wrongly declaring, “Ryukyu is 10,000 li from Fujian.” Shō Tokukō demonstrated the dishonesty of this, using the example of the Yaeyama Islands being only 400 li (approximately 230 kilometers), not 10,000 li, from Taiwan. Terashima also misrepresented Ryukyu as being a short hop by boat from Japan’s Satsuma, the actual distance between them being 3,000 li; though that distance was whittled down after Japan’s seizure of five of the islands in 1609.)

• 3. According to Ryukyuan legend, at the very beginning, waves pounded upon Ryukyu. The man Shinerikyu and the woman Amamikyu gathered rocks and planted trees to defend against them. They lived in caves. They were the founding god and goddess of Ryukyu. They bred and multiplied and wisdom developed. A man called Tentei-shi was born who split Ryukyuan society into five classes. Tentei had three sons and two daughters. The eldest son, Tenson, was the first Ryukyuan monarch; the second son was the first Aji chieftain; and the third son was the forefather of the common people. The first daughter Kimi Kimi and the second daughter Noro Noro were both noro priestesses.

  The Tenson Dynasty lasted 25 generations, and its last king was murdered by Riyū. Aji of Urasoe Sonton led a popular uprising to kill Riyū and was elected by other ajis as the the king, namely the Shunten King. The king’s father was Minamoto no Tametomo, a Japanese who took part in the Hogen Rebellion of 1156 before fleeing first to Izu Island and thence to Ryukyu. He married the sister of the Aji of Ōzato and sired Sonton, the Shunten King. Ryukyu had 38 kings from King Shunten to King Shō Tai, during which time some kings abdicated the throne or were usurped. As a result of this, there were kings of five or six surnames. The Shunten Dynasty had three kings in total before it vanished. During the reign of King Sato, the kingdom was bestowed the name Ryukyu during the Hongwu Reign of the Ming Dynasty. King Hashi was bestowed the surname Shō during the Yongle Reign of the Ming Dynasty. From King Hashi to King Tai, some of the kings were not succeeded by their sons, but they were all succeeded by someone bearing the surname bestowed by the Celestial Empire.

  King Shō Tai’s ancestor King Shō Gen from Iheya Island was a descendant of Tenson-shi. How dare Japan consider him a descendant of Japanese?

  In short, things change, and one cannot argue on the basis of legend. To do so is an insult to deities and mortals alike.

  To follow Japan’s argument to its logical conclusion, should England claim the territory of the United States now on the grounds that an Englishman was the king of the United States a hundred years ago? There are many countries like the United States around the globe. If every country claims back its historical territory, would there ever be an end to it?

(In its attempts to demonstrate a very close relationship with Ryukyu, Japan made much of its bonds and kinship ties with Ryukyu. It said that the Shunten King’s father was Minamoto no Tametomo, a Japan samurai who fled the Hogen Rebellion to Ryukyu, married the sister of the Aji of Ōzato and sired the Shunten King.)

During the early years of the Edo Period, Japan pushed the idea of “Japan-Ryukyu common ancestry” and had some annals written, but these were all ungrounded hearsay. When Shō Tokukō refuted Munenori Terashima’s Explanation, he began with the creation of Ryukyu, a creation myth not dissimilar to those of many other countries. In fact, Ryukyu did not develop into a state until during the Southern Song or Yuan dynasties in China [1127–1368]. The tale of the father of the Shunten King fleeing the Hogen Rebellion to Ryukyu was not created until after 1156. In addition, according to Shō Tokukō, the Shunten Dynasty had only three kings in total before disappearing. Therefore, that dynasty had no blood relations with the Shō Dynasty. By contrast, Shō Tokukō reminded us about Ming Emperor Taizu bestowing the name Ryukyu⁸² and of Emperor Yongle bestowing the surname Shō.)

• 4. It is true that King Shō Nei was arrested by Japan. Hideyoshi Toyotomi planned an expedition against the Ming after invading Korea. As Ryukyu is a neighbor of Japan’s, it tried to borrow troops and grain from Ryukyu. Ryukyu declined, but Japan insisted with force; even so Shō Nei refused to back down. Later, Yoshihisa Shimazu discussed the situation in Japan and urged King Shō Nei to swear allegiance to the Tokugawa Shogunate without delay. The king refused to comply, so he was arrested. This was how he was forced to write a pledge (an instrument of surrender). After that, Ryukyu had to pay Satsuma taxes of 8,000 shi of grain annually. All this came about as the result of Shō Nei and his officials being detained for three years for not helping Japan invade Korea and harass China.

  Ryukyu began sending tributes to China in the 37th year of the Wanli Reign of the Ming Dynasty. Even when the Japanese forced a pledge and regulations from Ryukyu, they did not interfere with the ancestral tradition of Ryukyu sending tributes to the Celestial Empire. When the Ming Celestial Empire was first established, Ryukyu embraced it sincerely. For more than 200 years Ryukyu has observed the rule of sending tributes once every two years and requesting investiture of its kings from the dynasty.

  Japan has always been praising the Chūzan king of Ryukyu for his deference. In the 10th year of the Tongzhi Reign [1871], Japan changed the Ryukyu Kingdom to the Ryukyu Domain and demoted its king to the status of domain lord. It also sent officials and troops to Ryukyu, thus starting a dispute with the Celestial Empire.

(Shō Tokukō said that Ryukyu had always been sending tributes to China. In the Wanli Reign, King Shō Nei turned down Japan’s unreasonable request and was consequently placed under arrest for three years. Although he wrote a pledge, he was never stopped from sending tributes to China. It was only recently that Japan had stopped Ryukyu sending tributes to China and dethroned the Ryukyuan king, thereby provoking the dispute.)

• 5. The beginnings of religion in Ryukyu originated with the noro priestesses Kimi Kimi and Noro Noro. According to Terashima, Ryukyu worships Japanese gods such as Ise. He should know that Ryukyu has its own gods such as Guan Yu, Guanyin, and local gods of the land, none of them originating in Japan.

(Ryukyu’s religion has its own unique rites of sacrifice. Of course there was some Japanese influence but it is very wide of the mark to say it originated in Japan. Shō Tokukō contentiously took Guan Yu, Guanyi, and local gods of the land as examples to demonstrate that Ryukyuan religion did not come from Japan.)

• 6. With regard to customs, Ryukyu observed the Celestial Empire’s rules regarding coming-of-age ceremonies, sacrifices to gods and ancestors, weddings, and burials. Ryukyu has long observed the Celestial Empire’s ancient customs of sitting on the floor when meals are served. How can you be sure that Japan did not learn such things from Ryukyu? If one considers everything ancient to be one’s own, then Japan should be part of the Celestial Empire. It is totally groundless to claim that Ryukyu learned Ogasawara cuisine from Japan. If the Japanese logic holds, then it can be said that the Ogasawara cuisine came from Ryukyu.

(Japan considered every Ryukyuan custom and habit similar to those of the Japanese to have come from Japan. Shō Tokukō challenged this assumption, suggesting that Japan’s articles had their origins in China and Ryukyu.)

• 7. Ryukyu learned the 48 katakana syllabograms from its Shunten King. Although the king had a Japanese father, his short-lived dynasty lasted only three generations. What is the evidence that the katakana syllabograms are Japanese? Furthermore, Ryukyu mostly uses Chinese characters; it does not use the katakana syllables only. If the Japanese insist that Ryukyu is part of Japan on the grounds that Ryukyu uses the katakana, then, by its own absurd logic, Japan should be part of the Celestial Empire since Japanese uses many more than 48 Chinese characters.

(As Japan continued to bang on about Japan-Ryukyu common ancestry, Shō Tokukō hit back with a de-Japanization approach. In fact, by and large, both the Japanese and Ryukyuan written languages were deeply influenced by Chinese. In respect of this, the scripts of both their languages had a common ancestry in Chinese characters.)

• 8. In terms of spoken language, Ryukyu speaks its own accent and there is some overlap with Japan. That the two countries can understand each other’s language is a result of familiarization because of trading relations. Had there been no trade between the two countries, then the Japanese would not understand the Ryukyuan language, nor would the Ryukyuans understand Japanese. Japan called my country Okinawa (meaning floating rope) because Ryukyu, when viewed from a distance, looks like a piece of rope floating. Our founding father Tenson-shi was born of a god, not of a Japanese. How does language come into things at all? Quite clearly it does not. If this specious argument were applied to Japanese being able to speak Ryukyuan, it would mean that Japan is a part of Ryukyu.

(Because the two countries traded with each other over a long period, their languages and habits inevitably influenced each other, and they gradually began to understand each other’s language. This is how human culture develops. Many European countries share a border, but it does not follow that one country can claim its neighbor’s territory on the grounds that it speaks the same language. If this logic were to hold, the world would be in chaos.)

• 9. Japan says that it has provided famine relief to Ryukyu and sent its own troops to avenge wrongs done to Ryukyu and to protect its people. How high-minded this statement is! When Ryukyu experienced famine, it did indeed borrow rice and millet from Japan, but cleared its debt to them in full at the first bumper harvest. Japan wanted to help its neighbor while Ryukyu was seeking to borrow grain. If Japan considers the Ryukyuans to be its nationals based on this, then what’s to stop European countries considering the Celestial Empire as part of the West on grounds of them providing relief in Shanxi Province in recent years, and on the support of Chinese merchants?

  As for the Taiwan Expedition, Japan launched this in its own self-interest. Furthermore, Japan wanted to seize Ryukyu, so it launched the expedition as a pretext. It did not wage war in the interest of Ryukyu, and nor did Ryukyu ask Japan to shed blood on Ryukyu’s behalf.

(Japan’s relief for famine in Ryukyu was not given for free; it granted loans in the form of rice and millet which had to be repaid at the next good harvest. Japan exaggerated grossly, even characterizing Ryukyuans as its own nationals. Is this any way to help a neighbor? On top of that, Japan said it sent its troops to Taiwan to avenge Ryukyu and protect its people following the Mudan Incident. On behalf of his country, Shō Tokukō categorically pointed out that Ryukyu was unhappy with Japan launching the Taiwan Expedition on its behalf.)

• 10. Japan said Ryukyu’s systems of state and government were both established by Japan and that Ryukyu had no autonomy. The most important systems of state and government are to carry out investitures, bestow the name of the country and the surnames of people, swear allegiance, observe regulations, and enact laws. Ryukyu started paying tribute to China in the 5th year of the Hongwu Reign in the Ming Dynasty. China granted investiture to the Chūzan King and changed Ryukyu’s name from 琉求 to 琉球.During the Yongle Reign, China bestowed the Ryukyuan King with the surname Shō. Ryukyu has always sworn allegiance to China, observed its rituals, and implemented its legal system. This remains the case today.

  The official titles of Ryukyu’s officials, their appointment and removal, the issuing of orders, and the implementation of the clothing system were all under the control of the Ryukyuan king and officials, always without the interference of Japan.

  Ryukyu has signed treaties with France, the United States, and the Netherlands. Ryukyu’s documents are dated in accordance with the calendar of the Celestial Empire and signed by Ryukyuan officials independently. It is indisputably clear to all countries that Ryukyu is not a vassal of Japan.

(Japan often tries to justify its claim that Ryukyu was its vassal by pointing to its stationing of officials there and levying taxes on it, using these things as “evidence” of Japan’s actual administration of Ryukyu and China’s investiture as an empty formality.

As a Shikwan of Ryukyu, Shō Tokukō found Japan’s wild claims hard to stomach and he refuted them robustly. First, he listed important systems of state and government such as carrying out investitures, bestowing the name of the country, swearing allegiance, observing regulations, and enacting laws, pointing out that they all originated in or had been learned from the Celestial Empire, namely China. In addition, the official titles of Ryukyu’s officials, their appointment and removal, and the issuing of orders were determined by the Ryukyuan king and officials. Second, Shō Tokukō said that the reign title of Qing Emperor Xianfeng was used to date the treaties of amity signed with the United States, France, and the Netherlands and that all these treaties were signed by Ryukyu’s most senior officials, sôrikan Kin aji Shō Kōkun and its fuseikan Tanabaru ueekata Ba Ryōsai.⁸³ If Ryukyu was not an independent state, how could it sign these international treaties? All this goes to show that Ryukyu was absolutely not a vassal of Japan.)