The Ryukyu Islands : a new history from the Stone Age to the present / Gregory Smits.
| Author/creator | Smits, Gregory, 1960- author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2025. |
| Copyright Date | ©2025 |
| Description | 478 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Series | Silk roads Silk roads (Chicago, Ill.) http://id.loc.gov/resources/hubs/8d200853-7f1f-0359-0abe-818b0f0179e7 |
| Contents | Introduction. A broad overview of Ryukyuan history and historiography -- Prestate societies, 35,000 BP-1490. First peoples: the earliest inhabitants of the Ryukyu Islands ; Origins of Japonic Ryukyu: the early Gusuku era, circa 1050-1250 ; Expanding trade and warfare: the later Gusuku era ; The early theatrical kingdom and the three principalities era in Okinawa ; The first Shō dynasty era ; Classical Ryukyuan culture ; Development and transformation of the Shuri empire, 1490-1630. Shō Shin and the Shuri empire; The sixteenth century ; War with Satsuma and the immediate aftermath, 1570-1650 -- The mature theatrical kingdom and its collapse, 1630-1880. The era of Shō Shōken and Sai On ; Extracting resources from the northern and southern Ryukyu Islands ; The mature kingdom ; The Ryūkyū shobun and the creation of Okinawa prefecture ; Literature, drama, and official portrayals of Ryukyu ; The Tametomo legend -- The modern era, 1880-2024. The early decades of Okinawa prefecture ; Midcentury turbulence ; The era of US control, 1945-72 ; From 1972 to the twenty-first century. |
| Abstract | "The first comprehensive history of the Ryukyu Islands region in English. The Ryukyu islands between Japan and Taiwan consist of around 160 islands and host over one and a half million inhabitants. Across the islands' history, sea-lanes and trade patterns have connected them to the East China Sea region, giving them a unique vantage point on the region's changes and making them a useful lens through which to view and understand those transformations. In this book, Gregory Smits marshals his expertise to canvass the environmental, political, and social history of this fascinating area, emphasizing the diversity of influences from China, Japan, and Korea that have shaped it. Smits begins by tracing the islands' early history from the time of the oldest extant human remains, through massive inflows of population from Japan, until the emergence of a centralized state in the sixteenth century. He then traces the development of the Ryukyu Kingdom from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, illustrating its defining cultural forms and the ways they were shaped by Chinese and Japanese influences. Finally, Smits ushers readers to the modern era, from the end of the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1879 through WWII, the era of American military control, and on to the present. He concludes with their present-day status as a tourist destination affected by ongoing geopolitical, economic, and environmental challenges. Synthesizing decades of research, this book is an indispensable, comprehensive guide to the islands' history for scholars and nonspecialists alike"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| LCCN | 2025018547 |
| ISBN | 9780226843193 hardcover |
| ISBN | 022684319X hardcover |
| ISBN | 9780226843216 paperback |
| ISBN | 0226843211 paperback |
| ISBN | electronic book |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | New Books | DS895 .R95 S646 2025 | ✔ Available | Want This? |