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48-441: The island, 247.77 km (95.66 sq mi) in area, has a population of approximately 27,000. The island is divided into three administrative towns : Tokunoshima , Isen , and Amagi . The largest population center on the island is the town of Kametsu, located along the eastern shore of the island within the administrative town of Tokunoshima. Much of the island is within the borders of Amami Guntō National Park . The island

96-519: A European resident in a protectorate. But the kingdom was not considered as part of any han (fief): up until the formal annexation of the islands and abolition of the kingdom in 1879, the Ryukyus were not truly considered de jure part of Edo Japan. Though technically under the control of Satsuma, Ryukyu was given a great degree of autonomy, to best serve the interests of the Satsuma daimyō and those of

144-516: A prominent feature in the ocean off the northeastern coast of the island. The neighboring islands of Amami Ōshima, Kakeromajima , Yoroshima , Ukejima to the northeast and Okinoerabujima to the southwest are all visible from the island. On exceptionally clear days, the twin volcanoes of Iōtorishima , in Okinawa Prefecture , can be seen to the west. The island falls within a subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion . Although Tokunoshima

192-455: A show of parading the King, officials, and other people of Ryukyu to and through Edo. As the only han to have a king and an entire kingdom as vassals, Satsuma gained significantly from Ryukyu's exoticness, reinforcing that it was an entirely separate kingdom. According to statements by Qing imperial official Li Hongzhang in a meeting with Ulysses S. Grant , China had a special relationship with

240-499: A town is contained within a district . The same word (町; machi or chō ) is also used in names of smaller regions, usually a part of a ward in a city. This is a legacy of when smaller towns were formed on the outskirts of a city, only to eventually merge into it. Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a tributary state of imperial Ming China by

288-416: Is also important, as is tourism and some light manufacturing. The port of Kametoku, located adjacent to Kametsu in the administrative town of Tokunoshima, has regular ferry service to the towns of Naze on Amami and Wadomari on Okinoerabu. From Amami, the ferry continues to Kagoshima. From Okinoerabu, the ferry continues to Yoron and Okinawa. Ferries exist to Kobe as well. The smaller port of Hetono, in

336-564: Is known for having the highest birth rates in Japan as well as a significant population of supercentenarians (people living significantly beyond the age of 100). Tokunoshima is the second largest island in the Amami islands, after Amami Ōshima , and the 15th largest island in Japan. It is more generally included within the Satsunan and Ryukyu archipelagos. Isolated from the other Amami islands, Tokunoshima

384-415: Is located halfway between Amami Ōshima and Okinoerabujima . The island is of volcanic origin with a length of approximately 25 kilometers (16 mi) and width of 18 kilometers (11 mi). Most of the administrative towns of Tokunoshima and Amagi are covered in mountains and rolling hills, with Mount Inokawadake at 645 meters (2,116 ft) above sea level as the island's highest peak. Mount Amagidake in

432-494: Is subject to frequent typhoons . Tokunoshima is home to several rare species endemic to the island itself or more generally to the Amami islands. The Amami rabbit is found only on Tokunoshima and Amami Ōshima and is listed as endangered. The Amami rabbit is sometimes called a living fossil because it represents an ancient Asian lineage that has elsewhere disappeared. Also endangered is the Tokunoshima spiny rat , found only on

480-545: Is subtropical, it receives sufficient rainfall that it has rainforests. Much of the island remains covered in laurel forests , although many areas have been extensively cleared for agriculture. There are many caves on the island, the longest of which measures 2,052 meters (6,732 ft) and is located in the area of Isen. The climate of Tokunoshima is classified as a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ) with very warm summers and mild winters. The rainy season lasts from May through September. The island

528-670: The Imperial Academy in Beijing, and formally recognized the authority of the King of Chūzan, allowing the kingdom to trade formally at Ming ports. Ryukyuan ships, often provided by China, traded at ports throughout the region, which included, among others, China, Đại Việt (Vietnam), Japan, Java , Korea , Luzon , Malacca , Pattani , Palembang , Siam , and Sumatra . Japanese products—silver, swords, fans, lacquerware , folding screens —and Chinese products—medicinal herbs, minted coins, glazed ceramics, brocades, textiles—were traded within

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576-542: The Ryukyu Kingdom . The island was invaded by samurai from Satsuma Domain in 1609 and its incorporation into the official holdings of that domain was recognized by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1624. Satsuma rule was harsh, with the inhabitants of the island reduced to serfdom and forced to raise sugar cane to meet high taxation, which often resulted in famine. In a famine in 1755, some 3000 islanders perished. Saigō Takamori

624-670: The Ryukyuan monarchy , who unified Okinawa Island to end the Sanzan period , and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands and Sakishima Islands . The Ryukyu Kingdom played a central role in the maritime trade networks of medieval East Asia and Southeast Asia despite its small size. The Ryukyu Kingdom became a vassal state of the Satsuma Domain of Japan after the invasion of Ryukyu in 1609 but retained de jure independence until it

672-457: The 720s. Starting in the 11th century, Tokunoshima was the primary producer of a grey stoneware called Kamui ware that has been found in hundreds of archaeological sites throughout the Ryukyu Islands and southern Kyūshū . Several archaeological sites where Kamui ware was produced have been found on the island. These sites are now national historic sites. Until 1624, Tokunoshima was part of

720-656: The Ming imperial palace. Emperor Yongle said that the boys who were castrated were innocent and did not deserve castration, and he returned them to Ryukyu, and instructed the kingdom not to send eunuchs again. These three principalities (tribal federations led by major chieftains) battled, and Chūzan emerged victorious. The Chūzan leaders were officially recognized by Ming dynasty China as the rightful kings over those of Nanzan and Hokuzan, thus lending great legitimacy to their claims. The ruler of Chūzan passed his throne to King Hashi; Hashi conquered Hokuzan in 1416 and Nanzan in 1429, uniting

768-561: The Qing any reason for military action against Japan, the king was released two years later and the Ryukyu Kingdom regained a degree of autonomy. However, the Satsuma domain seized control over some territory of the Ryukyu Kingdom, notably the Amami-Ōshima island group, which was incorporated into the Satsuma domain and remains a part of Kagoshima Prefecture, not Okinawa Prefecture. The kingdom

816-576: The Ryukyu Kingdom to aid in his campaign to conquer Korea . If successful, Hideyoshi intended to then move against China. As the Ryukyu Kingdom was a tributary state of the Ming dynasty , the request was refused. The Tokugawa shogunate that emerged following Hideyoshi's fall authorized the Shimazu family — feudal lords of the Satsuma domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture )—to send an expeditionary force to conquer

864-425: The Ryukyu Kingdom would thrive as a key player in maritime trade with Southeast and East Asia. Central to the kingdom's maritime activities was the continuation of the tributary relationship with Ming dynasty China, begun by Chūzan in 1372, and enjoyed by the three Okinawan kingdoms which followed it. China provided ships for Ryukyu's maritime trade activities, allowed a limited number of Ryukyuans to study at

912-607: The Ryukyus. The subsequent invasion took place in 1609, but Satsuma still allowed the Ryukyu Kingdom to find itself in a period of "dual subordination" to Japan and China, wherein Ryukyuan tributary relations were maintained with both the Tokugawa shogunate and the Chinese court. Occupation occurred fairly quickly, with some fierce fighting, and King Shō Nei was taken prisoner to Kagoshima and later to Edo (modern-day Tokyo). To avoid giving

960-612: The Satsuma daimyō , and the shogunate—to make Ryukyu seem as much a distinctive and foreign country as possible. Japanese were prohibited from visiting Ryukyu without shogunal permission, and the Ryukyuans were forbidden from adopting Japanese names, clothes, or customs. They were even forbidden from divulging their knowledge of the Japanese language during their trips to Edo; the Shimazu family, daimyōs of Satsuma, gained great prestige by putting on

1008-481: The Satsuma domain, with the blessing of the Tokugawa shogunate, used the trade relations of the kingdom to continue to maintain trade relations with China. Considering that Japan had previously severed ties with most European countries except the Dutch , such trade relations proved especially crucial to both the Tokugawa shogunate and Satsuma domain, which would use its power and influence, gained in this way, to help overthrow

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1056-531: The accompanying preferential treatment of the Ming Court towards Ryukyu, allowed the kingdom to flourish and prosper for roughly 150 years. In the late 16th century, however, the kingdom's commercial prosperity fell into decline. The rise of the wokou threat among other factors led to the gradual loss of Chinese preferential treatment; the kingdom also suffered from increased maritime competition from Portuguese traders . Around 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked

1104-541: The end of the 15th century, and by 1571 the Amami Ōshima Islands, to the north near Kyūshū , were incorporated into the kingdom as well. While the kingdom's political system was adopted and the authority of Shuri recognized, in the Amami Ōshima Islands, the kingdom's authority over the Sakishima Islands to the south remained for centuries at the level of a tributary - suzerain relationship. For nearly two hundred years,

1152-399: The flight continuing to Okinawa) by Japan Airlines and Japan Air Commuter . The main highway on the island is Kagoshima Prefecture Highway 80, which traverses the island from Tokunoshima Airport and Amagi to Kametsu and then follows the southeastern coast of the island to Isen. From Isen, Highway 83 crosses the southeast area of the island to Amagi. Highway 629 follows the northern coast of

1200-515: The island and much of the island's culture revolves around the bullfights. Because of the importance of tōgyū , Tokunoshima's mascot and main icon is a tōgyū bull. The economy of the island revolves around agriculture, primarily the growth of sugar cane . Sweet potatoes , rice , ginger , and tropical fruit such as mangoes , papaya , and bananas are also grown. Sugar cane is processed at several factories into brown sugar and at several distilleries into brown sugar shōchū . Commercial fishing

1248-453: The island and the Ryukyu had paid tribute to China for hundreds of years, and the Chinese reserved certain trade rights for them in an amicable and beneficial relationship. Japan ordered tributary relations to end in 1875 after the tribute mission of 1874 was perceived as a show of submission to China. In 1872, Emperor Meiji unilaterally declared that the kingdom was then Ryukyu Domain . At

1296-419: The island from Tokunoshima Airport to the village of Kedoku. Highway 617 is an inland route between Kametsu and the village of Itokina, while Highway 618 connects Kedoku to the village of Matsubara through the village of Todoroki. Tokunoshima is a popular tourist destination. Hiking is discouraged because of the habu snake, but the mountain trails are exotic and beautiful. The beaches are also quite stunning, and

1344-439: The island of Okinawa for the first time, and founded the first Shō dynasty. Hashi was granted the surname "Shō" (Chinese: 尚 ; pinyin: Shàng ) by the Ming emperor in 1421, becoming known as Shō Hashi (Chinese: 尚巴志 ; pinyin: Shàng Bāzhì ). Shō Hashi adopted the Chinese hierarchical court system, built Shuri Castle and the town as his capital, and constructed Naha harbor. When in 1469 King Shō Toku , who

1392-401: The island's coastline includes several notable natural landmarks. On the island's north coast, Mushiroze, a striking area of chiseled stone slabs set against the ocean, is a rare example of granite rock on a predominantly volcanic and coral island. The area is named for the way the flat stone slabs resemble mushiro , a Japanese term for woven straw mats. Cape Inutabu, the westernmost point of

1440-485: The island, features a stunning ocean view and a memorial, built in April 1968, to the Japanese battleship Yamato and her escorts, which were sunk near Tokunoshima during the final stages of World War II. Another notable seaside attraction is Innojofuta, an area of jagged, eroded coral rock with dramatic ocean vistas. At Innojofuta, a distinctive pair of eroded windows in the rock known as Megane-Iwa (Spectacles Rock) overlooks

1488-407: The island. Several bird species endemic to Tokunoshima and Amami Ōshima, such as Lidth's jay , are also found. The island is also home to the venomous habu snake . The presence of habu has kept the forests on the island largely unvisited and more rugged areas relatively untouched. It is uncertain when Tokunoshima was first settled. It is mentioned in the ancient Japanese chronicle Nihon Shoki in

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1536-672: The kingdom for Southeast Asian sappanwood , rhino horn, tin , sugar, iron, ambergris , Indian ivory , and Arabian frankincense . Altogether, 150 voyages between the kingdom and Southeast Asia on Ryukyuan ships were recorded in the Rekidai Hōan , an official record of diplomatic documents compiled by the kingdom, as having taken place between 1424 and the 1630s, with 61 of them bound for Siam, 10 for Malacca, 10 for Pattani, and 8 for Java, among others. The Chinese policy of haijin ( 海禁 , "sea bans"), limiting trade with China to tributary states and those with formal authorization, along with

1584-563: The kingdom in 1392, during the Hongwu emperor 's reign. Many Ryukyuan officials were descended from these Chinese immigrants, being born in China or having Chinese grandfathers. They assisted the Ryukyuans in advancing their technology and diplomatic relations. On 30 January 1406, the Yongle Emperor expressed horror when the Ryukyuans castrated some of their own children to become eunuchs to serve in

1632-414: The language has now largely been supplanted by standard Japanese. The Tokunoshima words for "thank you," oboradaren (Tokunoshima and Amagi towns) and oboradanii (Isen town) are widely known even among Japanese speakers. Tokunoshima is known for tōgyū , a Japanese style of bullfighting in which human coaches encourage bulls with locked horns to push each other out of a ring. Tōgyū is a major event on

1680-463: The north has a height of 533 meters (1,749 ft). The administrative town of Isen along the southwestern slope of the island is more flat, with fertile soil suitable for agriculture. The coast of the island is largely rugged and rocky with small sandy beaches scattered throughout as well as a series of large cliffs on the southwest edge of the island. The island is surrounded by a coral reef . A series of large offshore rocks known as Tonbura Rocks are

1728-530: The ocean. Much of the island is included within Amami Guntō National Park, established in 2017 (replacing Amami Guntō Quasi-National Park, established in 1974). List of towns in Japan A town (町; chō or machi ) is a local administrative unit in Japan . It is a local public body along with prefecture ( ken or other equivalents) , city ( shi ) , and village ( mura ) . Geographically,

1776-465: The same time, the appearance of independence was maintained for diplomatic reasons with Qing China until the Meiji government abolished the Ryukyu Kingdom when the islands were incorporated as Okinawa Prefecture on 27 March 1879. The Amami-Ōshima island group which had been integrated into Satsuma Domain became a part of Kagoshima Prefecture . The last king of Ryukyu was forced to relocate to Tokyo , and

1824-488: The shogunate in the 1860s. Ryukyuan missions to Edo for Tokugawa Shōgun . The Ryukyuan king was a vassal of the Satsuma daimyō , after Shimazu's Ryukyu invasion in 1609, the Satsuma Clan established a governmental office's branch known as Zaibankaiya (在番仮屋) or Ufukaiya (大仮屋) at Shuri in 1628, and became the base of Ryukyu domination for 250 years, until 1872. The Satsuma Domain's residents can be roughly compared to

1872-461: The shogunate, in trading with China. Ryukyu was a tributary state of China, and since Japan had no formal diplomatic relations with China, it was essential that China not realize that Ryukyu was controlled by Japan. Thus, Satsuma—and the shogunate—was obliged to be mostly hands-off in terms of not visibly or forcibly occupying Ryukyu or controlling the policies and laws there. The situation benefited all three parties involved—the Ryukyu royal government,

1920-522: The south. The local cuisine of the island combines standard Japanese fare with Okinawan dishes such as goya chanpurū . A popular musical instrument on the island is the sanshin , an Okinawan relative of the Japanese shamisen , and the Okinawan folk dance eisa is practiced. The indigenous language of the island, the Ryukyuan language called Tokunoshima , is known on the island as sïmagucï or, in Japanese, shimaguchi ("island language"). However,

1968-557: The town of Amagi, has ferries to Kagoshima and to Setouchi on Amami. When waves are too strong on the Pacific side of the island, where Kametoku is located, the Kametoku ferries will instead land at Hetono port. Small ports primarily used by fishing or sightseeing boats exist elsewhere along the shoreline. Tokunoshima Airport , located in Amagi, is connected to Kagoshima, Amami, and Okinoerabu (with

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2016-487: The use of Tokunoshima to the United States as a relocation site for Marine Corps Air Station Futenma , leading to widespread protests and opposition from local officials. A protest against this plan in 2010 drew 16,000 people, more than half of the island's population. Tokunoshima has a culture that reflects a mix of Japanese and Ryukyuan influences, with much influence from the neighboring Amami islands and from Okinawa to

2064-587: Was transformed into the Ryukyu Domain by the Empire of Japan in 1872. The Ryukyu Kingdom was formally annexed and dissolved by Japan in 1879 to form Okinawa Prefecture , and the Ryukyuan monarchy was integrated into the new Japanese nobility . In the 14th century, small domains scattered on Okinawa Island were unified into three principalities: Hokuzan ( 北山 , Northern Mountain) , Chūzan ( 中山 , Central Mountain) , and Nanzan ( 南山 , Southern Mountain) . This

2112-470: Was a grandson of Shō Hashi, died without a male heir, a palatine servant declared he was Toku's adopted son and gained Chinese investiture. This pretender, Shō En , began the Second Shō dynasty. Ryukyu's golden age occurred during the reign of Shō Shin , the second king of that dynasty, who reigned from 1478 to 1526. The kingdom extended its authority over the southernmost islands in the Ryukyu archipelago by

2160-565: Was adjacent to the major port of Naha , and Kume-mura, the center of traditional Chinese education. These sites and Chūzan as a whole would continue to form the center of the Ryukyu Kingdom until its abolition. Many Chinese people moved to Ryukyu to serve the government or to engage in business during this period . At the request of the Ryukyuan King, the Ming Chinese sent thirty-six Chinese families from Fujian to manage oceanic dealings in

2208-491: Was described by Hayashi Shihei in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu , which was published in 1785. In 1655, tribute relations between Ryukyu and Qing dynasty (the China's dynasty that followed Ming after 1644) were formally approved by the shogunate. This was seen to be justified, in part, because of the desire to avoid giving Qing any reason for military action against Japan. Since Ming China prohibited trade with Japan,

2256-576: Was exiled to Tokunoshima in 1862 for less than two months, before he was resentenced to harsher conditions on Okinoerabujima . After the Meiji Restoration it was incorporated into Ōsumi Province and later became part of Kagoshima Prefecture . Following World War II , with the other Amami Islands, it was occupied by the United States until 1953, at which time it reverted to the control of Japan. In 2006, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama offered

2304-482: Was known as the Three Kingdoms, or Sanzan ( 三山 , Three Mountains) period. Hokuzan, which constituted much of the northern half of the island, was the largest in terms of land area and military strength but was economically the weakest of the three. Nanzan constituted the southern portion of the island. Chūzan lay in the center of the island and was economically the strongest. Its political capital at Shuri , Nanzan

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