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貢進船図 第2尚氏時代、19c / 東京国立博物館 画像検索

Ryukyu Trade

Intermediary trade by Ryukyu in the 14th to 16th centuries conducted with China, Japan, Korea, and various Southeast Asian countries

Ryukyu trade was the foreign trade conducted by Ryukyu from the 14th through 16th centuries with China, Japan, Korea, and various Southeast Asian countries. When the Ming dynasty enforced a sea ban that drastically restricted maritime trade by Chinese businesses, Ryukyuan ships launched an intermediary trade in the southern seas and surrounding province, which allowed the Ryukyu Kingdom to flourish as a trading nation. Under tributary trade with Ming China, Ryukyu was guaranteed preferential treatment and acquired quality products, which supported active trade with Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asian states, including Siam, Annam, Malacca, Java, Palembang, Sumatra, and Luzon. Items such as dyes, spices, liquor, ivory, and tin were bought from Southeast Asia and sold to China and Japan, and Chinese silk textiles and pottery and Japanese swords were exported to Southeast Asia. This intermediary trade flourished thanks to the fully developed system of trade that involved the use of naturalized Chinese and large Chinese junks. This flourishing trade was possible because the Ryukyu Kingdom’s engagement in trade was at the foundation of its state policy. On the Bridge of Nations Bell hung in the main hall of Shuri Castle is an inscription that expressed the spirit of the kingdom in these words: “Through trade, we form a bridge between all nations.” However, when Chinese and Japanese traders began advancing their business southward and Portuguese and Spanish ships arrived around the mid-16th century, Ryukyu lost its advantageous position and its trade gradually fell into decline.

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References