A few interesting things of note: The poisonous snakes referenced in the video are the Golden Habu also known as a pit viper. Habusu is a local alcoholic drink commonly served in Okinawa with the golden habu in the bottle of Awamori AKA island Sake(which is a dryer and stronger compared to Sake IMO) During the period of strong Ming and Ryukyu relations, a cultural exchange took place over many years were students were sent to study in the imperial academy and experts were sent to live in Okinawa to help improve the economy. Also, the Ming gifted many ships to the Okinawans to increase the volume of trade they could conduct with Chins Before the ban on Okinawans owning weapons was strictly enforced in 1608 an earlier ban was created in the late 15th century (but does not seem to have been enforced)
Awesome vid and as Rio Palma said - very similar to what occured to the Philippines. Went to Okinawa a couple years ago and loved it - will be back once this COVID period is over
Dear friend,you were really blessed to have known your Great-Grandfather.My last Great-Grandmother on my late mother Rosemary,s side was Miss Victoria Penier.Called Vicky for short,she died 5 years,and 3 months before I was born.So,you were truly blessed to have known your Great-Grandparent,my friend.A couple of my older cousins were lucky to have known her as little kids.
yoshi lorak I met my great great grandmother. She wasn’t of Okinawan descent. She was German. She lived to be 90. I have an old photo of me, my mother, my grandmother, her father (my great grandfather) and his mother (great great grandmother)
Okinawa language -> Uchi na guchi, they say a dialectic, but Japanese treat us like Taiwan, we not part of Japan, but we are part of there territory... and very few peolple still use the origial langue or know about Okinawa culture, in Tokyo we like so little okinawa gin. Good times anyways nice to know someone talk about Okinawa.
I knew a baachan that spoke uchi na guchi. Its funny how different okinawajin look from mainland japanese. Thats not even mentioning the smaller islands like miyakojima, where i lived for 6 months
@@wynnhorton1208 cchhheeiiii.... racist, you went to a Black or hispanic i bet, because you think all we Okinawa people know each other, and there no ranks bettewn us, good to know in your youth you where judging a Okinaea SHŪ.
@Jacky Phantom well okinawan be like native americans in USA, not related to Europeans or Asians, even they look asian, but nah, they just think they there own shiee, that why uchinaguchi sounds so rare to Japanese, and nothing in common except writing to chinese, Hajimeteyatai, sound like Hajimemashite, but deferent meaning, in Okinawa Language It means Hello welcome had a good day... Hajimemashite is a way to introduce yourself,not greeting... kimonos are related, yeah, because it was a luxury from Shimazu, but for Okinawa regulars, they use something like a karate suit, but not that heavy and women usally naked of use like a bikini or long see threw clothe. Old times, miss them.
Not sure about that, I got family over there, and they all seem to claim to be Japanese.. only the older people such as my Grandmother knows the Okinawan language... It is strange to have a younger (Japanese/Okinawan) cousin that is fluent in English and translate what other family/friends that only know Japanese to me.. but when it comes to the older generation Okinawan which sometimes would sing and play their sanshin, singing in Okinawan language, even the younger "native" Gen would also have NO idea what they are saying, which I found strange.. My cousin said to me in English, "I don't even know what he is saying, it is in Okinawan".. So for that moment we were all mostly in the same boat when It came to the language barrier.. strange feeling..
Ryukyu has a really interesting culture, their native culture is very distinctive and eventually closely adopted Confucian customs, their fashion and architecture's also really interesting. Their robes, food, and palaces almost look like a Chinese- Japanese fusion. Their tortouise tombs are also very fascinating, as it combines Confucian ancestor worship with local traditions.
Ali Ay many of them were immigrants from Ming China, that’s why pre-Japanese occupation the ryukyan built tombs in Chinese Fujianese styles but during imperial Japanese invasion, hundreds of thousands of Ruyukyans were massacred, today, most “ryukyans” are actually Japanese migrants from modern eras.
waterfox721 Pre-Japanese colonisation, the Japanese were the minorities on the islands of ryukyu. The Chinese migrants held power in the courts of ryukyu and were very influential.
@@hwasiaqhan8923 They are actually mixed, many famous Japanese artists such as Takeshi Kaneshiro，Kousuke Atari，Yui Aragaki，Yukie Nakama，Namie Amuro all have ryukyan blood.
3rd Gen Okinawan here! My Grandmother was born there in 41' during the war.. Several of her older brothers died do to being in the middle of the conflict.. She met my US Grandfather there on the mid 60s.. he was a drill Sargent stationed there at the time.. They then married there and moved to a US base in Tokyo, where my Aunt and Dad were born.. Then out of all places they moved to Wisconsin in 68', where my Dad eventually met my mother in the 1980s, then in 1990 I was born, and here I am! I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the beautiful island and the people/family of Okinawa!
Okinawans hate the USA, don't you know it? They want to remove US bases in Okinawa to somewhere outside Okinawa. It's utterly funny your claim as if Okinawa beings to China or Taiwan.
@@Funica11Okinawans don't hate USA they just want their land back. After WWII many countries were given their lands back but not Okinawa instead 80% of all US bases (stationed in Japan) are on Okinawa. Many people don't realize Japan annexed Okinawa in late 1800's. Edit: I wrote the wrong percentage.
@@taiyoutamaki1872 You’d better google “コザ暴動” and see how Okinawans hated the dominations by America, wanted to return to Japan. Tokyo has a problem yet it doesn’t mean Okinawa is China or Ryukyu. It’s sad that the riot in the police station two weeks ago by younger people in Koza, which is Okinawa city today, still reminds me of a huge scar and humiliation caused by the rule of America. Okinawa needs normalisation as a prefecture in Japan, not Ryukyu.
Nice vid on ryukyu islands. My father's family were from the islands. I remember he told me that the islands kingdom were heavily influenced by the chinese before japanese took over it. We still have some chinese looking artifacts that passed down from our ancestors.
I think it's really cool that you made a video about Okinawa. I used to live there years ago because I'm from a military family and I miss the island so much. It's honestly the best place I've been to.
@rifqimujahid4907 sorry it took 2 years for you to get an explanation. Mugen is one of the main characters from the anime Samurai Champloo. His home islands are the Ryuku islands. According to him, it's a tropical island south of Japan's mainland that consists of fugitives and criminals.
Fantastic video on Okinawa! Out of all history channels, yours inspired me the most to start my own history channel! I hope you don’t mind, but I loved your map intro presentation so much that I adopted it myself. Thank you for all the terrific and extremely educational content! You’re by far my favorite channel! Keep up the great work!
I lived in Okinawa for 4 years and married an Okinawan. “History of an Island People” by Kerr really got it right. Such a beautiful place. Great video.
I grew up in Okinawa in the 70s. for 2 years when my dad was in the Air Force. It was the best time of my life I want to return there someday. I will always have a part of Asian culture influence on my life because of Okinawa..I hope to visit it one day.
Brilliant video, thanks ! Dare I might add interesting additional info concerning China : after the Chinese Ming dynasty was overthrown (to which the Ryukyu Kingdom was a tributary state), the expanding Qing dynasty replaced it. It also demanded tribute from the Ryukyu kingdom, which was approved by the Tokugawa Shogunate in order to maintain good relations with China. The Ryukyu therefore technically stayed a tributary state to China until it was fully annexed by Japan. Great work :)
You might want to check your facts regarding whether the Qing empire “demanded” Ryukyu to be a tributary state, or whether that was voluntary due to a it being a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Great video, but something was a bit lacking. You failed to mention: -how they became the Daimyo of Japan, -sailed to America by island hopping through Siberia, -converted to the Aztec religion and reformed the said religion, -made the Native Americans their shoguns (which confused Columbus that he had reached "Cipanggu"), -and, finally, conquered the whole world.
@@welp4576 I remember that being the case. The Ryukyu would grab the land in central America, wait for the Spanish to arrive, and start westernising - getting technology like muskets etc. from their european neighbors. Nahuatl religion should help the war economy with morale boost for armies and loss of unrest. Be advised, I've never done anything remotely similar to world conquest : )
I was on Okinawa for parts of 1971 and 1972. I was a Marine cannoneer on the 155 Howitzer stationed at Camp Hague. I was there during the transition from U.S. control to Japanese control of the island. The people of Okinawa are a proud and friendly people, and they were not happy to be transitioned to the Japanese government. I’m curious how they feel today, over 50 years have passed since the change.
Fun fact: In the Okinawan language (Uchinaanchu), "karate" is actually pronounced "kara-tee" like how many Americans _"mispronounce"_ it, ironically enough. "Te" is hands in *_Japanese._* "Ti" is hands in Okinawan. People correcting me with "kara-te" always annoy me because of this. I'm Okinawan.
whether Okinawa today should be a part of Japan, China, or become an independent nation is an issue that still has not been resolved. It will probably be revisited in the far future
My great grandmother was born on Okinawa in the late 1860’s. I remember her because of the tattoos she had. Married women had hand tattoos before the Japanese occupiers band the practice. My mother lost her father, three brothers and most of her nursing school classmates during the war.
I was just looking up the history of the Ryukyu kingdom in order to feed my fantasy of the Ancient Aztecs somehow getting a hold of Japanese military and weapons knowledge. The way this just happen to pop up on my feed as I was wrapping up my research is freighting and at the same time titillating.
With three kingdoms the power balance can be maintained over a long period, because when one of the three gets too powerful the other two will unite to fight back, the same military dynamics won't work with only two kingdoms, with multiple kingdoms more than three the most powerful one doesn't get as much attention to unite the rest of the kingdoms, so a balance is much harder to maintain
China never invaded Ryukyu Kingdom, but rather just traded with them. China only claimed Taiwan but never the Ryuku Kingdom. Ryuku Kingdom was invaded and demolished by the Japanese.
I've read that karate was developed with the help of banned weapons. Do you know it was true whether karate was developed by the poor or was it mostly the rich noble people that learnt karate?
it was developed from parts of chinese kung fu/wing chun styles. the current name "karate" was an attempt by the imperial japanese government to hide that fact
Great video! Do you know anything about the 5 men who arranged for a ship (or more) of pigs to be sent to Okinawa in the early 1900s to save the island's population from completely disappearing? My children's great-great grandfather was one of those 7 men. I understand they are celebrated every so often, with a descendant of each one in attendance each time. My husband's cousin went as the representative a few years ago.
Those Chinese who lived on Okinawa before Japanese occupation were descended from people of Fujian ethnic origin whose spoken language sounded very similar to Japanese.
I’m Hokkien and sorry Hokkien is not an ethnicity we are Han Chinese. And yes, Hokkien and Japanese words have many similarities more so than mandarin.
Fujian has many dialect groups, those who had interaction with Okinawans were not southern min/Hokkiens but mostly the residents from northern part of of coastal fujian such as the eastern min and northern min speakers.
Okinawa is technically the dispatching point of East Asia during times of war, which is why the US military bases still occupy parts of the island to this day.
Hey man love your channel! I love this video because 1. It is a great video and 2. My mom is from the ryukyu islands so I am biased as well lol. The ryukyu islands has some pretty interesting history so I love it when it is talked about in depth.
As a Shorin Ryu karateka, I am especially interested in this island culture. If you look around, you can find an image of many students training at Shuri castle in times gone by.
Very nice video, but the idea that jungle soil is unsuitable for agriculture has already been disproven. It's just not adequate for modern agriculture that involves deforesting and farming for financial benefit.
during the second world war, a quarter of the native liuqiu Ryukyu natives were killed by the Japanese, yet in this video the author called the Chinese as invader, what a total distortion of history to say the least
I am 4th generation Okinawan in Hawaii, I did my DNA and found out my Mom's side is from Siberia Russia, my paternal grandma born 1893 in Okinawa had blue eyes, she died 101. I am an Okinawan-Messianic-Jewish- Rabbi going to be 70yrs. old. I am an Author of 4 books on Amazon, and retired Broadcaster in Radio and TV. I do Stand Up Comedy as Shlomo Miyagi "The Unemployed Comic"
As someone who found out through a DNA test that they are indigenous Japanese (ryukyun) this is exciting!!! I always knew I was half Japanese, but my family didn’t even know that we are indigenous
If we only get 2 kingdoms, it will usually end up into a long stalemate and short conflict cycle. Fun only starts when there is a shit-stirrer keeps flip-flopping to upset the balance... And if there is more than three, it is too hard to form a fun narrative including all the powers as conflicting main characters, instead, we create a "hero" power like Qin (Warring States period of China) or Oda (Sengoku period of Japan).😂
You know, I have been watching your show for a long time, and seen everything you have made until now! You make videos nobody else is making about, and that is cool and speciell about you! But if you make videos about kingdom of Okinawa, kingdom of Armenia and so on, why did not you ever made video about kingdom of Georgia???
I'm pretty sure there is a mistake at th-cam.com/video/rKUI-j3iIo0/w-d-xo.html. I speak neither ancient Chinese nor Japanese, but today, 南島 reads Nándǎo, which doesn't sound close to either "ryukyu" or "liuqiu", and which literally means "southern island". And those islands do not seem to be on the south of the Tang dynasty territory, so I don't see why they would call them that... (btw, in modern mandarin, 南島 refers to the South Island of New Zealand). The Ryukyu islands are written "琉球", which reads "Liúqiú". So it seems that "ryukyu" comes from "琉球" and not "南島". I suppose that's pretty unimportant here, but I prefer to point it out. (also, "ryukyu" is technically not transliterated from "liuqiu", but transliterated from its pronunciation in ancient chinese)
This is an excellent history of Okinawa, Epimethius! Much that I didn’t even know! I really hope you get to cover more islands. I’d love to see videos on: Hispaniola Cuba Malta Crete Cyprus Zanzibar Sri Lanka Taiwan Hokkaido The Aleutians New Zealand Hawaiian Islands
Funny thing is the Japanese also called ryukyans “大明人” or people of great Ming. So when the ryukyan envoys went to japan to pay tributes they imagine its the Chinese who’s paying them tributes. But I wouldn’t doubt that the ryukyans might have referred themselves as 大明人 anyway.
poortaiwanese This Jacky dude literally went silence after a few days of constant debate with me, probably because he realised the despair to win an argument with invalid points.
Jacky Phantom I have that issue as well, it’s because of sensitive words in your comment that TH-cam would auto delete your comment, do some research before you speak for once.
poortaiwanese Dont mind him, he’s actually an ethnic minority in Vietnam that praises the Malay culture, he’s also really butt hurt about the Han Chinese’s conquest of southern China from 2000 years ago lmao.
Although I am Korean, I am interested in Okinawa or the Ryukyu Kingdom as a person from the same Japanese-controlled country. I wish the Ryukyu Kingdom had been an independent country.
Before Sambyeolcho (Goryeo) migration, Okinawa entered premitive farming nation. After the introduction of Goryeo culture & technology, castles and buildings suddenly appear with Goryeo style and by Goryeo crafters. This is well proven by archaeological findings. Don't get it wrong. It doesn't mean Ryuku was Koreanic, but just saying Koreans did take huge role with Ryuku kingdon.
Since Okinawa was a kingdom, its culture is different from mainland Japan, but Okinawans are genetically descendants of the Jomon people, the same as mainland Japanese people. (Okinawa people, Yamato, and Ainu all have the same Jomon gene haplogroup D.) Okinawans are a people from the southern Kyushu region of Japan (a southern tribe called the Satsuma Hayato). It has also been determined that the Okinawan language is derived from the ancient Jomon language. And don't forget that China is targeting Okinawa. There are Chinese people pretending to be Okinawans in the comments here.
My father was stationed in Okinawa. So, i spent my junior and senior year of high school there. The island is beautiful. The people there are easy going, pleasant. Sr Class trip: Japan.
@@EpimetheusHistory fact 101: during my time i had a lot of interaction with the locals and based on my experience they hate the marines well the americans in general as much as the mainlanders
Don't conveniently left out the % that US military is contributing to Okinawa. US took 20% of the best land but they only contribute 5% to the economy and 95% of the crime. Violent, rape etc are mostly done by the US soldiers. Japanese never treats Okinawan as part of the Japanese. Ask Rob Kajiwara if you want to know more
A few interesting things of note:
The poisonous snakes referenced in the video are the Golden Habu also known as a pit viper. Habusu is a local alcoholic drink commonly served in Okinawa with the golden habu in the bottle of Awamori AKA island Sake(which is a dryer and stronger compared to Sake IMO)
During the period of strong Ming and Ryukyu relations, a cultural exchange took place over many years were students were sent to study in the imperial academy and experts were sent to live in Okinawa to help improve the economy. Also, the Ming gifted many ships to the Okinawans to increase the volume of trade they could conduct with Chins
Before the ban on Okinawans owning weapons was strictly enforced in 1608 an earlier ban was created in the late 15th century (but does not seem to have been enforced)
Do Guam next
habu shabu awamori
You misspelled Philippines.
not sure if it was LiuQiu or LauKau
琉球
Awesome vid and as Rio Palma said - very similar to what occured to the Philippines. Went to Okinawa a couple years ago and loved it - will be back once this COVID period is over
My great grandfather is Okinawan. He lived to be 97 and he even saw and spoke to my first born sons.
Wow so he was a great great grandfather
Okinawans are famous for their longevity. In Hawaiʻi, where I live, there are many people of Okinawan descent who have lived to be over 100 years old.
Dear friend,you were really blessed to have known your Great-Grandfather.My last Great-Grandmother on my late mother Rosemary,s side was Miss Victoria Penier.Called Vicky for short,she died 5 years,and 3 months before I was born.So,you were truly blessed to have known your Great-Grandparent,my friend.A couple of my older cousins were lucky to have known her as little kids.
yoshi lorak I met my great great grandmother. She wasn’t of Okinawan descent. She was German. She lived to be 90. I have an old photo of me, my mother, my grandmother, her father (my great grandfather) and his mother (great great grandmother)
There must be something in the water in Okinawa
Okinawa language -> Uchi na guchi, they say a dialectic, but Japanese treat us like Taiwan, we not part of Japan, but we are part of there territory... and very few peolple still use the origial langue or know about Okinawa culture, in Tokyo we like so little okinawa gin. Good times anyways nice to know someone talk about Okinawa.
I knew a baachan that spoke uchi na guchi. Its funny how different okinawajin look from mainland japanese. Thats not even mentioning the smaller islands like miyakojima, where i lived for 6 months
@@wynnhorton1208 cchhheeiiii.... racist, you went to a Black or hispanic i bet, because you think all we Okinawa people know each other, and there no ranks bettewn us, good to know in your youth you where judging a Okinaea SHŪ.
@Jacky Phantom well okinawan be like native americans in USA, not related to Europeans or Asians, even they look asian, but nah, they just think they there own shiee, that why uchinaguchi sounds so rare to Japanese, and nothing in common except writing to chinese, Hajimeteyatai, sound like Hajimemashite, but deferent meaning, in Okinawa Language It means Hello welcome had a good day... Hajimemashite is a way to introduce yourself,not greeting... kimonos are related, yeah, because it was a luxury from Shimazu, but for Okinawa regulars, they use something like a karate suit, but not that heavy and women usally naked of use like a bikini or long see threw clothe. Old times, miss them.
@@ああ-m5r9o ええ。。。 そですか？
Not sure about that, I got family over there, and they all seem to claim to be Japanese.. only the older people such as my Grandmother knows the Okinawan language... It is strange to have a younger (Japanese/Okinawan) cousin that is fluent in English and translate what other family/friends that only know Japanese to me.. but when it comes to the older generation Okinawan which sometimes would sing and play their sanshin, singing in Okinawan language, even the younger "native" Gen would also have NO idea what they are saying, which I found strange.. My cousin said to me in English, "I don't even know what he is saying, it is in Okinawan".. So for that moment we were all mostly in the same boat when It came to the language barrier.. strange feeling..
Ryukyu has a really interesting culture, their native culture is very distinctive and eventually closely adopted Confucian customs, their fashion and architecture's also really interesting. Their robes, food, and palaces almost look like a Chinese- Japanese fusion. Their tortouise tombs are also very fascinating, as it combines Confucian ancestor worship with local traditions.
Robes? You mean ushinchi bingata? I happen to own some myself, i love to wear them.
Ali Ay many of them were immigrants from Ming China, that’s why pre-Japanese occupation the ryukyan built tombs in Chinese Fujianese styles but during imperial Japanese invasion, hundreds of thousands of Ruyukyans were massacred, today, most “ryukyans” are actually Japanese migrants from modern eras.
Okinawan migrated from mainland japan in the around 6th or 7th century. The descendant of ming china also exist, but they are minority.
waterfox721 Pre-Japanese colonisation, the Japanese were the minorities on the islands of ryukyu. The Chinese migrants held power in the courts of ryukyu and were very influential.
@@hwasiaqhan8923 They are actually mixed, many famous Japanese artists such as Takeshi Kaneshiro，Kousuke Atari，Yui Aragaki，Yukie Nakama，Namie Amuro all have ryukyan blood.
3rd Gen Okinawan here! My Grandmother was born there in 41' during the war.. Several of her older brothers died do to being in the middle of the conflict.. She met my US Grandfather there on the mid 60s.. he was a drill Sargent stationed there at the time.. They then married there and moved to a US base in Tokyo, where my Aunt and Dad were born.. Then out of all places they moved to Wisconsin in 68', where my Dad eventually met my mother in the 1980s, then in 1990 I was born, and here I am! I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the beautiful island and the people/family of Okinawa!
We share a similar story!!
I ended up in Kansas :^)
Okinawans hate the USA, don't you know it? They want to remove US bases in Okinawa to somewhere outside Okinawa. It's utterly funny your claim as if Okinawa beings to China or Taiwan.
@@Funica11Okinawans don't hate USA they just want their land back. After WWII many countries were given their lands back but not Okinawa instead 80% of all US bases (stationed in Japan) are on Okinawa. Many people don't realize Japan annexed Okinawa in late 1800's.
Edit: I wrote the wrong percentage.
@@taiyoutamaki1872
You’d better google “コザ暴動” and see how Okinawans hated the dominations by America, wanted to return to Japan. Tokyo has a problem yet it doesn’t mean Okinawa is China or Ryukyu. It’s sad that the riot in the police station two weeks ago by younger people in Koza, which is Okinawa city today, still reminds me of a huge scar and humiliation caused by the rule of America. Okinawa needs normalisation as a prefecture in Japan, not Ryukyu.
I was raised in the US but am half Okinawan on my mom's side and have been trying to reconnect with my culture, this video has been so helpful!
My great grandma was Okinawan. She passed almost two years ago, I never understood why she didn’t like us saying we were Japanese. Now I understand
Nice vid on ryukyu islands. My father's family were from the islands. I remember he told me that the islands kingdom were heavily influenced by the chinese before japanese took over it. We still have some chinese looking artifacts that passed down from our ancestors.
没有地名冲绳，是琉球。
Okinawan were related to Austronesian people.
@@isaacbauman8174ok massage lady Ryukyu or Okinawa whatever
Thank you for making this video.
I am half Okinawan and it is always a welcoming sight to see new media of Okinawa's culture and history.
there is no place name Okinawan, it is Ryukyu.
I lived in okinawa for 2 years. Met an old lady whi knew uchinaguchi. The old language.was awesome
I think it's really cool that you made a video about Okinawa. I used to live there years ago because I'm from a military family and I miss the island so much. It's honestly the best place I've been to.
Dorvall Bedford you right homie- I had to end up moving back
Did you learn any Japanese while on Okinawa ?
there is no place name Okinawan, it is Ryukyu.
I’ve been living in Okinawa for the last two years & I love it here. Great video!
Thank you! Make sure to visit the ruined castles while you are there, they are pretty cool :)
Epimetheus absolutely! So much history here. I was able to see the rebuilt Shuri Castle before it burned down. But it’s slowly being rebuilt again!
So this is where Mugen comes from.
was looking for this cmt
Right?? That's what I thought!
His tanned fair skin and wild hair gave it away for me. He was underrated, like the Ainu Archer from another episode
i dont get it anyone care to explain?
@rifqimujahid4907 sorry it took 2 years for you to get an explanation. Mugen is one of the main characters from the anime Samurai Champloo. His home islands are the Ryuku islands. According to him, it's a tropical island south of Japan's mainland that consists of fugitives and criminals.
Thank you for another great video. Your handcrafted art and unique topics make your channel my favorite on TH-cam.
Thank you Cory I appreciate it :)
the ryukyuans sing high pitched music just like neighboring hokkien chinese music but they add a rural japanese feel to it
I wouldn't say they are "neighboring"
@@thomasliu7308 lol look at a map and the definition of "neighboring"
@@xXxSkyViperxXx If you're referring to the southern ryukyuan islands and Taiwan, yes
@@thomasliu7308 ur neighbors arent only directly adjacent to you...
America, Taiwan, China want to make it China, you always claim Okinawa is a part of China but Okinawans hate it, do you know it?
Fantastic video on Okinawa!
Out of all history channels, yours inspired me the most to start my own history channel!
I hope you don’t mind, but I loved your map intro presentation so much that I adopted it myself.
Thank you for all the terrific and extremely educational content! You’re by far my favorite channel! Keep up the great work!
Awesome man! Thanks
I will check out your channel tonight
Blessings for your endeavor! :) Just subscribed.
glad to see my home get some spotlight, thank you!
I lived in Okinawa for 4 years and married an Okinawan. “History of an Island People” by Kerr really got it right. Such a beautiful place. Great video.
I grew up in Okinawa in the 70s. for 2 years when my dad was in the Air Force. It was the best time of my life I want to return there someday. I will always have a part of Asian culture influence on my life because of Okinawa..I hope to visit it one day.
This is the exact same for me except I lived there for 4 years from 2012-2016. I am trying my best to study so I can live there once again.
@@fizzycube3 Have you learned any Japanese while lived in Okinawa ?
@@MT-qo6xl i learned some, just minimal conversation (I was a kid so I just wanted to play outside haha) but now I have learned much more
Ryukyu Three Mountains Achievement!
*World conquest intensifies*
three mountains yes
Ryukyu... the Kingdom I first learned about when I played Europa Universalis IV
Your art is getting a lot better
Should have used sanshin music in the background!
I knew nothing of Okinawan history. Great topic!
Brilliant video, thanks ! Dare I might add interesting additional info concerning China : after the Chinese Ming dynasty was overthrown (to which the Ryukyu Kingdom was a tributary state), the expanding Qing dynasty replaced it. It also demanded tribute from the Ryukyu kingdom, which was approved by the Tokugawa Shogunate in order to maintain good relations with China. The Ryukyu therefore technically stayed a tributary state to China until it was fully annexed by Japan.
Great work :)
Great comment :)
@Jacky Phantom stupid ass can't read nor think lol. Stuck with ur 200 years history in America LMAO
China is a vassal country of the Qing Dynasty.
@@권현운 Wasn't Korea as well? It goes unsaid but whenever China got fucked up by steppe nomads, it kinda meant that Korea did, too.
You might want to check your facts regarding whether the Qing empire “demanded” Ryukyu to be a tributary state, or whether that was voluntary due to a it being a mutually beneficial arrangement.
4:24
“As external threats diminished, internal strife increased.” Oh humanity... how did we last this long?
Through sheer stubbornness
Great video, but something was a bit lacking. You failed to mention:
-how they became the Daimyo of Japan,
-sailed to America by island hopping through Siberia,
-converted to the Aztec religion and reformed the said religion,
-made the Native Americans their shoguns (which confused Columbus that he had reached "Cipanggu"),
-and, finally, conquered the whole world.
I dont get the reference.
@@MrHanderson91 There's an achievement in the computer game Europa Universalis for conquering world as Ryukyu.
That’s true? I know the last part is an eu4 reference but did they covert to azted
Przemysław Lipiński eu4
@@welp4576 I remember that being the case. The Ryukyu would grab the land in central America, wait for the Spanish to arrive, and start westernising - getting technology like muskets etc. from their european neighbors. Nahuatl religion should help the war economy with morale boost for armies and loss of unrest.
Be advised, I've never done anything remotely similar to world conquest : )
If an east asian culture hasn't had a "multiple kingdoms period" is it even a real east asian culture ?
Preach
To be honest off topic but the majority of African history has been a “multiple kingdoms period”
@@長谷川恒男 bro you're gonna get censored if you keep speaking truth lmao
China ✓
Japan ✓
Korea ✓
Vietnam ✓
Ryukyu ✓
@@EricZu-r1y you forgoted mongolia
Finally a good Okinawa video!
Just would like to point out I have a new video on the topic and it goes into a bit more detail. If anyone is interested in the topic stop by!
Thanks, got it. will have a look!😎✨
I was on Okinawa for parts of 1971 and 1972. I was a
Marine cannoneer on the 155 Howitzer stationed at Camp Hague. I was there during the transition from U.S. control to Japanese control of the island. The people of Okinawa are a proud and friendly people, and they were not happy to be transitioned to the Japanese government. I’m curious how they feel today, over 50 years have passed since the change.
American has no right to "transition" a country to Japan aka an enemy they nuked.
Ikue Asazaki song Obokuri piqued my interest in Okinawa/the Ryukyu Kingdom and learning the story behind them makes me enjoy the song all the more
Ryukyu needs more provinces in EU4!
Fun fact: In the Okinawan language (Uchinaanchu), "karate" is actually pronounced "kara-tee" like how many Americans _"mispronounce"_ it, ironically enough.
"Te" is hands in *_Japanese._* "Ti" is hands in Okinawan. People correcting me with "kara-te" always annoy me because of this. I'm Okinawan.
This is Interesting, as i'm MC i am currently living in okinawa As a US-Citizen and me and my Brother have been studying There History!
whether Okinawa today should be a part of Japan, China, or become an independent nation is an issue that still has not been resolved. It will probably be revisited in the far future
Definitely not China, their culture is too different
it should be independent, just like the ainus. they should have a nation state
@@mitonaarea5856 why? without Japan where will their economy, standard of living, and resources come from?
@@NoCareBearsGiven Why this sounds like you're implying they are heavily relying on Japan?
@@cloudynguyen6527 that is exactly what im implying
My great grandmother was born on Okinawa in the late 1860’s. I remember her because of the tattoos she had. Married women had hand tattoos before the Japanese occupiers band the practice. My mother lost her father, three brothers and most of her nursing school classmates during the war.
Such a beautiful island!
Ryukyu is totally different country from Japan. Why is Japan still colonizing Ryukyu? It should be an independent country
The Kingdom of Ryukyu will live forever in the 3 mountains and in the eternal pain that it caused to me. And we need more provinces to ryukyu.
Okinawan history is really interesting. I'm currently stationed on the island and have been wanting to learn more about Okinawan people and culture.
can you do history of sultanate of johor
Thought you was Alex the rambler
@@guddud4980 :-)
@@sasaikha7385 carry on and I'll shit the bed
gud dud big fans of TH-camrs put their pfp the same
Or similar
My whole family comes from Okinawa, nice to see a video about it
Ryukyu independence!
This is the best video on the history of Okinawa that I’ve seen. I love your narrative style. Happy to be a subscriber.
I was just looking up the history of the Ryukyu kingdom in order to feed my fantasy of the Ancient Aztecs somehow getting a hold of Japanese military and weapons knowledge. The way this just happen to pop up on my feed as I was wrapping up my research is freighting and at the same time titillating.
Very interesting video! I lived there as a dependent kid, 1959-1962. I enjoyed our time there, and have always wanted to go back.
What is with all the Three Kingdoms periods in Eastern Asia?
With three kingdoms the power balance can be maintained over a long period, because when one of the three gets too powerful the other two will unite to fight back, the same military dynamics won't work with only two kingdoms, with multiple kingdoms more than three the most powerful one doesn't get as much attention to unite the rest of the kingdoms, so a balance is much harder to maintain
My dear man, could you ever possibly do a video on the Ikko Ikki?
I... I did not expect those ducks.
China never invaded Ryukyu Kingdom, but rather just traded with them. China only claimed Taiwan but never the Ryuku Kingdom. Ryuku Kingdom was invaded and demolished by the Japanese.
I've read that karate was developed with the help of banned weapons. Do you know it was true whether karate was developed by the poor or was it mostly the rich noble people that learnt karate?
it was developed from parts of chinese kung fu/wing chun styles. the current name "karate" was an attempt by the imperial japanese government to hide that fact
Thanks. I've been to Okinawa a bunch of times in my 20 year career with the Marine Corps.
Great video! Do you know anything about the 5 men who arranged for a ship (or more) of pigs to be sent to Okinawa in the early 1900s to save the island's population from completely disappearing? My children's great-great grandfather was one of those 7 men. I understand they are celebrated every so often, with a descendant of each one in attendance each time. My husband's cousin went as the representative a few years ago.
My time spent on Okinawa will be a forever cherished memory
Those Chinese who lived on Okinawa before Japanese occupation were descended from people of Fujian ethnic origin whose spoken language sounded very similar to Japanese.
I’m Hokkien and sorry Hokkien is not an ethnicity we are Han Chinese.
And yes, Hokkien and Japanese words have many similarities more so than mandarin.
Fujian has many dialect groups, those who had interaction with Okinawans were not southern min/Hokkiens but mostly the residents from northern part of of coastal fujian such as the eastern min and northern min speakers.
Okinawa is technically the dispatching point of East Asia during times of war, which is why the US military bases still occupy parts of the island to this day.
*Mugen was from Okinawa you know*
A I ohhh yesss 🥰
thats how i ended up here lol
Patrick Star out here educating us all
Can you do the History of Jeju since it has a nearly simple independent history from Korea as Okinawa is to Japan?
Okinawa is just like Korea under Japanese imperialism.
There are eight US military installations on Okinawa main island, not 32. Still, this comprises about a third of the total land area of the island.
This is really minor, but the spelling of Philippines is incorrect at 0:52. Philippines is supposed to be spelled with one L and two Ps 😊
:)
Hey man love your channel! I love this video because 1. It is a great video and 2. My mom is from the ryukyu islands so I am biased as well lol. The ryukyu islands has some pretty interesting history so I love it when it is talked about in depth.
Good video! Great drawings! Did not know karate started there....
Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid. WW2 Medal of Honor 442nd. US Army.
Wow I already knew some of the history with Ryukyu but rarely got an in depth knowledge about it.
Japan's Hawaii, they have their own language too. Apparently a Stitch anime takes place there too
Yup. Yuna and Stitch.
As a Shorin Ryu karateka, I am especially interested in this island culture. If you look around, you can find an image of many students training at Shuri castle in times gone by.
And the viper is also called the Temple Viper, I believe.
2:10 which Chinese Dynasty was this?
Very nice video, but the idea that jungle soil is unsuitable for agriculture has already been disproven. It's just not adequate for modern agriculture that involves deforesting and farming for financial benefit.
I’m related to the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom so this was great to find out the history. Thanks!
No, you don’t.
@@Funica11 man stfu u nobody. U don’t know if I am or not. If u don’t like what somebody said then leave
during the second world war, a quarter of the native liuqiu Ryukyu natives were killed by the Japanese, yet in this video the author called the Chinese as invader, what a total distortion of history to say the least
You say all Okinawan victims at wwii were killed by Japanese while US armies were just standing there?
top kek
I am 4th generation Okinawan in Hawaii, I did my DNA and found out my Mom's side is from Siberia Russia, my paternal grandma born 1893 in Okinawa had blue eyes, she died 101. I am an Okinawan-Messianic-Jewish- Rabbi going to be 70yrs. old. I am an Author of 4 books on Amazon, and retired Broadcaster in Radio and TV. I do Stand Up Comedy as Shlomo Miyagi "The Unemployed Comic"
This was a really good and informative quick video.
Thank you :)
As someone who found out through a DNA test that they are indigenous Japanese (ryukyun) this is exciting!!!
I always knew I was half Japanese, but my family didn’t even know that we are indigenous
Very interesting video, I knew nothing about the history of Okinawa
Is it just me or do East Asian countries have a thing for splitting up into a oddly specific number of warring kingdoms?
The rule of three seems to be a big thing with them, I guess that explains why it's called Fire emblem THREE houses
If we only get 2 kingdoms, it will usually end up into a long stalemate and short conflict cycle. Fun only starts when there is a shit-stirrer keeps flip-flopping to upset the balance... And if there is more than three, it is too hard to form a fun narrative including all the powers as conflicting main characters, instead, we create a "hero" power like Qin (Warring States period of China) or Oda (Sengoku period of Japan).😂
You know, I have been watching your show for a long time, and seen everything you have made until now! You make videos nobody else is making about, and that is cool and speciell about you! But if you make videos about kingdom of Okinawa, kingdom of Armenia and so on, why did not you ever made video about kingdom of Georgia???
I'm pretty sure there is a mistake at th-cam.com/video/rKUI-j3iIo0/w-d-xo.html. I speak neither ancient Chinese nor Japanese, but today, 南島 reads Nándǎo, which doesn't sound close to either "ryukyu" or "liuqiu", and which literally means "southern island". And those islands do not seem to be on the south of the Tang dynasty territory, so I don't see why they would call them that... (btw, in modern mandarin, 南島 refers to the South Island of New Zealand).
The Ryukyu islands are written "琉球", which reads "Liúqiú". So it seems that "ryukyu" comes from "琉球" and not "南島".
I suppose that's pretty unimportant here, but I prefer to point it out.
(also, "ryukyu" is technically not transliterated from "liuqiu", but transliterated from its pronunciation in ancient chinese)
free Ryukyu island! FREE RYUKYU! ISLAND!
This is an excellent history of Okinawa, Epimethius! Much that I didn’t even know!
I really hope you get to cover more islands.
I’d love to see videos on:
Hispaniola
Cuba
Malta
Crete
Cyprus
Zanzibar
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Hokkaido
The Aleutians
New Zealand
Hawaiian Islands
New Zealand?! That's where I am!
Literally the Welsh of the Pacific…
*Three Mountains intensify*
Free Okinawan 😢😢😢
aight guys ima go for Three Mountains, wish me luck
Funny thing is the Japanese also called ryukyans “大明人” or people of great Ming. So when the ryukyan envoys went to japan to pay tributes they imagine its the Chinese who’s paying them tributes.
But I wouldn’t doubt that the ryukyans might have referred themselves as 大明人 anyway.
poortaiwanese This Jacky dude literally went silence after a few days of constant debate with me, probably because he realised the despair to win an argument with invalid points.
Jacky Phantom I have that issue as well, it’s because of sensitive words in your comment that TH-cam would auto delete your comment, do some research before you speak for once.
Jacky Phantom And I did reply you, I still see my last comment, unless you can’t see it for some reason, like you don’t know what to say lmao.
poortaiwanese Dont mind him, he’s actually an ethnic minority in Vietnam that praises the Malay culture, he’s also really butt hurt about the Han Chinese’s conquest of southern China from 2000 years ago lmao.
Jacky Phantom Lol no one cares about you conquered sheep. Keep comforting yourself.
Epimetheus, can you please make a video on the Malacca Sultanate. Please accept my request.
Not just malacca, kedah also
Shah Rizal Let's see if Epimetheus will consider that.
Although I am Korean, I am interested in Okinawa or the Ryukyu Kingdom as a person from the same Japanese-controlled country. I wish the Ryukyu Kingdom had been an independent country.
My second home ❤
Good video.
Before Sambyeolcho (Goryeo) migration, Okinawa entered premitive farming nation. After the introduction of Goryeo culture & technology, castles and buildings suddenly appear with Goryeo style and by Goryeo crafters. This is well proven by archaeological findings.
Don't get it wrong. It doesn't mean Ryuku was Koreanic, but just saying Koreans did take huge role with Ryuku kingdon.
Okinawa ...the place where you meet nice and cool people.. great awesome places..great food .... " OKINAWA truly a great and best place to stay!...
Since Okinawa was a kingdom, its culture is different from mainland Japan, but Okinawans are genetically descendants of the Jomon people, the same as mainland Japanese people. (Okinawa people, Yamato, and Ainu all have the same Jomon gene haplogroup D.) Okinawans are a people from the southern Kyushu region of Japan (a southern tribe called the Satsuma Hayato). It has also been determined that the Okinawan language is derived from the ancient Jomon language. And don't forget that China is targeting Okinawa. There are Chinese people pretending to be Okinawans in the comments here.
My father was stationed in Okinawa. So, i spent my junior and senior year of high school there. The island is beautiful. The people there are easy going, pleasant. Sr Class trip: Japan.
Great video!!! Our brand is Based here on Okinawa and Love exploring every inch this beautiful place has to offer.
Your videos cover such interesting topics, especially ones that aren’t always on the face of historical coverage. This was fantastic, thank you.
lol we have a duck named Bobalou i was stationed there till 2018 and the duck been feeding at the chowhall for decades now
That is awesome! Good Duck name
@@EpimetheusHistory fact 101: during my time i had a lot of interaction with the locals and based on my experience they hate the marines well the americans in general as much as the mainlanders
Free Ryukyu
Three mountains
Don't conveniently left out the % that US military is contributing to Okinawa. US took 20% of the best land but they only contribute 5% to the economy and 95% of the crime. Violent, rape etc are mostly done by the US soldiers. Japanese never treats Okinawan as part of the Japanese. Ask Rob Kajiwara if you want to know more
Rob Kajiwara is BS. I was grown up in an Okinawan neighbourhood in Osaka and they are all ordinary Japanese like me.
Very informative thank you! It would definitely help to add regional back ground music if you can find some but the visuals were good!