The Ryukyus

The captivating story of the Ryukyu Islands, located to the south of the main Japanese islands, covers the rise and fall of a maritime kingdom and its enduring legacy. The Ryukyus, which include Okinawa, have a rich and complex history which contains influences from a variety of cultures, including China, Japan and Southeast Asia and dates back over 30,000 years. Once a major trading power in the region, they maintained a complex relationship with both China and Japan before being annexed by the