A Study On The Stone Inscrptions Of Ryukyu Kingdom Period(1427-1877)

Stone inscriptions,as a special form of written record in existence,refer to the characters cast into ancient bronze vessels or engraved on different materials such as stone tablets,tombstones,lanterns,bell inscriptions and cook urns,which are important supplements to paper documents and of great significance to historical research.According to incomplete statistics,more than 300 stone inscriptions from the Ryukyu Kingdom period have been found in Okinawa alone.The period covers almost the entire Ryukyu Kingdom,from the first stone inscription in the record of Anguo Shan Shu Hua Mu in the second year of Xuande(1427)to the last stone inscription in the third year of Guangxu(1877),covering almost the entire period of the Ryukyu Kingdom.The content of the stone inscriptions includes the royal rule(external relations),economic development,cultural and educational promotion,religious culture,folk habits and other aspects of Ryukyu.Through the study of the king of Ryukyu to explain the way of governing the country;From the external relations to explore the relations between Ryukyu and China,Japan,Goryeo,and western countries such as Europe and America;From the economic development,irrigation,flood control,dredging,the introduction of sweet potatoes and afforestation,the agricultural situation of Ryukyu is reproduced.The inheritance of handmade skills in coin casting,pottery making,carving,paper-making,sundial and other aspects as well as bridge construction are discussed,so as to present the economic characteristics of Ryukyu.To summarize the construction process of Kume Village Confucian Temple,Shurijo Confucian Temple and Minglun Hall in Ryukyu from the promotion of culture and education,and to promote the positive change of social atmosphere in Ryukyu,which is consistent with the reputation of "a state of propriety";From the perspective of religious culture,it focuses on the Buddhism,Taoism and local religious beliefs in Ryukyu,reflecting the diversified features of local religious beliefs.From the folk habits of Ryukyu to study the exorcism of evil customs,fengshui culture and burial customs,show the customs of Ryukyu.The stone inscriptions during the Ryukyu Kingdom are typical historical documents with large volume,long time span and wide scope.Digging the historical materials and textual research value of stone inscriptions can play a certain role in revising and supplementing the handed down documents,and can also explore the artistic value of stone inscriptions from the perspective of sculpture and calligraphy,providing a new perspective for the study of the history of Ryukyu Kingdom.At the same time,the stone inscriptions during the Ryukyu Kingdom period have two remarkable features,which not only present the general situation of the social and historical changes of the Ryukyu Kingdom,but also a considerable part of the stone inscriptions show the extensive and profound cultural connotation of China.Through analysis,it can truly reveal the influence of Chinese culture on the history and social development of Ryukyu,verify the friendly relations between China and Ryukyu,grasp the development context of the spread and integration of Chinese culture in Ryukyu,as well as the tolerance of Ryukyu to Chinese culture,and then call on the academic circles of China and Japan to speed up efforts to rescue and protect the stone inscriptions of Ryukyu Kingdom,to provide more comprehensive historical data support for further research.