Study On Ryukyu’s Maritime Trade With Southeast Asian Counties During The 15^th And 16Th Centuries

Though Ryukyu developed trade relations with countries in Southeast Asia earlier before 1372 when it became a tributary state of the Ming Chinese court (1368-1644), the trade between them did not flourish until the early 15th century during which the Ming government practiced the tributary system and the strict haijin policy("sea ban", the prohibition of maritime traffic). In addition, the Ming court also sent 36 Chinese families from Fujian and gave lots of ships to Ryukyu at the same time, helping it manage its oceanic deals and develop its marine transportation. Therefore, in the 15th and 16th centuries, Ryukyu had played a key role in trades between China, Japan, North Korea and the Southeast Asian countries by using its tributary relation with the Ming Dynasty. But later with the rapid growth of private maritime trade and commerce in China due to fall of the tributary system and the haijin policy in the late period of Jiajing Emperor’s reign (1521-1567) and the changes of trading system in East and Southeast Asia caused by colonial invasion, Ryukyu started to lose its importance in promoting trades between China, Japan and North Korea and countries in Southeast Asia.