Ryūkyū Domain

was a domain of Japan in the area of Okinawa Prefecture at the Pacific edge of the East China Sea.See Kerr, George H. (1953). Ryukyu Kingdom and Province before 1945.

History
In 1609, Japanese forces invaded the Ryūkyū Kingdom.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ryūkyū Islands," Japan Encyclopedia, p. 801; Fassbender, Bardo et al. (2012).  The Oxford Handbook of the History of International Law, p. 483.  After this, the Ryukyuan kings were forced to pay annual tribute to the Shimazu clan of Satsuma Province.

After the Meiji Restoration, the kingdom was replaced by the Ryūkyū Domain which existed from 1872 through 1879.Matsumura, Wendy. (2007).  Becoming Okinawan: Japanese Capitalism and Changing Representations of Okinawa, p. 38; excerpt, "March 27, 1879 marks the birth of Okinawa Prefecture and the death of the short-lived Ryukyu domain, which itself came into being on September 14, 1872, replacing the Ryukyu kingdom."

In 1879, Okinawa Prefecture was established.Nussbaum,  "Okinawa-ken," pp. 746-747.

Shrines and Temples
Naminoue Shrine was the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of the Ryukyu Islands.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, p. 127.  In 1890, the shrine was recognized in the system of State Shinto.  It is among the ranked, nationally significant shrines or  which includes five sanctuaries. List of Kankokuheisha (官国幣社), p. 3 ; retrieved 2012-8-26.

Related pages
 Provinces of Japan
 Prefectures of Japan
 List of regions of Japan
 List of islands of Japan

References

Other websites 

  Murdoch's map of provinces, 1903

Category:Former provinces of Japan
Category:Okinawa Prefecture