(Autumn Term 2007-08)

Mondays 14:40-16:10

Ryugakusei Center Room 110

1. Course objectives and methodology

This course is designed to give an overview of Okinawa’s history and cultural development from early times through to our present day. One-half of the course will cover the long history of the area through to its annexation by Japan in 1879, with the remainder covering the subsequent 127 years. Each lecture will be about 45-60 minutes in length, with the remainder left for discussion. Equipment permitting, audio-visual and other materials will be used. Although not required, it is advisable to take this overview course if you are intending to sign up for the second part of the course, tentatively entitled “Issues and Perspectives in Contemporary Ryukyu” in the Spring Term 2008.

2. Course contents

1. Constructing Okinawa - since course members come from different countries and different academic disciplines each will likely have a different amount of knowledge (if any) about Okinawa and its history. In this class we’ll collectively construct a mind map and then deal with some of the ideas isolated. We’ll return to this map at the end of the course.

2. Beginnings - there are different theories regarding the origins of Okinawa. On the one hand, we can look at scientific or geological evidence to see how land masses divided and islands formed. On the other, we can look at supernatural explanations. We’ll look at myths, especially the creation myth found in the Omoro Soshi, and at how this story has evolved and been utilized.

3. Community Formation - we’ll look at the earliest communities in Okinawa, and at how they evolved from hunter gatherer into Neolithic period culture. The Omoro Soshi provides insight into the first makyo, or consanguineous villages. We follow community development through to the rise of regional aji, the formation of the three principalities, and the gradual dominance of the central of these three: Chuzan.

4. Bringing the Mountain to the Country - Okinawa was on the verge of war. Chuzan chose an opportune moment to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty of China. Soon thereafter it became powerful enough to defeat its neighbors and unify Okinawa. Alignment with China brought economic prosperity via transit trade, rapid and broad cultural advances and territorial expansion into the Ryukyu archipelago. We’ll look at the writing of Takara Kurayoshi to examine the basis of tributary ties with China and to see how the system was operated and maintained.

5. Ryukyu Comes of Age - we’ll look at change within the new Ryukyu Kingdom in the aftermath of unification and tributary ties with China. This includes internal administrative reform and cultural change under the influence of China. We’ll also look in detail at the nature of the transit trade system that Ryukyu operated under China’s aegis.

6. Interlopers from the North - if Ryukyuan trade with China had not been profitable it’s debatable whether Shimazu of Satsuma would have paid attention to Ryukyu. That said, trade was not as profitable as it once had been. The number of destinations for Ryukyuan vessels in Southeast Asia decreased as the European presence increased. We’ll look at how Asia was changing, and particularly at Japan, in order to understand why Shimazu invaded and conquered Ryukyu.

7. Ryukyu under Satsuma - many Okinawans trace the history of unfair discrimination on Japan’s part from this point in history, arguing that Ryukyuans were punitively taxed and oppressively ruled. We’ll study arguments proponents of this theory advance and look at others that contest it. In terms of the economic, administrative, political and ideological dimensions we’ll study the writings of Sakihara Mitsugu, Matsuda Mitsugu and Gregory Smits.

8. Barbarians at the Gate - Japan’s Meiji Restoration and, resultantly, the annexation of Ryukyu, was precipitated by the arrival of the European powers and America. Should they and their ways be rejected or accepted? The latter view prevailed, Satsuma being pivotal to the process. We’ll look at the Meiji Restoration, the lead up to the annexation of Ryukyu, and at European and American contacts with Ryukyu and at their impressions of (and motivations for being in) the region.

9. The King is Dead. Long Live the Governor - we are primarily concerned here with the impacts of annexation. The Meiji Government’s aim of making all Japanese citizens good imperial subjects was going to be most difficult to achieve in Okinawa, for obvious reasons. We’ll examine post-Meiji economic, administrative and cultural change and Okinawa’s responses to Japan’s policies of assimilation (douka - “to make the same as”).

10. The Battle for Okinawa - the most devastating event in Okinawa’s history. The small island was laid waste, with more than 250,000 people dead. We’ll look at how and why war came to Okinawa, putting the campaign in the broader context of the Pacific War. *N.B. It may be necessary to extend (or schedule an extra class) this class so as to be able to view all the documentary footage.

11. The US Occupation: Administration, Economy and Land, 1945-58 - covers the first phase of the occupation, from aftermath of war to the end of stage 1 of military base construction. The focus is on the Treaty of Peace and Japan-US Security Treaty. We’ll also look at the structure of the Okinawan economy, at long-term US policy planning and at the so-called military land problem.

12. The US Occupation: Modernization, Vietnam and Cooperation, 1959-72 - the second phase of the US occupation was arguably less oppressive in nature than the first. During the Kennedy presidency the idea of Okinawa’s reversion was mentioned and then gradually pursued. Japan was allowed a greater role in Okinawan affairs, particularly in contributing financial aid. Clearly, the impact of the Vietnam War on Okinawa was great, in both positive and negative senses.

13. The Reversion of Okinawa to Japan in 1972 - the reversion of Okinawa to Japan was an enormous project several years in the making. It took significant planning on the part of the three parties involved. We’ll look at the diplomatic road to the realization of reversion, at the persons and organizations involved, and at the policies implemented.

14. The Post-Reversion Era - the US occupation ended, but in a great many respects little changed. Many felt that US military bases would be reduced, but they have not. After 1972, of course, Japanese military personnel arrived again. We’ll study administrative and political developments over the course of 35 years, including the renewed military base debate following the 1995 rape incident. We’ll also examine the structure of the Okinawan economy and analyze long-term socioeconomic development strategies.

15. Deconstructing Okinawa - now that we’ve spent 15 weeks studying Okinawa how do our ideas and impressions differ from what we arrived with? Is there anything we can draw from what we’ve studied? Do we have ideas about what developments might occur over the next decade or beyond?

3. Basic Reading Materials

Will be uploaded prior to the start of term.

4. Grading

To be announced. The method of evaluation will depend on the English abilities of class members.