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LUCHU ARCHIPELAGO (called also RIuKIu...

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 100 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LUCHU See also:

ARCHIPELAGO (called also RIuKIu, See also:Loo-exoo and L1uxru) , a See also:long See also:chain of islands belonging to See also:Japan, stretching from a point 8o m. S. of Kiushiu to a point 73 m. from the N.E. See also:coast of See also:Formosa, and lying between 24° and 30° N. and 123° and 130° E. See also:Japanese cartographers reckon the Luchu islands as 55, having a See also:total coast-See also:line of 768 m., an See also:area of 935 sq. m., and a See also:population of about 455,000. They See also:divide them into three See also:main See also:groups, of which the See also:northern is called Oshimashoto; the central, Okinawa-gunto; and the See also:southern, Sakishima-retto. The terms shoto, gunto and redo signify " archipelago," "cluster of islands" and "See also:string of islands" respectively. The last-named See also:group is subdivided into Miyako-gunto and Yayeyama-gunto. The See also:principal islands of these various groups are: See also:Oshima-shoto Amami-Oshima . . . 34 M. long and 17 M. broad Tokuno-shima . . 16 „ 81 Okinawa-gunto— Okinawa-shima(GreatLuchu)631 m. long and 141 M. broad Kume-shima 91 „ 71 Okinoerabu-shima 92 1 „ 5 Ihiya-shima 5 „ 21 Miyako-gunlo 12 M. broad Miyako-shima . . 121 M. long and Erabu-shima 41 31 „ Yayeyama-gunto Ishigaki-shima . . .

241 M. long and 141 M. broad Iriomoto-shima . . . . 141 „ 14 Yonakuni-shima . . . 71 31 The remaining islands of the archipelago are of very small See also:

size, although often thickly populated. Almost at the extreme See also:north of the chain are two islands with active volcanoes: Nakano-shima (3485 ft.) and Suwanose-shima (2697 ft.), but the remaining members of the group give no volcanic indications, and the only other See also:mountain of any size is Yuwan-dake (2299 ft.) in Amami-Oshima. The islands " are composed chiefly of Palaeozoic rocks—limestones and quartzites found in the See also:west, and See also:clay, See also:slate, See also:sandstone and See also:pyroxenite or See also:amphibolite on the See also:east. . . . Pre-See also:Tertiary rocks have been erupted through these. The See also:outer sedimentary See also:zone is of Tertiary rocks.” 1 The See also:capital is Shuri in Okinawa, an old-fashioned See also:place with a picturesque See also:castle. The more See also:modern See also:town of Nafa, on the same See also:island, possesses the principal See also:harbour and has considerable See also:trade. The scenery of Luchu is unlike that of Japan.

Though so See also:

close to the tropics, the islands cannot be said to See also:present tropical features: the See also:bamboo is rare; there is no high grass or tangled undergrowth; open plains are numerous; the trees are not crowded together; lakes are wanting; the See also:rivers are insignificant; and an unusual aspect is imparted to the scenery by numerous See also:coral crags. The temperature in Nafa ranges from a mean of 82° F. in See also:July to 6o° in See also:January. The See also:climate is generally (though not in all the islands) pleasant and healthy, in spite of much moisture, the rainfall being very heavy. The See also:fauna includes See also:wild boars and See also:deer, rats and bats. Excellent small ponies are kept, together with See also:cattle, pigs and goats. The See also:majority of the islands are infested with venomous See also:snakes called habu (Trimeresurus), which attain a length of 6 to 7 ft. and a See also:diameter of from 21 to 3 in. Their bite generally causes speedy See also:death, and in the island of Amami-Oshima they claim many victims every See also:year. The most important cultivated plant is the See also:sugar-See also:cane, which provides the principal See also:staple of trade. Luchu is noted for the See also:production of particularly durable See also:vermilion-coloured See also:lacquer, which is much esteemed for table utensils in Japan. The islands also manufacture certain fabrics which are considered a speciality. These are Riukiu-tsumugi, a See also:kind of See also:fine pongee; the so-called Satsuma-gasuri, a See also:cotton fabric greatly used for summer See also:wear; basho-fu, or See also:banana-See also:cloth (called also aka-basho), which is See also:woven from the fibre of a See also:species of banana; and hoso-jofu, a particularly fine hempen stuff, !la .e in Miyako-shima, and demanding such 1 See also:Note in See also:Geographical See also:Journal, xx., on S. Yoshiwara, " Raised Coral Reefs in the Islands of the Riukiu See also:Curve,” in Journ.

See also:

Coll. of See also:Science, See also:Imp. Univ., See also:Tokyo (1901).difficult processes that six months are required to weave and dye a piece 91 yds. long. See also:People.—Although the upper classes in Luchu and Japan closely resemble each other, there are palpable See also:differences between the See also:lower classes, the Luchuans being shorter and better proportioned than the Japanese; having higher foreheads, eyes not so deeply set, faces less flattened, arched and thick eyebrows, better noses, less marked cheek-bones and much greater hairiness. The last characteristic has been attributed to the presence of See also:Ainu See also:blood, and has suggested a theory that when the Japanese See also:race entered See also:south-western Japan from See also:Korea, they drove the Ainu northwards and southwards, one portion of the latter finding their way to Luchu, the other to See also:Yezo. See also:Women of the upper class never appear in public in Luchu, and are not even alluded to in conversation, but women of the lower orders go about freely with uncovered faces. The Luchu See also:costume resembles that of Japan, the only marked difference being that the men use two hairpins, made of See also:gold, See also:silver, See also:pewter or See also:wood, according to the See also:rank of the wearer. Men shave their faces until the See also:age of twenty-five, after which See also:moustache and See also:beard are allowed to grow, though the cheeks are kept See also:free from See also:hair. Their See also:burial customs are See also:peculiar and elaborate, and their large sepulchres, generally See also:mitre-shaped, and scattered all over the See also:country, according to See also:Chinese See also:fashion, See also:form a striking feature of the landscape. The See also:marriage customs are also remarkable. Preliminaries are negotiated by a middleman, as in See also:China and Japan, and the subsequent See also:procedure extends over several days. The See also:chief staple of the people's See also:diet is the sweet See also:potato, and pork is the principal luxury. An See also:ancient See also:law, still in force, requires each See also:family to keep four pigs.

In times of scarcity a species of See also:

sago (obtained from the Cycas revoluta) is eaten. There is a remarkable See also:absence of religious See also:influence in Luchu. Places of See also:worship are few, and the only See also:function discharged by Buddhist priests seems to be to officiate at funerals. The people are distinguished by gentleness, See also:courtesy and docility, as well as by marked avoidance of See also:crime. With the exception of See also:petty thefts, their Japanese administrators find nothing to punish, and for nearly three centuries no such thing as a lethal weapon has been known in Luchu. See also:Professor Chamber-lain states that the Luchuan See also:language resembles the Japanese in about the same degree as See also:Italian resembles See also:French, and says that they are See also:sister See also:tongues, many words being identical, others differing only by See also:letter changes which follow certain fixed analogies, and sentences in the one being capable of See also:translation into the other word for word, almost syllable for syllable. See also:History.—Tinsunshi," See also:Grandson of See also:Heaven," is the mythical founder of the Luchu See also:monarchy. Towards the close of the 12th See also:century his descendants were driven from the See also:throne by See also:rebellion, but the old See also:national party soon found a victorious See also:leader in Shunten, son of Tametomo, a member of the famous Minamoto family, who, having been expelled from Japan, had come to Luchu and married there. The introduction of the arts of See also:reading and See also:writing are assigned to Shunten's reign. Chinese invasions of Luchu may be traced back to A.D. 605, but they did not result in See also:annexation; and it was in 1372 that China first obtained from the Luchuans recognition of supremacy. Luchuan relations with Japan had long been friendly, but at the end of the 16th century the See also:king refused Japan assistance against Korea, and in 1609 the See also:prince of Satsuma invaded the islands with 3000 men, took the capital by See also:storm, captured the king and carried him off to Kagoshima.

A few years later he was restored to his throne on See also:

condition of acknowledging Japanese See also:suzerainty and paying See also:tribute. The Luchuans nevertheless continued to pay tribute to China also. The Chinese See also:government, however, though taking a benevolent See also:interest in the welfare of the islanders, never attempted to bring them under military sway. The incongruity of this See also:state of affairs did not force itself upon Japan's See also:attention so long as her own See also:empire was divided into a number of semi-See also:independent principalities. But in 1879 the Japanese government, treating Luchu as an integral See also:part of the See also:mikado's dominions, dethroned its prince, pensioned him as the other feudal chiefs had been pensioned, and converted Luchu into a prefecture under the name of Okinawa. This name signifies " extended rope," and alludes to the attenuated nature of the archipelago. China remonstrating, a See also:conference was held in See also:Peking, when plenipotentiaries of the two empires signed an agreement to the effect that the archipelago should be divided equally between the claimants. The Chinese government, however, refused to ratify this See also:compromise, and the Japanese continued their See also:measures for the effective See also:administration of all the islands. Ultimately 0895) Formosa also came into Japan's See also:possession, and her See also:title to the whole chain of islands ceased to be disputed. Though See also:Captain See also:Broughton, of H.M.S. " See also:Providence," was wrecked on Miyako-shima and subsequently visited Nafa in 1797, it was not till the " Alceste " and " See also:Lyra " expedition in 1816–1817, under Captains See also:Basil See also:Hall and See also:Murray See also:Maxwell, that detailed See also:information was obtained about Luchu. The people at that See also:time showed a curious mixture of courtesy and shyness.

From 1844 efforts were made by both See also:

Catholic (French) and See also:Protestant missionaries to Christianize them, but though hospitable they made it clear that these efforts were unwelcome. Further visits were made by See also:British vessels under Captain See also:Beechey (1826) and See also:Sir See also:Edward See also:Belcher (1845). The See also:American expedition under See also:Commodore M. C. See also:Perry (1853) added largely to knowledge of the islands, and concluded a treaty with the Luchuan government. See Basil Hall, See also:Account of a Voyage of See also:Discovery to the West Coast of Corea and the See also:Great Loo-choo Island (See also:London, 1818) ; See also:Comm. M. C. Perry, Narrative of the Expedition of an American See also:Squadron to the China Seas and Japan, 1852—1854 (See also:Washington, 1856); B. H. See also:Chamberlain, " The Luchu Islands and their Inhabitants," in the Geographical Journal, vol. v. (1895) ; " Contributions to a Bibliography of Luchu," in Trans.

See also:

Asiatic See also:Soc. Japan, See also:xxiv. (1896) ; C. S. Leavenworth, History of the Loo-choo Islands," Journ. China Br. Royal Asiatic Soc. See also:xxxvi. (1905).

End of Article: LUCHU ARCHIPELAGO (called also RIuKIu, Loo-exoo and L1uxru)

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