1879: assimilation of the Ryukyu Islands

General discussion on 1879.
Post Reply
TheWanderingJewels
Posts:20
Joined:Thu Dec 29, 2016 2:52 am
1879: assimilation of the Ryukyu Islands

Post by TheWanderingJewels » Fri Aug 11, 2017 1:42 pm

I stumbled across this information while doing a bit of research. "n 1879, the Meiji government announced the annexation of the Ryukyus, establishing it as Okinawa Prefecture and forcing the Ryukyu king to move to Tokyo." As this is the time of The Empire of Japan, it might get some mention perhaps on the Telegraph or a paper. Also given that magicks come back. it might change the dynamics of the area a bit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryukyu_Islands

In 1879, Japan declared its intention to annex the Ryukyu Kingdom. China protested and asked former U.S. President Ulysses Grant, then on a diplomatic tour of Asia, to intercede. One option considered involved Japan annexing the islands from Amami Island north, China annexing the Miyako and Yaeyama islands, and the central islands remaining an independent Ryukyu Kingdom. When the negotiation eventually failed, Japan annexed the entire Ryukyu archipelago.[25] Thus, the Ryukyu han was abolished and replaced by Okinawa Prefecture by the Meiji government. The monarchy in Shuri was abolished and the deposed king Shō Tai (1843–1901) was forced to relocate to Tokyo. In compensation, he was made a marquis in the Meiji system of peerage.[26]


The last King Shō Tai
Hostility against mainland Japan increased in the Ryukyus immediately after its annexation to Japan in part because of the systematic attempt on the part of mainland Japan to eliminate the Ryukyuan culture, including the language, religion, and cultural practices. Japan introduced public education that permitted only the use of standard Japanese while shaming students who used their own language by forcing them to wear plaques around their necks proclaiming them "dialect speakers." This increased the number of Japanese language speakers on the islands, creating a link with the mainland. When Japan became the dominant power of the Far East, many Ryukyuans were proud of being citizens of the Empire. However, there was always an undercurrent of dissatisfaction for being treated as second class citizens.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_o ... yu_Islands

Slimcreeper
Posts:1061
Joined:Mon Nov 28, 2016 11:44 pm

Re: 1879: assimilation of the Ryukyu Islands

Post by Slimcreeper » Sat Aug 12, 2017 12:14 pm

Are you setting a game there? That would be pretty cool.

TheWanderingJewels
Posts:20
Joined:Thu Dec 29, 2016 2:52 am

Re: 1879: assimilation of the Ryukyu Islands

Post by TheWanderingJewels » Sat Aug 12, 2017 10:48 pm

considering it. or at least using it as a point for a adventure. The local instability would make things....interesting

User avatar
Andrew1879
Posts:376
Joined:Sun Nov 27, 2016 2:41 pm

Re: 1879: assimilation of the Ryukyu Islands

Post by Andrew1879 » Sat Aug 12, 2017 11:38 pm

Oh so very much so. And it plays into the themes of colonialism and cultural assimilation that the game world is dealing with. I'll let you in on a little bit from our plans for Japan, which are probably several years down the road, as we've got so many books already in the pipeline - the peasantry get the tech and the samurai class get the magic, with a few noteworthy exceptions that should be obvious to any student of Japanese history and culture. This reinforces the class warfare that eventually brought down the feudal civilization. If you do run this campaign, please post a discussion of it in the appropriate category..

Post Reply