Inamura Kenpu

Born: 1894
Died: 1978

Inamura Kenpu was a scholar of Ryukyuan culture and history.

Originally from Miyako Island, Inamura published on a number of themes, including village life in "ancient" Ryukyu, and the significant presence of wakô (maritime brigands, smugglers) in early Ryukyuan history.

Like others of his time, he assumed that complex political entities in Okinawa (the chiefdoms of aji lords based at gusuku fortresses) emerged primarily internally - from the people of the islands themselves - and were supported first and foremost by agriculture, as was the dominant theory for state development in Japan and many other parts of the world. However, Inamura complicated this story, notably arguing that the wakô or others from Japan played a significant role in stimulating or effecting these developments. Scholars such as Gregory Smits today argue for a reconceiving of Ryukyuan history, based primarily in the latter - the role of maritime trade and power-holders - rather than in agriculture.

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References

Gregory Smits, Early Ryukyuan History: A New Model, Univ. of Hawaii Press (2024), 31-32.