Changes

Haniji, sometimes spelled Haneji, was the founder of the kingdom of [[Hokuzan]], one of three kingdoms which existed for a time on the island of [[Okinawa]]. He ruled Hokuzan from roughly [[1322]] to [[1395]].

Haniji, sometimes spelled Haneji, was the founder of the kingdom of [[Hokuzan]], one of three kingdoms which existed for a time on the island of [[Okinawa]]. He first appears in the documentary record in [[1383]],<ref>Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii Press (2019), 83.</ref> and is said to have ruled Hokuzan from roughly [[1322]] to [[1395]], a suspiciously (but not impossibly) long period.

In the early 14th century, there was no centralized political authority on Okinawa, just a loose confederation of local chieftains, of which Haniji was one, under a nominal head chieftain. The hereditary chief of [[Nakijin gusuku|Nakijin]], Haniji gathered the chieftains of the north of the island into alliance with him and formed the polity of Hokuzan (Northern Mountain) after [[Tamagusuku]] became head chieftain of the island. Tamagusuku lacked the political ability, charisma, or leadership skills to command the loyalty of the chiefs, and so a number sided with Haniji, while a number of the chiefs of the southern portion of the island sided with [[Ofusato]], chief of [[Ozato gusuku|Ozato]] and formed the polity of [[Nanzan]] (Southern Mountain), leaving Tamagusuku with the central portion of the island, and the polity known as [[Chuzan|Chûzan]] (Middle Mountain).

In the early 14th century, there was no centralized political authority on Okinawa, just a loose confederation of local chieftains, of which Haniji was one, under a nominal head chieftain. The hereditary chief of [[Nakijin gusuku|Nakijin]], Haniji gathered the chieftains of the north of the island into alliance with him and formed the polity of Hokuzan (Northern Mountain) after [[Tamagusuku]] became head chieftain of the island. Tamagusuku lacked the political ability, charisma, or leadership skills to command the loyalty of the chiefs, and so a number sided with Haniji, while a number of the chiefs of the southern portion of the island sided with [[Ofusato]], chief of [[Ozato gusuku|Ozato]] and formed the polity of [[Nanzan]] (Southern Mountain), leaving Tamagusuku with the central portion of the island, and the polity known as [[Chuzan|Chûzan]] (Middle Mountain).

==References==

==References==

*[[George Kerr|Kerr, George H.]] (2000). Okinawa: the History of an Island People. (revised ed.) Boston: Tuttle Publishing.

*[[George Kerr|Kerr, George H.]] (2000). Okinawa: the History of an Island People. (revised ed.) Boston: Tuttle Publishing.

==See also==

==See also==