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According to traditional histories of the kingdom, the Miyako Islands were united under a single authority for the first time in the 14th century, when a figure named [[Meguro Mori]] defeated the [[Yonahabaru]] army under [[Sata Ubunto]], claiming control over the entire island group. Miyako is believed to have first begun sending tribute to Shuri in the 1390s, but without being controlled in any way by Shuri (i.e. the kingdom of [[Chuzan|Chûzan]], or the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]]) until after [[1500]].

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By the 1480s-1490s, however, the Miyakos were embroiled in violence between two clans known as the [[Nakasone family|Nakasone]] and [[Kaneshigawa family|Kaneshigawa families]] fighting for dominance; [[Oyake Akahachi]], a powerful leader from nearby [[Ishigaki Island]] attempted to take advantage of the chaos and disunity by invading the Miyakos and placing them under his control, but [[Nakasone Toyomiya|Nakasone Tuyumya Genga]], a great-great-grandson of Meguro Mori, not only fought off Akahachi's invasion, he even managed to go on to invade the Yaeyamas himself, seizing control of many of those islands before moving on to attack even [[Yonaguni Island]], the westernmost of the Ryukyu Islands.<ref>Kerr, 121.; "Oyake Akahachi." Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten (沖縄歴史人名事典, "Encyclopedia of People of Okinawan History"). Naha: Okinawa Bunka-sha, 1996. p18.; Shinzato, Keiji et al. Okinawa-ken no rekishi (History of Okinawa Prefecture). Tokyo: Yamakawa Publishing, 1996. p57.</ref> King [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]] of Shuri ~~then~~ sent forces to the Miyakos and Yaeyamas in [[1500]] to quell this fighting and to bring peace and civilization to the islands. In the official histories produced by the kingdom, Nakasone Tuyumya is celebrated as a hero for convincing the people of the Miyakos and Yaeyamas to embrace Shuri rule and Ryukyuan culture or "civilization," sparing them the death and destruction that might have come from resisting the invasion more strongly. Nakasone was then rewarded for his support by being recognized as "chieftain" of Miyako, and being permitted to retain a position of authority over the islands, within the framework of the larger Ryûkyû Kingdom.

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By the 1480s-1490s, however, the Miyakos were embroiled in violence between two clans known as the [[Nakasone family|Nakasone]] and [[Kaneshigawa family|Kaneshigawa families]] fighting for dominance; [[Oyake Akahachi]], a powerful leader from nearby [[Ishigaki Island]] attempted to take advantage of the chaos and disunity by invading the Miyakos and placing them under his control, but [[Nakasone Toyomiya|Nakasone Tuyumya Genga]], a great-great-grandson of Meguro Mori, not only fought off Akahachi's invasion, he even managed to go on to invade the Yaeyamas himself, seizing control of many of those islands before moving on to attack even [[Yonaguni Island]], the westernmost of the Ryukyu Islands.<ref>Kerr, 121.; "Oyake Akahachi." Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten (沖縄歴史人名事典, "Encyclopedia of People of Okinawan History"). Naha: Okinawa Bunka-sha, 1996. p18.; Shinzato, Keiji et al. Okinawa-ken no rekishi (History of Okinawa Prefecture). Tokyo: Yamakawa Publishing, 1996. p57.</ref> Some scholars suggest that the relative lack of trees in the Miyako Islands and their subsequent reliance on [[Iriomote Island]] for lumber and firewood may have been a major factor in spurring this inter-island violence.<ref>Gregory Smits, ''Early Ryukyuan History: A New Model'', Univ. of Hawaii Press (2024), 65.</ref>

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King [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]] of Shuri sent forces to the Miyakos and Yaeyamas in [[1500]] to quell this fighting and to bring peace and civilization to the islands. In the official histories produced by the kingdom, Nakasone Tuyumya is celebrated as a hero for convincing the people of the Miyakos and Yaeyamas to embrace Shuri rule and Ryukyuan culture or "civilization," sparing them the death and destruction that might have come from resisting the invasion more strongly. Nakasone was then rewarded for his support by being recognized as "chieftain" of Miyako, and being permitted to retain a position of authority over the islands, within the framework of the larger Ryûkyû Kingdom.

The ''[[kokuo shotokuhi|kokuô shôtoku-hi]]'', a famous stele standing outside of [[Shuri castle]], relates in its inscription that it was erected in [[1543]] in commemoration of the dispatch of a sword and sacred beads from Miyako, during the reign of [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]];<ref>''Okinawa bijutsu zenshû'' 沖縄美術全集. vol. 4. Okinawa Times, 1989. Description of Plates 81-82.</ref> according to the traditional histories, this sword (likely the one known as [[Jiganemaru]]) was a gift from Nakasone to the king explicitly as an expression of gratitude for Shuri's recognition of his position and authority.<ref>Kerr, 118, 121-122.; "[http://kotobank.jp/word/%E4%BB%B2%E5%AE%97%E6%A0%B9%E8%B1%8A%E8%A6%8B%E8%A6%AA Nakasone Toyomiya]." Kotobank.jp. (Originally from Takara, Kurayoshi. "Nakasone Toyomiya." ''Asahi Nippon Rekishi Jinbutsu Jiten'', Asahi Shimbun Publishers.) Accessed 11 July 2009.; "Nakasone Tuyumya." ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). [http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-42371-storytopic-121.html Ryukyu Shimpo] (琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 11 July 2009.; "Nakasone Tuyumiya Genga." ''Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten'' (沖縄歴史人名事典, "Encyclopedia of People of Okinawan History"). Naha: Okinawa Bunka-sha, 1996. p54.</ref>

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