Changes

By the mid-15th century, the community was surrounded by earthen walls, and contained around a hundred homes. The main thoroughfare, Kuninda Ufumichi (J: ''Kume Ôdôri''), cut across the district, running from the "Great Gate" (O: ''Ufujô'', J: ''Ômon'') which served as the entrance to the neighborhood in the southeast, to the Nishinjô ("Nishin Gate"<!--西武門-->) in the northwest. According to ''[[feng shui]]'' conceptions of the town's layout, the Great Gate was the neck of a dragon, Kume Ô-dôri its back, and the Nishin Gate as its tail, with the great stones of [[Nakashima (Naha)|Nakashima]], just across the river in Izumisaki, as the dragon's pearl, or [[wish-granting jewel]]. Two stones by the Great Gate represented the dragon's eyes, and two trees its horns.<ref name=kumeplaque>Plaques on-site in Kume district, Naha.</ref> The Taoist temple [[Shiseibyo|Tensonbyô]] lay to the north of the road, while [[Kume Tenpi-gu|two Tenpigû temples]] to the sea goddess [[Matsu]] (aka Tenpi) lay to the south.

By the mid-15th century, the community was surrounded by earthen walls, and contained around a hundred homes. The main thoroughfare, Kuninda Ufumichi (J: ''Kume Ôdôri''), cut across the district, running from the "Great Gate" (O: ''Ufujô'', J: ''Ômon'') which served as the entrance to the neighborhood in the southeast, to the Nishinjô ("Nishin Gate"<!--西武門-->) in the northwest. According to ''[[feng shui]]'' conceptions of the town's layout, the Great Gate was the neck of a dragon, Kume Ô-dôri its back, and the Nishin Gate as its tail, with the great stones of [[Nakashima (Naha)|Nakashima]], just across the river in Izumisaki, as the dragon's pearl, or [[wish-granting jewel]]. Two stones by the Great Gate represented the dragon's eyes, and two trees its horns.<ref name=kumeplaque>Plaques on-site in Kume district, Naha.</ref> The Taoist temple [[Shiseibyo|Tensonbyô]] lay to the north of the road, while [[Kume Tenpi-gu|two Tenpigû temples]] to the sea goddess [[Matsu]] (aka Tenpi) lay to the south.

The community began to decline in the 16th century, as the kingdom's foreign trade connections declined. As early as [[1606]], it's said only six lineages remained (the [[Sai family|Sai (蔡)]], [[Tei family (鄭)|Tei (鄭)]], [[Tei family (程)|Tei (程)]], [[Rin family|Rin (林)]], [[Kin family|Kin (金)]], and [[Ryo family|Ryô (梁)]]).<ref>Plaques on display at [[Shuri castle]].[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/15282359859/]</ref> The [[1609]] [[invasion of Ryukyu|invasion of Ryûkyû]] also had a detrimental effect upon the community. The royal government worked to restore [[tribute|tributary]] and investiture relations with China, however, and also transferred the family registers of a number of Naha and [[Shuri]] elite families to Kumemura, and so the community began to revive. Though Kumemura would retain its distinct identity and societal/political/cultural role up until the fall of the kingdom in the 1870s, by the 17th century the walls around the district had gone, and the community was somewhat more integrated with the other districts of the city.

The community began to decline in the 16th century, as the kingdom's foreign trade connections declined, due to shifts in [[Ming Dynasty|Ming]] maritime trade policies, and the entrance of Europeans into the trading networks. As early as [[1606]], it's said only six lineages remained (the [[Sai family|Sai (蔡)]], [[Tei family (鄭)|Tei (鄭)]], [[Tei family (程)|Tei (程)]], [[Rin family|Rin (林)]], [[Kin family|Kin (金)]], and [[Ryo family|Ryô (梁)]]).<ref>Plaques on display at [[Shuri castle]].[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/15282359859/]</ref> The [[1609]] [[invasion of Ryukyu|invasion of Ryûkyû]] also had a detrimental effect upon the community. The royal government worked to restore [[tribute|tributary]] and investiture relations with China, however, and also transferred the family registers of a number of Naha and [[Shuri]] elite families to Kumemura, and so the community began to revive. Though Kumemura would retain its distinct identity and societal/political/cultural role up until the fall of the kingdom in the 1870s, by the 17th century the walls around the district had gone, and the community was somewhat more integrated with the other districts of the city.

As experts in scholarship, languages, and diplomacy, members of the Kumemura community served as translators and official government representatives not only in interactions with China, but when the time came with Westerners as well.

As experts in scholarship, languages, and diplomacy, members of the Kumemura community served as translators and official government representatives not only in interactions with China, but when the time came with Westerners as well.