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Ôkubo Toshimichi, a [[samurai]] originally from [[Satsuma han]], was one of the three top planners and organizers of the [[Meiji Restoration]], along with [[Kido Takayoshi]] and [[Saigo Takamori|Saigô Takamori]]. After the overthrow of the [[Tokugawa shogunate|shogunate]], he became the head of the [[Home Ministry]], and took charge of a great many affairs associated with running the new "modern" state. He argued against [[seikanron|invading Korea]] in [[1873]], and took part in the [[Iwakura Embassy]] which traveled the world and visited a great many governments in [[1871]]-[[1872]].
Ôkubo Toshimichi, a [[samurai]] originally from [[Satsuma han]], was one of the three top planners and organizers of the [[Meiji Restoration]], along with [[Kido Takayoshi]] and [[Saigo Takamori|Saigô Takamori]]. After the overthrow of the [[Tokugawa shogunate|shogunate]], he became the head of the [[Home Ministry]], and took charge of a great many affairs associated with running the new "modern" state. He argued against [[seikanron|invading Korea]] in [[1873]], and took part in the [[Iwakura Embassy]] which traveled the world and visited a great many governments in [[1871]]-[[1872]].
He was a son of [[Okubo Toshiyo|Ôkubo Toshiyo]], a Satsuma official who at one time served as an official attached to the ''[[Ryukyu-kan|Ryûkyû-kan]]''. As a result, Toshimichi is known from his diary to have on occasion eaten pork, an exceptional rarity for Japanese of the [[Edo period]].<ref>Plaque on-site at former site of the Ryûkyû-kan, Nagata Middle School, Kagoshima.</ref>
After successfully arranging for the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]] (then, already known as [[Ryukyu han|Ryûkyû han]]) to come under the jurisdiction of his Home Ministry (Ministry of the Interior), and no longer under the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs]], in [[1874]], in March [[1875]], Home Minister Ôkubo first articulated a plan to fully abolish the kingdom and to fully absorb its territory into Japan's "home" territory. Later that same month (March 1875), the [[Meiji government|government]] rejected suggestions to implement some form of colonial administration, in favor of Ôkubo's plan, albeit with some changes. One of the key changes was that Ôkubo's plan had included that the [[Second Sho Dynasty|former royal family]] would hold the governorship of [[Okinawa prefecture]] as a hereditary post; this was not implemented, and former samurai were instead appointed Governor of the prefecture, while the former royal family was removed to [[Tokyo]]. Ôkubo also criticized the continuation of Ryukyuan [[tribute]] relations with China, which had continued, briefly, in the early [[Meiji period]], but ended soon afterwards.
After successfully arranging for the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]] (then, already known as [[Ryukyu han|Ryûkyû han]]) to come under the jurisdiction of his Home Ministry (Ministry of the Interior), and no longer under the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs]], in [[1874]], in March [[1875]], Home Minister Ôkubo first articulated a plan to fully abolish the kingdom and to fully absorb its territory into Japan's "home" territory. Later that same month (March 1875), the [[Meiji government|government]] rejected suggestions to implement some form of colonial administration, in favor of Ôkubo's plan, albeit with some changes. One of the key changes was that Ôkubo's plan had included that the [[Second Sho Dynasty|former royal family]] would hold the governorship of [[Okinawa prefecture]] as a hereditary post; this was not implemented, and former samurai were instead appointed Governor of the prefecture, while the former royal family was removed to [[Tokyo]]. Ôkubo also criticized the continuation of Ryukyuan [[tribute]] relations with China, which had continued, briefly, in the early [[Meiji period]], but ended soon afterwards.