Changes

==Geography==

==Geography==

Throughout most of the time of the Kingdom, Naha consisted of six neighborhoods or districts, all but two of them located on a small island called Ukishima, which sat in the harbor, surrounded on three sides by the Asato, Kokuba, and Kumoji Rivers, which separated it from the "mainland" of Okinawa Island by a short span. Kumemura was located in the southern part of this island, closest to the "mainland," facing the neighborhood of Izumisaki across the harbor, while the neighborhoods of Higashi and Nishi were located to the west. Wakasamachi, occupied the northern or northeastern section of the island, and finally, the port of Tomari was located just across the way, to the east of Ukishima, on the Okinawan "mainland." The [[Chokotei|Chôkôtei]], a narrow, kilometer-long earthen embankment built in [[1452]], connected Tomari and Ukishima.<ref>Uezato. p61.</ref>

Throughout most of the time of the Kingdom, Naha consisted of six neighborhoods or districts, all but two of them located on a small island called Ukishima, which sat in the harbor, surrounded on three sides by the Asato, Kokuba, and Kumoji Rivers, which separated it from the "mainland" of Okinawa Island by a short span. It was the flow of these freshwater rivers into the harbor which suppressed [[coral]] growth, thus helping it to be such an ideal harbor.<ref>Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii Press (2019), 23.</ref>

 

Kumemura was located in the southern part of this island, closest to the "mainland," facing the neighborhood of Izumisaki across the harbor, while the neighborhoods of Higashi and Nishi were located to the west. Wakasamachi, occupied the northern or northeastern section of the island, and finally, the port of Tomari was located just across the way, to the east of Ukishima, on the Okinawan "mainland." The [[Chokotei|Chôkôtei]], a narrow, kilometer-long earthen embankment built in [[1452]], connected Tomari and Ukishima.<ref>Uezato. p61.</ref>

The body of water separating Ukishima from the Okinawan "mainland" was at some point filled in, uniting the city more fully into a single section of land.

The body of water separating Ukishima from the Okinawan "mainland" was at some point filled in, uniting the city more fully into a single section of land.