Changes

Word of the fall of Nakijin spread quickly, and threw the northern section of the island, known as Kunigami, into chaos and panic. The invaders abandoned Kourijima, seizing [[Yomitan]], a harbor a short distance to the south, which would serve as their base of operations from here on. The force then split, one arm moving south on land, burning villages as it went, while a separate force traveled by sea to Naha, the kingdom's chief port, and a key point of access to Shuri.

Word of the fall of Nakijin spread quickly, and threw the northern section of the island, known as Kunigami, into chaos and panic. The invaders abandoned Kourijima, seizing [[Yomitan]], a harbor a short distance to the south, which would serve as their base of operations from here on. The force then split, one arm moving south on land, burning villages as it went, while a separate force traveled by sea to Naha, the kingdom's chief port, and a key point of access to Shuri.

[[Kyan ueekata|Kyan ''ueekata'']] once again led a team to seek to negotiate with the invaders, and was again refused. On their return to Shuri, bad weather forced Kyan ''ueekata's'' group to make port at [[Makiminato]], and to journey the rest of the way to Shuri on foot.

[[Kyan ueekata|Kyan ''ueekata'']] once again led a team to seek to negotiate with the invaders, as did Nago Ryôhô and the monk [[Kikuin]], but all were refused. On their return to Shuri, bad weather forced Kyan ''ueekata's'' group to make port at [[Makiminato]], and to journey the rest of the way to Shuri on foot. According to Kyan, while Nago ''ueekata'' gave himself over to the Shimazu forces as a hostage by way of attempting to gain an audience for peace negotiations, Kikuin rushed back to Shuri to inform the court of the progression of events. In an oft-cited passage, Kyan describes Kikuin making the long journey on foot, arriving in Shuri with his white monk's robes and the sand under his feet stained red with blood from his feet.<ref>Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', 229.</ref>

The Shimazu force moving overland met little resistance, reaching and capturing [[Urasoe gusuku]] on 4/1.<ref name=miyako24/> Urasoe was to be the last fortress to fall before Shuri. Though sources on the assault itself are scant, [[Stephen Turnbull]] surmises that it was done in the same manner as many of the attacks on other ''gusuku'' during the invasion; the Okinawan architecture left defenders standing atop the castle walls completely open to enemy fire, a vulnerability of which the samurai arquebusiers took advantage. Sweeps of arquebus fire decimated the defending forces, and then the wooden gates were busted in; at Urasoe, the attackers also burnt down a Buddhist temple, the [[Ryufuku-ji|Ryûfuku-ji]].

The Shimazu force moving overland met little resistance, reaching and capturing [[Urasoe gusuku]] on 4/1.<ref name=miyako24/> Urasoe was to be the last fortress to fall before Shuri. Though sources on the assault itself are scant, [[Stephen Turnbull]] surmises that it was done in the same manner as many of the attacks on other ''gusuku'' during the invasion; the Okinawan architecture left defenders standing atop the castle walls completely open to enemy fire, a vulnerability of which the samurai arquebusiers took advantage. Sweeps of arquebus fire decimated the defending forces, and then the wooden gates were busted in; at Urasoe, the attackers also burnt down a Buddhist temple, the [[Ryufuku-ji|Ryûfuku-ji]].