Ryukyu-koku shiryaku
- Compiled: 1757
- Author: Chou Huang
- Japanese/Chinese: 琉球国志略 (Ryuukyuu koku shi ryaku / Liúqiú-guó zhìlüè)
The Ryûkyû-koku shiryaku is a record of the history of the Kingdom of Ryûkyû, derived chiefly from the records of Chinese investiture envoys to the kingdom. It was compiled by Chou Huang, deputy ambassador on the 1757 mission to Ryûkyû, who resided in Ryûkyû for roughly seven months that year[1].
The document is divided into 17 spread across 16 volumes, and consists primarily of summaries of previous envoys' records, along with Chou Huang's personal observations and commentary[2], and a number of rough images of famous places in Ryukyu, maps of the islands, and depictions of Ryukyuan costume, ships, and other objects[1].
The text was reprinted in woodblock print form by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1831. A copy was obtained by Katsushika Hokusai the following year, who used the images in the book as the basis for his "Eight Views of Ryukyu" (Hokusai Ryûkyû Hakkei) series of ukiyo-e landscape prints[3].
A translation of the Chinese text into modern Japanese was written by Hirata Tsugumasa and published in 1977.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hirata, Tsugumasa (trans.). Chou, Huang. Ryûkyû-koku shiryaku. Tokyo: San-ichi Shobô, 1977.
- ↑ "Ryûkyû-koku shiryaku". Okinawa konpakuto jiten (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryukyu Shimpo (琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 14 October 2009.
- ↑ Kishi, Akimasa. Hokusai no Ryûkyû hakkei ni tsuite (北斎の琉球八景について, "On Hokusai's Eight Views of Ryukyu"). Ukiyo-e geijutsu, vol 13 (1966). Japan Ukiyo-e Society. pp36-39.