Ryukyuan tribute missions to China

The Kingdom of Ryûkyû was a tributary of Ming, and then Qing Dynasty, China from 1372 until its dissolution in the 1870s. Tribute missions, sent once every few years, reaffirmed Ryûkyû's subordinate relationship to the Chinese Emperor, and enabled the continuation of Ryukyuan access to Chinese trade.

Envoys traveled to Fuzhou aboard Ryukyuan ships, remaining in the city for a time and being lodged at the Ryûkyû-kan (C: Liúqiú guǎn) located there. They typically presented a formal gift of sulfur to officials in Fuzhou, and then traveled to Beijing, first overland and then the rest of the way via the Grand Canal.

In Beijing, the envoys made formal displays of obeisance and offered gifts of copper, tin, and local Ryukyuan products as tribute, receiving in exchange considerable gifts as a benevolence from the emperor.

On the return journey, the envoys were permitted to engage in commercial interactions with local Chinese merchants, exchanging Japanese silver for silks and other goods. The silver was initially provided by merchants of the castle town of Kagoshima, but by the late 17th century a larger percentage of this silver was provided by the lords of Satsuma han, who often took out loans from Osaka-based merchants in order to do so. A "reception mission" sent from Ryûkyû to escort the envoys back from Fuzhou brought additional silver and other goods, with which to purchase additional Chinese goods. Following their return to Ryûkyû, the envoys shipped off much of the goods obtained in China to Satsuma, who then sold it at markets in Osaka and Kyoto.

References

• Robert Hellyer, Defining Engagement, Harvard University Press (2009), 38-39.