Changes

Some records suggest that as early as [[1266]], Amami was sending tribute to leaders on Okinawa Island.

Some records suggest that as early as [[1266]], Amami was sending tribute to leaders on Okinawa Island.

The Ryûkyû Kingdom tried multiple times over the course of the 15th-16th centuries to bring Amami Ôshima under its authority, occasionally clashing with Shimazu forces attempting to do the same. One such clash occurred as early as [[1493]]. Ryûkyû launched another military expedition to Amami in [[1537]] during the reign of King [[Sho Sei (尚清)|Shô Sei]] of Ryûkyû; however, it was not until 1571 that the island formally submitted to Ryûkyûan (i.e. Okinawan) authority, marking the time and place where Ryûkyûan and Shimazu expansion met and blocked one another from moving further (for the time being). For the brief few decades when [[Shuri]] exercised authority over Amami, it did so lightly, assigning officials and extracting taxes but allowing the island a considerable degree of autonomy, like other relatively distant parts of its territory.<ref>Smits, "Examining the Myth of Ryukyuan Pacifism," ''The Asia-Pacific Journal'' 37-3-10 (September 13, 2010).; Smits, "Rethinking Ryukyu," International Journal of Okinawan Studies 6:1 (2015), 7.</ref> Perhaps in part simply because of its size, Amami Ôshima was one of the sites of the greatest resistance to Ryukyuan expansion in that period; when Shimazu forces [[invasion of Ryukyu|invaded Ryûkyû]] in 1609, as well, the island put up considerable resistance, falling to Shimazu control only after about nine days of fighting.

The Ryûkyû Kingdom tried multiple times over the course of the 15th-16th centuries to bring Amami Ôshima under its authority, occasionally clashing with Shimazu forces attempting to do the same. One such clash occurred as early as [[1493]]. Records show a Shuri official being dispatched to Amami and taking up office there in [[1506]],<ref>Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', 24.</reF> but given that Ryûkyû launched another military expedition to Amami in [[1537]], and another in [[1571]], it is clear that the island was not fully submissive to Okinawan control until at least 1571. Okinawan forces also clashed with, and drove back, Shimazu forces seeking to take Amami in that year. For the brief few decades when [[Shuri]] exercised authority over Amami, it did so lightly, assigning officials and extracting taxes but allowing the island a considerable degree of autonomy, like other relatively distant parts of its territory.<ref>Smits, "Examining the Myth of Ryukyuan Pacifism," ''The Asia-Pacific Journal'' 37-3-10 (September 13, 2010).; Smits, "Rethinking Ryukyu," International Journal of Okinawan Studies 6:1 (2015), 7.</ref> Perhaps in part simply because of its size, Amami Ôshima was one of the sites of the greatest resistance to Ryukyuan expansion in that period; when Shimazu forces [[invasion of Ryukyu|invaded Ryûkyû]] in 1609, as well, the island put up considerable resistance, falling to Shimazu control only after about nine days of fighting.

===Early Modern History===

===Early Modern History===