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Created page with "*''Other Names'': みゃーく ''(myaak)'' *''Japanese'': 宮古列島 ''(Miyako retto)'' The Miyako Islands are a group of islands within the Sakishima island group in t..."
*''Other Names'': みゃーく ''(myaak)''
*''Japanese'': 宮古列島 ''(Miyako retto)''
The Miyako Islands are a group of islands within the [[Sakishima]] island group in the southern portion of [[Okinawa prefecture]] and of the [[Ryukyu Islands|Ryukyu]] island chain.
==Geography==
[[Miyako Island]] is the largest in the group; it is surrounded by the islands of [[Ikema]], [[Irabu]], [[Kurima]], [[Ogami Island|Ôgami]], and [[Shimoji]]. [[Tarama Island]], a short distance to the south, along with [[Minna Island]], are also included in the group.
==History==
Due to a large span of ocean, or "gap," between [[Okinawa Island]] to the north and the Miyakos, the Miyako and [[Yaeyama Islands]], especially in ancient times, were somewhat isolated from areas to the north, and developed a separate culture. For example, while the [[Yayoi culture]] dominant throughout much of the Japanese archipelago around the 11th century BCE to the 3rd century CE extended as far south as the [[Amami Islands]], artifacts of that culture have not been found in the Miyakos or Yaeyamas.<ref>Tokugawa Yoshinobu, "Ryukyu and the Art of Lacquer," ''Okinawa bijutsu zenshû'' vol 2, Okinawa Times (1989), i.</ref>
The Miyakos first began sending tribute to Shuri around the 1390s...
According to traditional histories of the kingdom, the Miyako Islands were united under a single authority for the first time in the 14th century, when a figure named [[Meguro Mori]] defeated the [[Yonahabaru]] army under [[Sata Ubunto]], claiming control over the entire island group. By the 1480s-1490s, however, the Miyakos were embroiled in violence between two clans known as the [[Nakasone family|Nakasone]] and [[Kaneshigawa family|Kaneshigawa families]] fighting for dominance; [[Oyake Akahachi]], a powerful leader from nearby [[Ishigaki Island]] attempted to take advantage of the chaos and disunity by invading the Miyakos and placing them under his control, but [[Nakasone Toyomiya|Nakasone Tuyumya Genga]], a great-great-grandson of Meguro Mori, not only fought off Akahachi's invasion, he even managed to go on to invade the Yaeyamas himself, seizing control of many of those islands before moving on to attack even [[Yonaguni Island]], the westernmost of the Ryukyu Islands.<ref>Kerr, 121.; "Oyake Akahachi." Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten (沖縄歴史人名事典, "Encyclopedia of People of Okinawan History"). Naha: Okinawa Bunka-sha, 1996. p18.; Shinzato, Keiji et al. Okinawa-ken no rekishi (History of Okinawa Prefecture). Tokyo: Yamakawa Publishing, 1996. p57.</ref> King [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]] of Shuri then sent forces to the Miyakos and Yaeyamas in [[1500]] to quell this fighting and to bring peace and civilization to the islands. In the official histories produced by the kingdom, Nakasone Tuyumya is celebrated as a hero for convincing the people of the Miyakos and Yaeyamas to embrace Shuri rule and Ryukyuan culture or "civilization," sparing them the death and destruction that might have come from resisting the invasion more strongly. Nakasone was then rewarded for his support by being recognized as "chieftain" of Miyako, and being permitted to retain a position of authority over the islands, within the framework of the larger Ryûkyû Kingdom.
The islands were then incorporated (albeit loosely) into the kingdom, and officials were dispatched from Shuri to oversee and administer the islands.<ref>Kerr, 115.</ref>
The ''[[kokuo shotokuhi|kokuô shôtoku-hi]]'', a famous stele standing outside of [[Shuri castle]], relates in its inscription that it was erected in [[1543]] in commemoration of the dispatch of a sword and sacred beads from Miyako, during the reign of [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]];<ref>''Okinawa bijutsu zenshû'' 沖縄美術全集. vol. 4. Okinawa Times, 1989. Description of Plates 81-82.</ref> according to the traditional histories, this sword (likely the one known as [[Famous Samurai Swords|Jiganemaru]]) was a gift from Nakasone to the king explicitly as an expression of gratitude for Shuri's recognition of his position and authority.<ref>Kerr, 118, 121-122.; "[http://kotobank.jp/word/%E4%BB%B2%E5%AE%97%E6%A0%B9%E8%B1%8A%E8%A6%8B%E8%A6%AA Nakasone Toyomiya]." Kotobank.jp. (Originally from Takara, Kurayoshi. "Nakasone Toyomiya." ''Asahi Nippon Rekishi Jinbutsu Jiten'', Asahi Shimbun Publishers.) Accessed 11 July 2009.; "Nakasone Tuyumya." ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). [http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-42371-storytopic-121.html Ryukyu Shimpo] (琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 11 July 2009.; "Nakasone Tuyumiya Genga." ''Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten'' (沖縄歴史人名事典, "Encyclopedia of People of Okinawan History"). Naha: Okinawa Bunka-sha, 1996. p54.</ref>
Shuri appointed officials known as ''[[zaiban (Ryukyu)|zaiban]]'' to oversee matters in the outer islands, on behalf of the royal government.<ref>"[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-41458-storytopic-121.html Zaiban]," Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia 沖縄コンパクト事典, Ryukyu Shimpo, 1 March 2003.</ref> These ''zaiban'' operated under the authority of a ''kuramutu'' (J: ''[[kuramoto]]'') based on [[Ishigaki Island]].<ref>"[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-41219-storytopic-121.html Kuramoto]." ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryukyu Shimpô. 1 March 2003. Accessed 16 January 2010.</ref> Beginning as early as [[1503]], Shuri also appointed ''Ôamu tsukasa'', priestess officials under the [[Oamushirare|Makabe Ôamushirare]] (''Makan Ufuanshitari'') high priestess based in Shuri, to serve as the chief religious officials in the Miyakos.<ref>Plaque at former site of Makan dunchi. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/15442912996/in/photostream/]</ref>
One of the most oft-discussed and perhaps most oppressive aspects of life under the kingdom for residents of the Miyakos was a [[poll tax]] (or "head tax") implemented in 16XX and continued by the Empire of Japan through the abolition of the kingdom, into the early years of the 20th century. Each individual (i.e. each "head") in the islands owed a certain amount to Shuri (and, later, to the prefectural government in [[Naha]]). This was not only a heavy tax burden simply in terms of the amount to be paid, but also because islanders were often obliged to pay in X, thus requiring them to convert their grain, textiles, or other products into X. This heavy tax burden frequently led to uprisings, riots, and protests.
Much as imperial and shogunal authorities in Japan frequently exiled criminals or political enemies to distant islands, Miyako became a common destination for the kingdom to send exiles; [[Sokei Chugi|Sokei Chûgi]] (1686-1749), a court official known for his excellence at poetry, was among those exiled to Miyako.<ref>"[http://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%83%A3%E6%85%B6%E5%BF%A0%E7%BE%A9 Sokei Chûgi]." ''Asahi Nihon rekishi jinbutsu jiten'' 朝日日本歴史人物事典. Asahi Shimbunsha.</ref> Some of the men accused of killing US Marine [[Board Incident|William Board]] in [[1854]] were also exiled to Miyako.<ref>"[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-42935-storytopic-121.html Board Jiken]." ''Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia'' 沖縄コンパクト事典. Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003.; [[George Kerr]]. ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People''. Revised Edition. Tuttle Publishing, 2000. pp331-332.</ref>
A [[tsunami]] in [[1771]] was particularly devastating for the people of the Miyakos and Yaeyamas, killing some 10,000 people in those two island groups combined. It took several decades for the islands' communities to recover.<ref>Robert Hellyer, ''Defining Engagement'', Harvard University Press (2009), 96-97.</ref>
===19th century===
Several incidents in the mid-to-late 19th century brought Miyako into the spotlight, contributing to developments on an international scale. One was an incident in [[1852]]-[[1853]] when Chinese coolies (laborers) being taken to the United States aboard an American ship called the ''[[Robert Browne Incident|Robert Browne]]'' seized control of the ship and brought it to Miyako, where they sought help from the locals. The crew eventually regained control of the ship, departing without the coolies, who were then taken care of by the locals until other American ships arrived to take them away; overall, the incident was a significant one within a series of other maritime incidents of the 1840s-1850s sparking concern among authorities in Shuri, [[Kagoshima]], and [[Edo]] regarding the seemingly ever-increasing frequency of incursions and incidents with Western vessels.<ref>Kerr, 295-296.</ref>
Another [[Taiwan Incident of 1871|incident]] took place in [[1871]], when a number of individuals from Miyako, on their way back to the island after paying tribute at Shuri, were knocked off-course by a storm and ended up near the southern tip of [[Taiwan]], where some 54 of them were then killed in conflict with local [[Paiwan|aboriginal groups]]. This sparked disputes between [[Tokyo]] and Beijing over whether the [[Qing Dynasty]] had responsibility for the Taiwanese, whether the Miyako Islanders could be considered to be under Tokyo's authority and protection, and more broadly which country actually had claim to Taiwan and to the Ryukyu Islands; an [[Imperial Japanese Army]] [[Taiwan Expedition of 1874|punitive expedition to Taiwan]] in [[1874]] ended mostly in a great many Japanese soldiers dying of tropical diseases; a larger war between China and Japan was avoided, or at least delayed until the [[Sino-Japanese War|1890s]], with the help of the mediation of former US president [[Ulysses S. Grant]]. Though initial negotiations between Tokyo and Beijing featured an agreement that the Miyakos and Yaeyamas would become Qing territory in exchange for the remainder of the Ryukyus being formally recognized as Japanese territory, ultimately Beijing never signed the agreement, and in [[1879]] Tokyo unilaterally declared the Ryûkyû Kingdom (by that time, [[Ryukyu han|Ryûkyû han]]) abolished and all of the islands absorbed into the Empire of Japan as "Okinawa prefecture."
[[Military conscription]], established in mainland Japan in [[1872]]-[[1873]] and extended to parts of Okinawa prefecture in the 1890s, was only first implemented in the Miyakos and Yaeyamas beginning in [[1902]].<ref>E.H. Norman. ''Soldier and Peasant in Japan: The Origins of Conscription''. New York: Institute for Pacific Relations (1945), 41-42, 49.</ref>
==Culture==
The Miyako Islands have their own rich folk traditions, related to but distinctive from those of elsewhere in Ryûkyû. Like many of the islands or island groups within the Ryukyus, Miyako also has its own distinctive [[Miyako language|language]], largely not mutually intelligible with the languages of other parts of the archipelago.
These include folk songs such as ''[[Togani ayagu|Tôgani ayagu]]'', which are traditionally sung without instrumental accompaniment, or with wooden clappers or minimal accompaniment otherwise; the three-stringed ''[[sanshin]]'' typically associated with Okinawan music was historically limited to the royal court and aristocracy, and so was not available to commoners, especially on the outer islands.<ref>"Okinawa no uta to shokubutsu" 沖縄の歌と植物 ("Songs and Plants of Okinawa"), Lecture by Prof. Uchida Junko, National Museum of Japanese History Botanical Gardens, 27 July 2013.</ref> Some of the oldest songs still prominent in the folk song repertoire throughout Okinawa today are originally from the Miyakos.<ref>Robin Thompson, "The Music of Ryukyu," ''Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music''. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing (2008), 305.</ref>
Miyako is also known for its [[Ryukyuan textiles|textiles]]. Agave fiber, or ''tunbian'', is a specialty of Miyako Island. A type of fabric known as ''[[Miyako jofu|Miyako jôfu]]'' (roughly, "Miyako superior cloth") was from [[1659]] onward regularly given to Shuri as tribute or tax payment, and then given by Shuri in turn to the lords of Kagoshima, the Tokugawa shoguns, the Ming & Qing emperors, and others as a key element of gift or tribute offerings. Though lower-quality versions of the fabric, known as ''chûfû'' ("middle cloth") and ''gafu'' ("inferior cloth"), were also made historically, they are no longer produced.
Local [[Ryukyuan horses|horse]] breeds from the Miyakos were also historically a prized tribute good.<ref>"Kôba" 貢馬。 Okinawa Encyclopedia 沖縄大百科事典。Okinawa Times, 1983. vol. 2. p78.; "Miyako uma" ミヤコウマ。 Okinawa Encyclopedia. vol. 3. pp584-585.</ref>
*''Japanese'': 宮古列島 ''(Miyako retto)''
The Miyako Islands are a group of islands within the [[Sakishima]] island group in the southern portion of [[Okinawa prefecture]] and of the [[Ryukyu Islands|Ryukyu]] island chain.
==Geography==
[[Miyako Island]] is the largest in the group; it is surrounded by the islands of [[Ikema]], [[Irabu]], [[Kurima]], [[Ogami Island|Ôgami]], and [[Shimoji]]. [[Tarama Island]], a short distance to the south, along with [[Minna Island]], are also included in the group.
==History==
Due to a large span of ocean, or "gap," between [[Okinawa Island]] to the north and the Miyakos, the Miyako and [[Yaeyama Islands]], especially in ancient times, were somewhat isolated from areas to the north, and developed a separate culture. For example, while the [[Yayoi culture]] dominant throughout much of the Japanese archipelago around the 11th century BCE to the 3rd century CE extended as far south as the [[Amami Islands]], artifacts of that culture have not been found in the Miyakos or Yaeyamas.<ref>Tokugawa Yoshinobu, "Ryukyu and the Art of Lacquer," ''Okinawa bijutsu zenshû'' vol 2, Okinawa Times (1989), i.</ref>
The Miyakos first began sending tribute to Shuri around the 1390s...
According to traditional histories of the kingdom, the Miyako Islands were united under a single authority for the first time in the 14th century, when a figure named [[Meguro Mori]] defeated the [[Yonahabaru]] army under [[Sata Ubunto]], claiming control over the entire island group. By the 1480s-1490s, however, the Miyakos were embroiled in violence between two clans known as the [[Nakasone family|Nakasone]] and [[Kaneshigawa family|Kaneshigawa families]] fighting for dominance; [[Oyake Akahachi]], a powerful leader from nearby [[Ishigaki Island]] attempted to take advantage of the chaos and disunity by invading the Miyakos and placing them under his control, but [[Nakasone Toyomiya|Nakasone Tuyumya Genga]], a great-great-grandson of Meguro Mori, not only fought off Akahachi's invasion, he even managed to go on to invade the Yaeyamas himself, seizing control of many of those islands before moving on to attack even [[Yonaguni Island]], the westernmost of the Ryukyu Islands.<ref>Kerr, 121.; "Oyake Akahachi." Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten (沖縄歴史人名事典, "Encyclopedia of People of Okinawan History"). Naha: Okinawa Bunka-sha, 1996. p18.; Shinzato, Keiji et al. Okinawa-ken no rekishi (History of Okinawa Prefecture). Tokyo: Yamakawa Publishing, 1996. p57.</ref> King [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]] of Shuri then sent forces to the Miyakos and Yaeyamas in [[1500]] to quell this fighting and to bring peace and civilization to the islands. In the official histories produced by the kingdom, Nakasone Tuyumya is celebrated as a hero for convincing the people of the Miyakos and Yaeyamas to embrace Shuri rule and Ryukyuan culture or "civilization," sparing them the death and destruction that might have come from resisting the invasion more strongly. Nakasone was then rewarded for his support by being recognized as "chieftain" of Miyako, and being permitted to retain a position of authority over the islands, within the framework of the larger Ryûkyû Kingdom.
The islands were then incorporated (albeit loosely) into the kingdom, and officials were dispatched from Shuri to oversee and administer the islands.<ref>Kerr, 115.</ref>
The ''[[kokuo shotokuhi|kokuô shôtoku-hi]]'', a famous stele standing outside of [[Shuri castle]], relates in its inscription that it was erected in [[1543]] in commemoration of the dispatch of a sword and sacred beads from Miyako, during the reign of [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]];<ref>''Okinawa bijutsu zenshû'' 沖縄美術全集. vol. 4. Okinawa Times, 1989. Description of Plates 81-82.</ref> according to the traditional histories, this sword (likely the one known as [[Famous Samurai Swords|Jiganemaru]]) was a gift from Nakasone to the king explicitly as an expression of gratitude for Shuri's recognition of his position and authority.<ref>Kerr, 118, 121-122.; "[http://kotobank.jp/word/%E4%BB%B2%E5%AE%97%E6%A0%B9%E8%B1%8A%E8%A6%8B%E8%A6%AA Nakasone Toyomiya]." Kotobank.jp. (Originally from Takara, Kurayoshi. "Nakasone Toyomiya." ''Asahi Nippon Rekishi Jinbutsu Jiten'', Asahi Shimbun Publishers.) Accessed 11 July 2009.; "Nakasone Tuyumya." ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). [http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-42371-storytopic-121.html Ryukyu Shimpo] (琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 11 July 2009.; "Nakasone Tuyumiya Genga." ''Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten'' (沖縄歴史人名事典, "Encyclopedia of People of Okinawan History"). Naha: Okinawa Bunka-sha, 1996. p54.</ref>
Shuri appointed officials known as ''[[zaiban (Ryukyu)|zaiban]]'' to oversee matters in the outer islands, on behalf of the royal government.<ref>"[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-41458-storytopic-121.html Zaiban]," Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia 沖縄コンパクト事典, Ryukyu Shimpo, 1 March 2003.</ref> These ''zaiban'' operated under the authority of a ''kuramutu'' (J: ''[[kuramoto]]'') based on [[Ishigaki Island]].<ref>"[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-41219-storytopic-121.html Kuramoto]." ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryukyu Shimpô. 1 March 2003. Accessed 16 January 2010.</ref> Beginning as early as [[1503]], Shuri also appointed ''Ôamu tsukasa'', priestess officials under the [[Oamushirare|Makabe Ôamushirare]] (''Makan Ufuanshitari'') high priestess based in Shuri, to serve as the chief religious officials in the Miyakos.<ref>Plaque at former site of Makan dunchi. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/15442912996/in/photostream/]</ref>
One of the most oft-discussed and perhaps most oppressive aspects of life under the kingdom for residents of the Miyakos was a [[poll tax]] (or "head tax") implemented in 16XX and continued by the Empire of Japan through the abolition of the kingdom, into the early years of the 20th century. Each individual (i.e. each "head") in the islands owed a certain amount to Shuri (and, later, to the prefectural government in [[Naha]]). This was not only a heavy tax burden simply in terms of the amount to be paid, but also because islanders were often obliged to pay in X, thus requiring them to convert their grain, textiles, or other products into X. This heavy tax burden frequently led to uprisings, riots, and protests.
Much as imperial and shogunal authorities in Japan frequently exiled criminals or political enemies to distant islands, Miyako became a common destination for the kingdom to send exiles; [[Sokei Chugi|Sokei Chûgi]] (1686-1749), a court official known for his excellence at poetry, was among those exiled to Miyako.<ref>"[http://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%83%A3%E6%85%B6%E5%BF%A0%E7%BE%A9 Sokei Chûgi]." ''Asahi Nihon rekishi jinbutsu jiten'' 朝日日本歴史人物事典. Asahi Shimbunsha.</ref> Some of the men accused of killing US Marine [[Board Incident|William Board]] in [[1854]] were also exiled to Miyako.<ref>"[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-42935-storytopic-121.html Board Jiken]." ''Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia'' 沖縄コンパクト事典. Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003.; [[George Kerr]]. ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People''. Revised Edition. Tuttle Publishing, 2000. pp331-332.</ref>
A [[tsunami]] in [[1771]] was particularly devastating for the people of the Miyakos and Yaeyamas, killing some 10,000 people in those two island groups combined. It took several decades for the islands' communities to recover.<ref>Robert Hellyer, ''Defining Engagement'', Harvard University Press (2009), 96-97.</ref>
===19th century===
Several incidents in the mid-to-late 19th century brought Miyako into the spotlight, contributing to developments on an international scale. One was an incident in [[1852]]-[[1853]] when Chinese coolies (laborers) being taken to the United States aboard an American ship called the ''[[Robert Browne Incident|Robert Browne]]'' seized control of the ship and brought it to Miyako, where they sought help from the locals. The crew eventually regained control of the ship, departing without the coolies, who were then taken care of by the locals until other American ships arrived to take them away; overall, the incident was a significant one within a series of other maritime incidents of the 1840s-1850s sparking concern among authorities in Shuri, [[Kagoshima]], and [[Edo]] regarding the seemingly ever-increasing frequency of incursions and incidents with Western vessels.<ref>Kerr, 295-296.</ref>
Another [[Taiwan Incident of 1871|incident]] took place in [[1871]], when a number of individuals from Miyako, on their way back to the island after paying tribute at Shuri, were knocked off-course by a storm and ended up near the southern tip of [[Taiwan]], where some 54 of them were then killed in conflict with local [[Paiwan|aboriginal groups]]. This sparked disputes between [[Tokyo]] and Beijing over whether the [[Qing Dynasty]] had responsibility for the Taiwanese, whether the Miyako Islanders could be considered to be under Tokyo's authority and protection, and more broadly which country actually had claim to Taiwan and to the Ryukyu Islands; an [[Imperial Japanese Army]] [[Taiwan Expedition of 1874|punitive expedition to Taiwan]] in [[1874]] ended mostly in a great many Japanese soldiers dying of tropical diseases; a larger war between China and Japan was avoided, or at least delayed until the [[Sino-Japanese War|1890s]], with the help of the mediation of former US president [[Ulysses S. Grant]]. Though initial negotiations between Tokyo and Beijing featured an agreement that the Miyakos and Yaeyamas would become Qing territory in exchange for the remainder of the Ryukyus being formally recognized as Japanese territory, ultimately Beijing never signed the agreement, and in [[1879]] Tokyo unilaterally declared the Ryûkyû Kingdom (by that time, [[Ryukyu han|Ryûkyû han]]) abolished and all of the islands absorbed into the Empire of Japan as "Okinawa prefecture."
[[Military conscription]], established in mainland Japan in [[1872]]-[[1873]] and extended to parts of Okinawa prefecture in the 1890s, was only first implemented in the Miyakos and Yaeyamas beginning in [[1902]].<ref>E.H. Norman. ''Soldier and Peasant in Japan: The Origins of Conscription''. New York: Institute for Pacific Relations (1945), 41-42, 49.</ref>
==Culture==
The Miyako Islands have their own rich folk traditions, related to but distinctive from those of elsewhere in Ryûkyû. Like many of the islands or island groups within the Ryukyus, Miyako also has its own distinctive [[Miyako language|language]], largely not mutually intelligible with the languages of other parts of the archipelago.
These include folk songs such as ''[[Togani ayagu|Tôgani ayagu]]'', which are traditionally sung without instrumental accompaniment, or with wooden clappers or minimal accompaniment otherwise; the three-stringed ''[[sanshin]]'' typically associated with Okinawan music was historically limited to the royal court and aristocracy, and so was not available to commoners, especially on the outer islands.<ref>"Okinawa no uta to shokubutsu" 沖縄の歌と植物 ("Songs and Plants of Okinawa"), Lecture by Prof. Uchida Junko, National Museum of Japanese History Botanical Gardens, 27 July 2013.</ref> Some of the oldest songs still prominent in the folk song repertoire throughout Okinawa today are originally from the Miyakos.<ref>Robin Thompson, "The Music of Ryukyu," ''Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music''. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing (2008), 305.</ref>
Miyako is also known for its [[Ryukyuan textiles|textiles]]. Agave fiber, or ''tunbian'', is a specialty of Miyako Island. A type of fabric known as ''[[Miyako jofu|Miyako jôfu]]'' (roughly, "Miyako superior cloth") was from [[1659]] onward regularly given to Shuri as tribute or tax payment, and then given by Shuri in turn to the lords of Kagoshima, the Tokugawa shoguns, the Ming & Qing emperors, and others as a key element of gift or tribute offerings. Though lower-quality versions of the fabric, known as ''chûfû'' ("middle cloth") and ''gafu'' ("inferior cloth"), were also made historically, they are no longer produced.
Local [[Ryukyuan horses|horse]] breeds from the Miyakos were also historically a prized tribute good.<ref>"Kôba" 貢馬。 Okinawa Encyclopedia 沖縄大百科事典。Okinawa Times, 1983. vol. 2. p78.; "Miyako uma" ミヤコウマ。 Okinawa Encyclopedia. vol. 3. pp584-585.</ref>