Changes

==Official Vessels==

==Official Vessels==

The Ming court first granted seagoing vessels to local rulers in Ryûkyû in [[1383]]. For the next 60 years or so, until the 1440s, Ryukyuan kings periodically received used Ming naval vessels for their official use and were also granted the use of Ming shipyards for the purposes of repairs, etc. Many of these were rather large vessels, ranging from over 1150 ''[[koku]]''<ref>That is, a cargo capacity of roughly 1,150 ''koku'' worth of rice.</ref> to even double that size, and manned by crews of as many as 100-300 people.<ref>Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', 171.</ref> These were likely the largest ships the kingdom would ever employ; the typical tribute vessel employed by the kingdom for embassies to Kagoshima and [[Fuzhou]] in the 17th-19th centuries was only as large as the smallest of this era's ships.

The Ming court first granted seagoing vessels to local rulers in Ryûkyû in [[1383]]. For the next 60 years or so, until the 1440s, Ryukyuan kings periodically received used Ming naval vessels for their official use and were also granted the use of Ming shipyards for the purposes of repairs, etc. Many of these were rather large vessels, ranging from over 1150 ''[[koku]]''<ref>That is, a cargo capacity of roughly 1,150 ''koku'' worth of rice.</ref> to even double that size, and manned by crews of as many as 100-300 people.<ref>Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', 171.</ref> These were likely the largest ships the kingdom would ever employ; the typical tribute vessel employed by the kingdom for embassies to Kagoshima and [[Fuzhou]] in the 17th-19th centuries was only as large as the smallest of this era's ships. While most histories characterize this introduction of Ming naval vessels - in most cases old, used, examples of what were otherwise among the finest style or type of vessel in the entire East Asia region - as marking the beginning of Ryûkyû's rise as a maritime power, some scholars note that making Ryûkyû reliant on ships granted by China may have contributed to a <i>decline</i> in local Ryûkyûan shipbuilding know-how and ability, and further that this decline may have even been an intentional side-effect desired by the Ming.<ref>Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', 175.</ref>

From around 1450 until the 1520s, the kingdom continued to receive large vessels from China, but now was obliged to pay for their construction and repairs. Vessels constructed in China (at Ryukyuan expense) were granted single-character Chinese names which denoted concepts such as "courage" or "longevity," but after arriving in Ryûkyû, they were then often given Japanese names ending in "''-maru''" and/or Ryukyuan names ending in "''-tomi''."<ref name=smits172>Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', 172.</ref>

From around 1450 until the 1520s, the kingdom continued to receive large vessels from China, but now was obliged to pay for their construction and repairs. Vessels constructed in China (at Ryukyuan expense) were granted single-character Chinese names which denoted concepts such as "courage" or "longevity," but after arriving in Ryûkyû, they were then often given Japanese names ending in "''-maru''" and/or Ryukyuan names ending in "''-tomi''."<ref name=smits172>Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', 172.</ref>