Kafu

• Japanese/Okinawan: 家譜 (kafu)
• Other Names: 系図 (J: keizu)

Kafu were records of the Ryukyuan aristocracy written in kanbun, which included lineages and individual personal or career histories. Though an office (known as the keizuza) was formally established within the government of the Kingdom of Ryûkyû in 1689 to create and maintain these records in a more formal and standardized manner, kafu existed before then.

Following the establishment of the keizuza, records of each aristocratic lineage were produced, with one copy being kept by the royal government, and one, stamped with the royal seal, kept by the family described in that record. With this system in place, an aristocrat could prove his lineage, and ancestral hometown.

Today, these serve as valuable primary sources for historical research.

References

• "Kafu." Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia (沖縄コンパクト事典, Okinawa konpakuto jiten). Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003. Accessed 6 October 2010.