Changes

The overall chain of islands continues relatively regularly from Kyushu to Taiwan, with one island, or small group of islands, after another, such that one can travel from one island to another without ever being out of sight of land (provided it's a clear day); however, there is a significant gap, 270 km wide, between Okinawa and the islands to the south, known as the Kerama Gap.<ref>Pearson, 4.</ref> As a result, while the people of Okinawa and the various islands north of it engaged in considerable trade with one another and with "mainland" Japan, the islanders of Sakishima remained disconnected from those interactions until around the 11th century CE.<ref name=pear1>Pearson, 1.</ref>

The overall chain of islands continues relatively regularly from Kyushu to Taiwan, with one island, or small group of islands, after another, such that one can travel from one island to another without ever being out of sight of land (provided it's a clear day); however, there is a significant gap, 270 km wide, between Okinawa and the islands to the south, known as the Kerama Gap.<ref>Pearson, 4.</ref> As a result, while the people of Okinawa and the various islands north of it engaged in considerable trade with one another and with "mainland" Japan, the islanders of Sakishima remained disconnected from those interactions until around the 11th century CE.<ref name=pear1>Pearson, 1.</ref>

The 10th-11th centuries saw considerable technological and commercial developments in [[Song Dynasty]] China ([[960]]-[[1279]]), along with various concurrent developments in [[Heian period]] Japan. Interactions between China, Japan, and the Ryukyus increased, and migrants between the three regions introduced the cultivation of rice, wheat, barley, and other crops, and the raising of livestock into the Ryukyus.<ref name=pear1/> Though the original inhabitants of the islands may have been more purely of an ethnic stock similar to that of the [[Ainu]] or the [[Jomon period|Jômon people]], from at least the late first millennium CE, if not earlier, Okinawans began to more closely resemble mainland Japanese ([[Yamato people]]), an indication of considerable exchange and interaction between Japan and the Ryukyus and, perhaps, a significant number of migrants from Japan settling in the Ryukyus.<ref name=pearson149>Pearson, 149.</ref>

The 10th-11th centuries saw considerable technological and commercial developments in [[Song Dynasty]] China ([[960]]-[[1279]]), along with various concurrent developments in [[Heian period]] Japan. Interactions between China, Japan, and the Ryukyus increased, and migrants between the three regions introduced the cultivation of rice, wheat, barley, and other crops, and the raising of livestock into the Ryukyus.<ref name=pear1/> Though the original inhabitants of the islands may have been more purely of an ethnic stock similar to that of the [[Ainu]] or the [[Jomon period|Jômon people]], from at least the late first millennium CE, if not earlier, Okinawans began to more closely resemble mainland Japanese ([[Yamato people]]), an indication of considerable exchange and interaction between Japan and the Ryukyus and, perhaps, a significant number of migrants from Japan settling in the Ryukyus.<ref name=pearson149>Pearson, 149.</ref>

The people of the various islands, over the course of time, formed up into complex societies, generally taking the form of chiefdoms. This took place on Okinawa beginning around 1050 CE, and was accompanied by changes in patterns of subsistence and agriculture. Then, beginning around 1200-1250 CE, up until the 1420s, the island became embroiled in considerable violence, as local elites built fortresses called ''[[gusuku]]'' and fought one another for land and power. Trade activity also expanded considerably at this time. Archaeologist [[Richard Pearson]] identifies these two periods (c. 1050-1250, and c. 1250-1429) as the "Early" and "Late Gusuku Periods," while many other scholars simply lump the two together as the [[Gusuku period]] of Okinawan history. This is also the period when the Ryûkyû Islands begin to appear in foreign sources (mainly Chinese ones, such as the ''[[Ming shi-lu]]'').<ref>Pearson, 146-147.</ref>

The people of the various islands, over the course of time, formed up into complex societies, generally taking the form of chiefdoms. This took place on Okinawa beginning around 1050 CE, and was accompanied by changes in patterns of subsistence and agriculture. Then, beginning around 1200-1250 CE, up until the 1420s, the island became embroiled in considerable violence, as local elites built fortresses called ''[[gusuku]]'' and fought one another for land and power. Trade activity also expanded considerably at this time. Archaeologist [[Richard Pearson]] identifies these two periods (c. 1050-1250, and c. 1250-1429) as the "Early" and "Late Gusuku Periods," while many other scholars simply lump the two together as the [[Gusuku period]] of Okinawan history. This is also the period when the Ryûkyû Islands begin to appear more frequently in foreign sources (mainly Chinese ones, such as the ''[[Ming shi-lu]]'').<ref>Pearson, 146-147.</ref> The [[Mongol Empire]] ([[Yuan Dynasty]]) is believed to have invaded Ryûkyû twice, in [[1291]] and [[1296]], or perhaps to have simply requested tribute;<ref name=chan89/> Ryukyuan official histories indicate the Mongols were repelled both times.

''Gusuku'' construction and the associated rapid social and economic changes began first in the Early Gusuku Period in the Amamis, which were up until then the economic center of the Ryûkyû chain. ''Gusuku'' sites on Kikaigashima and the ''[[kamuiyaki]]'' pottery kiln sites on Tokunoshima are of particular significance. In the Late Gusuku Period, the economic center of the archipelago shifted to Okinawa Island, where it would remain down to the present time.<ref name=pearson149/> Major ''gusuku'' on Okinawa include those at [[Urasoe castle|Urasoe]], [[Nakijin gusuku|Nakijin]], [[Katsuren gusuku|Katsuren]], [[Nakagusuku gusuku|Nakagusuku]], and [[Ozato gusuku|Ôzato]], with [[Shuri castle]] gaining in significance later in the period.

''Gusuku'' construction and the associated rapid social and economic changes began first in the Early Gusuku Period in the Amamis, which were up until then the economic center of the Ryûkyû chain. ''Gusuku'' sites on Kikaigashima and the ''[[kamuiyaki]]'' pottery kiln sites on Tokunoshima are of particular significance. In the Late Gusuku Period, the economic center of the archipelago shifted to Okinawa Island, where it would remain down to the present time.<ref name=pearson149/> Major ''gusuku'' on Okinawa include those at [[Urasoe castle|Urasoe]], [[Nakijin gusuku|Nakijin]], [[Katsuren gusuku|Katsuren]], [[Nakagusuku gusuku|Nakagusuku]], and [[Ozato gusuku|Ôzato]], with [[Shuri castle]] gaining in significance later in the period.