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The [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]] largely used Chinese-made or Chinese-style ships for its official trading, diplomatic, and military purposes. From roughly the 1380s to the 1540s, the kingdom received from the [[Ming dynasty|Ming court]] large, old, junks no longer desired for use by the Ming navy; by around 1550, the kingdom began constructing its own vessels in this style. Some of these vessels, dubbed ''[[ayabune]]'', were used to carry embassies to [[Kagoshima]] in the 15th-16th centuries. Following the [[1609]] [[Shimazu clan]] [[invasion of Ryukyu|invasion of Ryûkyû]], these Ryûkyû-built Chinese-style vessels came to be known as ''[[kaisen]]''. Equipped with cannon and other defensive equipment only when traveling to & from China, these vessels also served as ''shinkôsen'' ([[tribute]] ships) and ''sekkôsen'' (ships dispatched to meet and bring back tribute missions).
The [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]] largely used Chinese-made or Chinese-style ships for its official trading, diplomatic, and military purposes. From roughly the 1380s to the 1540s, the kingdom received from the [[Ming dynasty|Ming court]] large, old, junks no longer desired for use by the Ming navy; by around 1550, the kingdom began constructing its own vessels in this style. Some of these vessels, dubbed ''[[ayabune]]'', were used to carry embassies to [[Kagoshima]] in the 15th-16th centuries. Following the [[1609]] [[Shimazu clan]] [[invasion of Ryukyu|invasion of Ryûkyû]], these Ryûkyû-built Chinese-style vessels came to be known as ''[[kaisen]]''. Equipped with cannon and other defensive equipment only when traveling to & from China, these vessels also served as ''shinkôsen'' ([[tribute]] ships) and ''sekkôsen'' (ships dispatched to meet and bring back tribute missions).
Though the overall pattern of Ryukyuan shipbuilding seems, in its broad outlines, to suggest minimal ability or activity in building large, complex, oceangoing vessels prior to the 1550s or so, the notion of a strict geographical boundary between Ryukyuan and non-Ryukyuan production may not be particularly meaningful or appropriate in the premodern period; local lords, ''[[wako|wakô]]'', traders, and others had strong ties in locations in southern Kyushu and elsewhere and may have thought little of employing ships built there.<ref>Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii Press (2019), 175.</ref>
==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>Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii Press (2019), 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.
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>
