‘대교역의 시대’, 류큐[琉球]의 항구와 도성 －우라소에[浦添]와 나하[那覇], 슈리[首里]－

Abstract

The 15th and 16th centuries formed a golden age for the Ryukyu Kingdom as it played a unique intermediary role in the trade among different foreign countries and cultivated its own distinctive cultural development. It acquired economic wealth by engaging in transit trade among Joseon, China and Japan as well as Southeast Asian nations such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Java. This study suggests that the Ryukyu Kingdom was able to obtain its position in trade based on the development of its ports, offering strong economic support for political development that made it possible to establish capital cities such as ‘rasoe’and ‘huri’ More specifically, Urasoe developed itself as the economic base of the port Maki, and so did Shuri in relation to the port Naha. Meanwhile, there were castles ―Q called ‘usuku(城)’―ｫ to protect and manage the ports. The Iso Gusuku(伊祖城) was in charge of the port Maki, while the Omono Gusuku(御物城) and Mie Gusuku(三重城) were reinforcing the port Naha. Despite the similarities between Shuri and Urasoe, there is a noticeable difference in their locations. While Urasoe was located in rugged mountainous terrain and focused on defense, Shuri was placed in open hilly terrain with its primary focus on ensuring political stability. The era of Urasoe in the 13th and 14th centuries was a time of struggles between three polities(三山). In comparison, the era of Shuri in the 15th century was a time of unified and stable government and an invigorated economy based on the Kingdom’ intermediary role in international trade. As such, Urasoe and Shuri also represent a difference between eras.