Aji (Ryukyu)

An aji, or anji (按司) was a ruler of a small kingdom in the history of the Ryukyu Islands.

The aji arose around the twelfth century as local leaders began to build gusuku (Ryukyuan castles).

The title aji variously designated sons of the king and regional leaders.

[citation needed] The Liuqiu Guan Yiyu (琉球館訳語), a Okinawan word list written in Chinese, states that "大唐大人　大刀那安只" ("[The] Tang nobility [are called] *taj.taw.na.an.tʂr̩"), while the Zhongsang Zhuanxinlu (中山伝信録) says "老爺 安主" ("[A] lord [is called] an.tʂy").

[1] Examples of the word in Ryukyuan dialects include Amami Yamatohama [ʔadʑi],[3] Okinawan Nakijin-Yonamine [ʔàdʑĭː],[4] Okinawan Shuri [ʔádʑí ~ áɲdʑí],[5] Miyako Irabu-Nakachi [azɨ].

Aji
Shō Kōkun, also known as Nakazato Aji Chōki (later Yonagusuku Ōji Chōki), the 9th head of Yonagusuku Udun