Foreign relations of the Ryukyu Kingdom

The foreign relations of the Ryukyu Kingdom were shaped through heavy mutual contact and trade with surrounding nations, most notably Japan and China.

Satto, the lord of Chūzan, was successfully persuaded by Yang Zai to open formal tributary ties with the Ming dynasty.

Ryukyu only sent around half of what was demanded, partially due to its close ties with China, which at the time was currently fighting Japan at the Korean peninsula.

[7] Common methods used to conceal Ryukyuan ties to Satsuma included a ban on Japanese cultural or physical expression.

[7] Under this loophole, Satsuma was able to profit off of Chinese trade in the region despite the lack of tributary ties between the Ming Dynasty and mainland Japan.

For the next 2 centuries, the Ryukyu Kingdom underwent an era of Satsuma dominance and continued tributary ties with China.