Ryūkyū-kan

Ryūkyū-kan (琉球館) were institutions serving as homes and bases of operations for Ryukyuan missions in early modern Fuzhou (Fujian province, China) and Kagoshima (Satsuma Domain, Japan).

Along with the nearby Kaido-kan (開戸館) and Kokushi-kan (国使館),[1] it housed visiting dignitaries and scholars en route between Ryukyu and the Chinese capital of Nanjing or Beijing.

It played a central role in relations between the Ryukyu Kingdom and the han (feudal domain) to which it was a vassal after 1609, serving a function not unlike a modern-day embassy.

Visiting dignitaries lived and worked in the Ryūkyū-kan, as did students studying classic subjects in preparation for careers in the kingdom's bureaucracy, and a number of Ryukyuan permanent residents of the city.

Satsuma's control over the Ryukyuan officials was tight, however; wandering or loitering in the area around the building was forbidden, and guards posted at the entrance checked visitors in and out.