Ryukyuans
Japonic-speaking indigenous people of the Ryukyu Islands.
The Ryukyuans are a Japonic-speaking East Asian ethnic group indigenous to the Ryukyu Islands, which stretch from the island of Kyushu to the island of Taiwan. They constitute the largest ethnolinguistic minority group in Japan, with more than 1.4 million living in the Okinawa Prefecture alone, and also inhabit the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, with a considerable diaspora. Despite being officially unrecognized as a minority group—Japanese authorities consider them a subgroup of the Japanese people—the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 2008 recommended that Japan recognize them as indigenous peoples, a recommendation the Japanese government has not accepted.
- population
- Over 1.4 million in Okinawa Prefecture alone
- language_family
- Japonic (Ryukyuan languages)
- region
- Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa and Kagoshima Prefectures, Japan)
- historical_period
- 14th century–present
- known_for
- Distinct culture with matriarchal elements, indigenous religion, and late introduction of rice (12th century); former Ryukyu Kingdom (1429–1872)
Lore & Background
The Ryukyuans have a distinct culture with some matriarchal elements, an indigenous religion, and a cuisine where rice was introduced fairly late, in the 12th century. The population lived on the islands in isolation for many centuries. In the 14th century, three separate Okinawan political polities merged into the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429–1872), which continued maritime trade and tributary relations started in 1372 with Ming China. In 1609, the Satsuma Domain invaded the kingdom, which then maintained a fictive independence in vassal status, subordinate to both China and Japan because Tokugawa Japan was prohibited from trading directly with China.
During the Japanese Meiji era, the kingdom became the Ryukyu Domain (1872–1879) after political annexation by the Empire of Japan. In 1879, the domain was abolished and reorganized as Okinawa Prefecture, with the last king forcibly exiled to Tokyo. China renounced its claims to the islands in 1895. The Meiji government suppressed Ryukyuan ethnic identity, tradition, culture, and language. After World War II, the islands were occupied by the United States between 1945 and 1950 and then from 1950 to 1972. Since the war, many Ryukyuans have expressed strong resentment against extensive U.S. military facilities in Okinawa and Tokyo's handling of related issues.
Reader's Guide
The Ryukyuans are significant as the largest ethnolinguistic minority in Japan, yet they remain officially unrecognized as a distinct group, with Japanese authorities classifying them as a subgroup of the Japanese people. Their history includes a unique kingdom that balanced tributary relations with both China and Japan, followed by annexation and forced assimilation under the Meiji government. The United Nations Human Rights Committee in 2008 recommended that Japan recognize them as indigenous peoples and protect their cultural heritage, but the Japanese government has not accepted this, and multiple Okinawan municipal assemblies have passed resolutions rejecting the indigenous label. The Association of Indigenous People in the Ryukyus has noted that recognition would require Japan to adhere to international law, thus prohibiting military bases on Ryukyuan land. Genetic studies show Ryukyuans are a distinct genome-wide cluster within the Japanese people, sharing more alleles with Southern Jōmon hunter-gatherers than Yayoi agriculturalists, with about 28% Jōmon ancestry. Their legacy includes a distinct culture with matriarchal elements, an indigenous religion, and ongoing political tensions over U.S. military bases and discrimination, as noted in a 2006 UN report.
Did You Know?
- Ryukyuans speak Ryukyuan languages, one of the branches of the Japonic language family along with Japanese.
- The Ryukyu Kingdom maintained a dual subordinate status to both China and Japan from 1609 onward.
- Genetic studies estimate Ryukyuans have about 28% Jōmon ancestry, more than mainland Japanese.
- The United Nations Human Rights Committee in 2008 recommended Japan recognize Ryukyuans as indigenous peoples, but Japan has not accepted this.
More in Ethnic Groups 1-22
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record