2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Basic Research on the Fluidity of the Hierarchical Society of the Ryukyu Kingdom in the Early Modern Period
Project/Area Number |
26770211
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
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Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
Research Field |
Historical studies in general
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Research Institution | Okinawa International University |
Principal Investigator |
YAMADA Kousei 沖縄国際大学, 地域文化研究科, 研究員 (00626046)
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Project Period (FY) |
2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
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Keywords | 近世琉球 / 身分制 / 官僚制 / 家譜 |
Outline of Final Research Achievements |
This research enquires into the reality of the Hierarchical System of the Ryukyu Kingdom. It is aimed at reexamining the mainstream approach that focuses on the possession of kafu, the official recognition of the clan history,as the major criterion of the class division. Such a perspective leads to the image of a dichotomous and monolithic society, consisting of two rigid and hereditary classes; the nobility or Samuree, consisting of the clans with kafu, and the commoners or those without kafu. The finding of the research is that the alteration of individuals’ social positions in the Ryukyu is closely associated to the administration of the Kingdom, as there are a considerable number of cases of integrations into the nobility of skilled individuals such as seafarers. This suggests that the management of the hierarchical system of the Ryukyu is characterized by a certain degree of fluidity, which enabled the alteration of the class for a flexible administration of the kingdom.
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Free Research Field |
人文
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