Kings Satto and Bunei

Satto, at age 29 in 1350, accepted the will of the people, and became king. In 1372, King Satto sent his brother Taiki to China, beginning a lucrative tributary relationship with the Ming emperor.

Trade with Korea and the European powers soon followed. In 1389, he sent the very first group of exchange students to China’s premier educational institution, Kokushikan.

Wanting to benefit from the vast technical and cultural wealth of knowledge that the Chinese possessed, King Satto made a formal request the Chinese emperor for advisers. To answer the call of the Ryukyus, the Emperor sent what would come to be known as the 36 families. These specialists settled in the village of Kume; at the time, an island west of Mawashi town(current Naha) separated by the Kumoji and Kokuba rivers. Over time, the advancements of technology and culture helped to increase the relative power and influence of the Chuzan Kingdom. So much so, that the Miyako and Yaeyama archipelagos were added to the kingdom in 1390. Five years later, after helping the Middle Kingdom rebound, at the age of 75, King Satto died, leaving the throne to his legitimate heir, Bunei.

The new king of Chuzan increased the trade agreement with China from once every two years up to 2 and 3 times, annually; a 400~600% increase. The Emperor valued the Ryukyuan wares to an extent that he exchanged in return items worth 50 to 100 times over the cost of said Ryukyuan goods. In 1403, a special Import – Export island named, OmonoGusuku, became designated to handle international transactions, including storage of said goods. Although King Bunei’s foreign policy was very sound, profitable and in the model of his father, he tended to forget completely the domestic side to the equation. For all the extravagance that the Kings wealth afforded himself, his subjects lived in a stark contrast of poverty and suffering. When council was offered to change his ways, it was ignored.

In part ⑥, Chuzan falls to Hashi