Hokuzan

Hokuzan (Japanese北山, dt " Northern Mountain" ) was one of the three kingdoms, which controlled the island of Okinawa during the Yong Jiang - time in the 14th and early 15th centuries. The island was divided into numerous chiefdoms and small kingdoms that make up made ​​out in the years from 1314 three major kingdoms. These were in addition to Hokuzan the realms Chūzan and Nanzan. Hokuzan ceased to exist after it was conquered in 1416 by King Shō Hashi of Chūzan.

History

Prior to founding Hokuzans the rulers subordinate to Okinawa to loose a supreme prince of Okinawa. After the death of Prince Eiji in 1313 his son Tamagusuku took office. However Tamagusuku did not manage to bring all the princes to look at him as the legitimate ruler, so that it came almost immediately to rebellions against him. Therefore, he called in 1314 of its future capital Urasoe from the Kingdom of Chūzan. Haniji, the Prince of the village in the north Nakijin said thereupon of Tamagusuku go and fled in his domain, where he finally exclaimed the Kingdom Hokuzan in the year 1322. Approximately 1337 also said the south of the island, going as a kingdom of Nanzan Chūzan. The rulers of the three kingdoms succeeded in establishing itself as the undisputed kings against the other tribal leaders, so that Okinawa was united for the first time more or less central.

Although Hokuzan was the largest of the three kingdoms and controlled over half of the island, however, it had the lowest population density and was thus economically weakest. The land to the north of the island was wild and inhospitable, and therefore not very suitable for agriculture. The population center was built around the castle Nakijin, the same city that was on the tip of a peninsula in the northwest of the empire.

Another significant disadvantage for both Hokuzan as well as for Nanzan was that Chūzan with NAFA controlled the largest commercial port of the island. Although Hokuzan also took on increasingly important winning maritime trade in the region in part, but only in significantly lesser extent than Chūzan. Important for the overseas trade was at that time to be involved in the tribute system of China's Ming Dynasty. This was Chūzan in 1372, while Hokuzan could later achieve comparable. The low economic importance of the empire was also reflected in the number of tribute missions that sent it to China. There are only nine such missions known during Nanzan 19 and 52 Chūzan even sent missions to China. Unlike Chūzan Hokuzan not also received the opportunity to send some of its residents to study in China.

Another setback for Hokuzan came out in 1406. Upon the death of the Chinese Emperor Hongwu in 1398 all three kingdoms ambassador had sent to Nanjing with a request to recognize the respective king as the only rightful king of Okinawa. Until 1406 there was no response as an envoy of the Ming arrived in Chūzan and whose king Bunei recognized as the rightful ruler of Okinawa.

Despite its economic situation Hokuzan could maintain a military force into the 1410er years was large enough to hold Chūzan of an invasion. However, when turned away three important princes of King Hananchi, recognized the ruler of Chūzan, Shō Hashi, a favorable opportunity and conquered the kingdom in the year 1416. Shortly before the fall of the castle, King Nakijin Hananchi and his closest subordinates killed themselves in the year 1422 put shō Hashi his brother as governor of a Hokuzan, but this had limited power and was the throne in Shuri necessarily subordinate.