Diplomatic documents from the Ryukyu Kingdom and pre-war news articles now available in digital archive
The digital archive, where visitors can access the Ryukyu Kingdom’s diplomatic records and pre-war newspapers.
December 16, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
At 9 am on December 14, the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education launched its digital archive containing the Rekidai Hōan, an official compilation of diplomatic documents of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The archive also contains other historical documents, research papers, and parts of pre-war newspaper materials that were lost during the Battle of Okinawa. Previously, historical documents were only available for viewing at the prefectural library or at universities, but the digital archive allows users access anytime, anywhere.
The Rekidai Hōan spans 444 years (between 1424 and 1867) of Ryukyuan diplomacy, mainly with China. The recorded diplomacy and trade illuminate the Kingdom’s relations with other Asian countries.
As for the archived pre-war news materials, each of the headlines will be circulated in advance. The launch focuses mainly on news from about 1898-1914, which allows users to learn about modern and pre-war era Okinawa. Additional materials will be released in succession.
A representative of the prefectural board of education commented, “We hope [users] will utilize the archive to gather basic research on Okinawa’s history and as a chronicle of Okinawa’s journey thus far.”
The digital archive is available at https://ryuoki-archive.jp/.
(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)
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