270 APPENDIX I. 



capital, and for many years civil wars raged tlirougliout the island. The 

 castle I have described as existing at T'skina, about two or three miles to the 

 south of Shiuri, and another named Nagagusko, discovered by the members 

 of the American Expedition a day's journey to the north, are probably the 

 remains of the strongholds of the rival kings. 



On the death of Ynt-sou's son Tsay-tou Avas elected king in 1350. He 

 was merel)^ a mandarin of high rank, but the people had suffered so much 

 during the long minority of their jirevious king that they were anxious not 

 to repeat the experiment. Tsay-tou's reign was an important one, as it was 

 with him that the payment of tribute to China began. This custom remained 

 almost unbroken for five centuries ; and the Liu-kiu king did not merely confine 

 himself to his offerings of horses, su.lphur, copper, and camphor-wood, but 

 declared himself a vassal of the Chinese Emperor Hong-ou, at whose hands, 

 in 1373, he received his investiture. The two other kings of Liu-kiu had 

 no sooner learnt what had occurred than they also followed his example. 

 Hong-ou received their envoys, and sent them a golden seal, as he had done 

 to Tsay-tou, at the same time advising them to put an end to the miserable 

 civil wars that had for so long devastated the country. He also sent over 

 thirty-six Chinese families from the Fokien province, whose influence on the 

 language and customs of the Liu-kiuans I have already alluded to. Tsay-tou 

 received them well, assigning them revenues, and settling them in the town 

 of Kumi near Napha. They introduced Chinese characters, books on the 

 arts and sciences, and Confucianism, and to this day the interpreters are 

 chosen from their descendants. In this reign the Meiaco-simas appear to 

 have recognised the sovereignty of Liu-kiu ; commerce was solidly established 

 ■with China, to the profit of both nations ; and the islands became more 

 prosperous than they had been for many years. 



The two following reigns were devoid of interest, but in that of Chang- 

 pa-chi the three kingdoms were, in the year 1430, once more reunited. 

 The king was held in great esteem by the Emj^eror of China, from whom he 

 received considerable sums of money, and, in addition, the surname of Chang, 

 Avhicli the royal family of Liu-kiu has ever since retained. 



The year 1451 is memorable as being the first in which an accurate 

 record exists of intercourse between Japan and Liu-kiu, although it seems 

 probable that the islands had been known to the former country for a long 

 period previously. In that year the king sent a present of a thousand strings 

 of cash to Asikaga Yoshimasa, the ruling Shogun ; doubtless a very valuable 

 gift, since but little copper money was at that time coined in Japan. Three 

 years later Chang-tai-kiu mounted the throne, which was at first contested 



King-cliing. It has been variously spelt Shui, Sclieudi, and Cheouli. What we term 

 Seoul, the capital of Corea, is probably the same word. 



