Legend has it that at about the dawn of time, Tedako Onushi who is the great sun god, sent Shinerikyo and Amamikyo to an isolated island. They lived next to each other and over the years Amamikyo became pregnant and gave birth to three children. The first was a son who became the ruler of Okinawa. The second was a daughter who is believed to have become the first priestess of Okinawa and the third was a son who became known as the ancestor to the Okinawan common people. From the earliest times, Okinawans survived by their agricultural and fishing abilities. The people generally lived in isolated villages without much outside influences from foreigners or even from other nearby villages which is apparent in their differences of the northern and southern dialects of their own unique language.

As with any society the skillful become wealthy and and the meek inherit the shovel. Being a leader meant that one of your responsibilities was to protect the citizens of your community. To accomplish this leaders began to build large stone defensive protectorates on key ground in their villages. About 1000 A.D. the first castles started to appear these castles became the houses of the Anji (lords). Urasoe Castle is believed to have been the first castle of more than a 100 constructed during this period from which the Anji ruled.

Urasoe also in old Okinawan dialect (Hogan) means to rule over the country side. As with any society of more than two people wars and skirmishes followed and eventually lead to Okinawa being divided into three kingdoms. In the north was the Hokuzan Kingdom, in the south was the Nanzan kingdom and in the center of it all was the Chuzan kingdom. During this time Urasoe Castle was the center of government until it was moved to Shuri Castle. Then a little known ruler from the Sashiki area in Nanzan, called Sho Hashi whom was very short and was called "The little Anji of Sashiki" along with the help of his father took control of the Shuri Castle.

• 605 The Chinese Emperor Yo (Sui Dynasty) sends Shu-Kan to the Ryukyus.
• 608 From about this time, the "Southern Island" people pay tribute to the Japanese Imperial Court.
• 1187 Shunten becomes overlord of Central Okinawa.
• 1260 Eiso beomes new overlord.
• 1296 A Mongol invasion army attacks Okinawa and is repulsed.
• 1317 Miyako islanders drift ashore in China while enroute to trade in Souteast Asia.
• 1326 At about this time, the Three Kingdoms in Okinawa (Hokuzan, Chuzan, and Nanzan) begin their rivalry.
• 1349 Satto becomes ruler of Chuzan and increases its influence.
• 1350 Nanzan (the southern kingdom) sends tribute to the Ming.
• 1383 Hokuzan (the northern kingdom) sends tribute to the Ming.
• 1392 A group of Chinese, now known as the "Thirty-six Families" are naturalized in Chuzan.

In 1402 he over threw the lord of Asato near Urasoe and in 1407 he drove Bunei out of the Urasoe castle. Hashi over threw the king of Shuri and put his father in charge of the Chuzan kingdom. In between 1416 and 1424, they also defeated the ruler of Nakajin and the they added Hokuzan to their kingdom by appointing his brother as the ruler of Hokuzan. In about 1427 Hashi had the Ryutan Pond dug at Shuri Castle and the castle itself expanded. The following year he built the Chuzan Mon (The Gate of Chu zan) in front of the castle.

• 1404 A Siamese shop comes to Okinawa to trade.
• 1416 The Chuzan King, Sho Hashi, captures Nakijin Castle and brings about the downfall of Hokuzan.
• 1425 Sho Hashi sends trading vessles to Siam.
• 1428 Sho Hashi sends trading vessels to Palembang (Sumatra).
• 1429 Sho Hashi conquers Nanzan and is the first to succeed in uniting all Okinawa. (Beginning of the First Sho Dynasty.)

Finally in 1429 Hashi defeated the ruler of the Nanzan or southern kingdom there by unifying Okinawa for the first time and moved the government from Urasoe to Shuri. Prior to this unification the various rulers established and maintained trade relations with China and paid tribute to the Ming Emperor. But after the unification of Okinawa under Hashi and his father only the new ruler of Okinawa reserved the sole rights to establish and maintain trade with foreign countries there by locking in his economic superiority. The Chinese new him as the King of the Chuzan and also gave Hashi the name Sho. Okinawan traders during this period were the most successful and enjoyed trade relations with a number of Asian countries such as but not limited to Korea and Thailand. With the decline of the Ming dynasty who was an major supporter through trade and culture and the emergence of a very hungry and growing feudal Japan Okinawa experienced some difficult misgivings.

• 1430 Trading ships are sent to Java
• 1431 Sho Hashi establishes formal diplomatic relations with Korea and initiates trade.
• 1451 Sho Kimpuku builds the Chokotei (a road around Naha inlet).
• 1458 The Gosamayu Awamari rebellion takes place. A large bell (the Bankoku Shinryo), on which there is an inscription concerning the prosperity of the Ryukyus, is cast.
• 1459 Kanemaru Uchima is appointed Foreign Trade Minister.
• 1463 Trading ships are sent to Malacca.
• 1466 After an audience with the Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate (Japan), a Ryukyuan friendship mission sets off gunpowder outside the gates in celebration and astonishes the people of Kyoto.
• 1470 Kanemaru Uchima overthrows the First Sho Dynasty, begins a new (the second) Sho Dynasty, and assumes the name of Sho En.
• 1492 The Enkakuji Temple is built
• 1498 Trade begins with Patani (on east coast of Malaysa)
• 1500 Sho Shin conquers Miyako Island, he also puts down the rebellion led by Oyake Akahachi of Yaeyama Island and assumes rule over the castles of Saki Shima (the "Southern Island" as Miyako and Yaeyama were then known.)
• 1511 Portugal causes the downfall of Malacca and strengthens it to be used as a base for the invasion of Asia.
• 1532 The first volume of the Omoro Soshi (a compendium of ancient songs and rituals) is compiled.
• 1534 The Chinese Ming Emperor sends an envoy, Chin Kan, and party to visit the Ryukyus.
• 1553 Yara Castle is built at Naha Harbor and coastal defenses are prepared.
• 1579 A tablet inscribed "Country and Propriety" is placed on public display at Shuri Castle. (Translator's Note: This tablet had been presented to the King at Shuri by the Chinese Emperor in recognition of the Ryukyuans' strict adherence to the Chiense rules of ritual and etiquette.)
• 1592 Hideyoshi Toyotomi (the Japanese Shogun) orders the King of the Ryukyus to assist in the invasion of Korea; the King ignores the order.
• 1600 The Eastern army wins the great Battle of Sekigahara (in Japan). Ieyasu Tokugawa establishes his leadership in Japan.

During the reign of Sho Shin, which was about 100 years before the invasion of Satsuma, Okinawa had banned all weapons. Prohibition of weapons brought peace to Okinawa, but left it defenseless against the Satsuma invasion. So, the Satsuma lord Shimazu conquered Okinawa with ease. The lord Shimazu allowed the Ryukyu monarchy to remain intact, but established strict controls over trade. The Satsuma continued trade with the Ming Dynasty under the name of the Ryukyu Kingdom, while the rest of Japan closed itself of to almost all international contact until 1853. The Ryukyuan, (Okinawan) people, suffered under the double burden of local taxation and Satsuma's tight controls.With an eye towards the Ryukyu Monarchy's lucrative overseas trade, the Satsuma, a clan based in the southern part of Kyushu in Japan, invaded Okinawa and took control of it in 1609. Lord Satsuma from Kyushu located in southern Japan invaded Okinawa and easily defeated the boat oar welding Okinawans whom were reluctant to fight. The Japanese left the political and sociological infrastructure intact and ruled indirectly. The Japanese levied high taxes and assumed control of the Okinawan's foreign trade at this point Okinawa began to decline rapidly.Ichisa Shimazu of Satsuma sends 3,000 troops and subjugates the Ryukyu Kingdom. (The Shimazu Invasion)

• 1611 The Satsuma Clan looks into the productive capacity of the Ryukyus; divides the Amami Oshima area (the islands north of Yoron Island) from the Ryukyus: and hands down the Okite Jugo Jo (fifteen ordinances to be obeyed by all in the Ryukyus).
• 1614 The Satsumas order strict surveillance of all shipping into and out of the Ryukyus.
• 1623 Compilation of the Omoro Soshi (22 volumes) is completed.
• 1631 As a means of keeping the Ryukyus under control, the Satsuma send a permanent administrator to Naha.
• 1634 The system of sending missions of congratulation and gratitude to Edo (Tokyo) is begun.
• 1637 A poll tax is levied on Miyako and Yaeyama Islands 1644 The Ching Dynasty succeeds the Ming Dynasty in China
• 1650 Sho Jo-Ken (Choshu Haneji) prepares the "History of Chuzan."
• 1667 Sho Jo-Ken orders acquisition of an elementary knowledge of the Japanese performing arts.
• 1711 A dictionary of the old Ryukyuan language (Konkoken Shu) is compiled.
• 1719 Chokun Tamagusuku composes the Kumi Udui (odori) and the first performance is presented.
• 1728 Sai On becomes a member of the Regency Council of Three (Prime Minister).
• 1734 The scholar Chobin Hishicha is executed for political offenses.
• 1771 A tidal wave strikes Miyako and Yaeyama Islands, causing great damage.
• 1798 A state school is founded at Shuri for the upper class descendants of samurai.
• 1816 The British warships Alceste and Lyra call on the Ryukyus on their way home from China. Captain Basil Hall of the Lyra later stops briefly at Helena and tells the exiled Napoleon of the Ryukyus.
• 1844 The French warship Alemene calls and puts a Christian missionary at Naha.
• 1846 An English warship brings the active missionary Bettelheim to Naha.
• 1853, Commodore Perry came to Okinawa in a ship called the Susquehanna. Commodore Perry had a coaling station constructed were the current Tomari area. Perry also signed a treaty guaranteeing the rights of U.S. citizens and other foreigners on Okinawa. Commodore Perry also established a cemetery for foreigners also located in present day Tomari (to read more about this cemetery go to International Cemetery within your Virtual Ginza). Commodore Perry along with several other brave, proud and venturous foreigners resting there today.

After Commodore Perry visited Tokyo (called Edo at the time) in 1853, change in Japan's government led to the Meiji Restoration in 1868. In 1879, Ryukyu Province became Okinawa prefecture, but the strict land taxation system and local administration remained under the control of the same Ryukyu government that had been manipulated by the Satsuma. The Okinawan people continued to suffer under tyranny for another 30 years. In 1920, Okinawa obtained autonomy like every other prefecture.

• 1854 Russian warships call on Naha. Perry returns and a compact between the United States and the Kingdom of "Lew Chew" is signed.
• 1859 The Makishi-Onga incident occurs.
• 1866 Sho Tai receives seals and documents of investiture as King from the Manchurs; he is the last to receive these and is also the last King of the Ryukyus.
• 1868 The Tokugawa Shogunate is overthorwn and a national government under the Emperor Meiji is realized.
• 1871 A ship manned by Miyako Islanders is shipwrecked on Formosa, and fifty-four men are murdered by aborigines. (The Formosan Shipwreck incident).
• 1872 The Meiji goverment abolishes the Kingdom of the Ryukyus and establishes the Ryukyu Han (feudal clan).

Again in 1879, Japan invaded Okinawa and sent troops to occupy the Shuri castle this period began the the forced Japanization of Okinawa. The last King of the Ryukyu's, Tai Sho was exiled to Tokyo and a Japanese appointed governor was put in his place as head of the reformed Okinawa. In order to make the Ryukyus an integral part of Japan, although opposed by the hereditary lords of the Ryukyus, Meiji abolishes the Ryukyu Han and sets up Okinawa Prefecture.

• 1880 The Chinese Manchus strongly protest the Meiji rule over the Ryukyus. The question is resolved through the arbitration of ex-U.S. President Grant.
• 1881 The Meiji government decides to preserve and utilize the old sysetm of rule within Okinawa Prefecture.
• 1893 Okinawa's first newspaper, the "Ryukyu Shimpo," begins publication.
• 1894 Because of China's loss in the Sino-Japanese War, anti-Japanese factions in Okinawa rapidly lose influence.
• 1898 The rivalry between a faction centered around Noboru Jahana, which demands revision of unjust political practices in Okinawa, and the old school deepens. Military conscription laws are put into force.
• 1903 Land reform is completed. New land distribution and taxation systems are established.
• 1909 The first election of assemblymen and convocation of an Okinawan Prefectural Assembly take place.
• 1911 The Okinawan historian, Fuyu Iha, publishes his great work Ko Ryukyu (Ancient Ryukyu).
• 1914 World War I breaks out.
• 1919 Laws concerning election of representatives to the House of Representatives are applied fully to Okinawa for the first time.
• 1925 Due to a severe recession, the three banks on Okinawa suffer management difficulties.
• 1926 There is great controversy centered around the novel "A Wandering Ryukyuan."
• 1928 Numerous labor disputes arise in Okinawa.
• 1930 Okinawa was peaceful until the Japanese government started its military campaigns of the 1930's.
• 1934 A social science research association is formed.
• 1938 An Okinawa executive committee to arouse national spirit is established, and militaristic wartime systems are strengthened.
• 1940 A dispute about the use of the Okinawan hogen (dialect) takes place.
• 1941 World War II breaks out.
• 1944 Okinawa undergoes a great raid by American forces and Naha suffers grave damage. (The October tenth air raid.)
• 1945 American forces invade Okinawa. Japan surrenders unconditionally. Okinawa suffered as the only battleground in Japan during the war. The hills and rivers had their features completely changed, villages were totally destroyed, and one out of every three Okinawans died during the course of war.
• 1946 General MacArthur declares Japan and the Nansei Shoto (all islands from Amami Oshima south to Yaeyama) to be under separate administrations.
• 1949 The Republic of China (Formosa) is established.
• 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty puts Okinawa under American administration.
• 1953 A peace treaty with 48 countries came into effect, and Japan regained sovereignty from the U.S. Occupation Government. However, Okinawa remained under the control of the U.S. Military Occupation Government. Although the Okinawan Government performed administrative, judicial, and legislative duties, the U.S. military government had ultimate control. The U.S. military was the first priority, and autonomy for Okinawans was quite limited. After 27 years of U.S. military control, the reversion of Okinawa to Japan was accomplished, and Okinawa was returned to Japan and regained its autonomy. After the reversion, the national government implemented the ten-year " Okinawa Development Plan" three times in order to correct the problems created by the U.S. military occupation and to reach the same of standard of living as other regions of Japan. The goal of the plan was to develop Okinawa as a peaceful and economically independent prefecture.
• 1960 The Okinawan Reversion Council is formed.
• 1969 Japan and the U.S. issue a joint declaration that, by mutual consent, Okinawa will be reverted to Japn on May 15, 1972.
• 1972 Administration of Okinawa reverts from U.S. to Japan on May 15th.
• 1975 The first International Ocean Expo opens on Okinawa's Motobu Peninsula.