Okinawa: the History of an Island People

Description

""The first full-length monograph on the history of the Ryukyu Islands in any Western language a standard work.""--Pacific AffairsThis book is the definitive work on Okinawan History and an important scholarly work in the fields of Japanese studies and Japanese history. Few people can point to Okinawa on a map, yet this tiny island sitting between China and Japan was and continues to be one of the most crucial Asian nerve centers in all U.S. strategic defense. Ninety percent of all U.S. military forces in Japan are located on Okinawa, one of the Ryukyu Islands.;Table of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Part One: Chuzan -- 1 The Legendary Past -- 2 A Century of Conflict -- 3 The Great Days of Chuzan -- Part Two: Isolation -- 4 Continental War and Loss of Independence -- 5 The Years of Isolation -- Part Three: Between Two Worlds -- 6 The Barrier Islands -- 7 The Mouse and the Eagle: Perry in Okinawa -- 8 Japan ""Protects"" the Okinawans -- Part Four: Okinawa-Ken -- 9 The Ryukyu Kingdom Comes to an End -- 10 Assimilation by Japan -- 11 Between Hammer and Anvil: Okinawa and the Coming of World War II -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.