Commentary on themes by historical period

Classification by historical periods I
The period before Okinawa Prefecture conducted the investigation on the Senkaku Islands in 1885

(1) The Senkaku Islands known to the Ryukyu people

Awareness of the Senkaku Islands

　The Senkaku Islands had been uninhabited islands that had not belonged to any country until 1895, when Japan incorporated them into its territory. In 1885, the Okinawa Prefecture conducted an on-site investigation on the Senkaku Islands, and proposed the central government to erect territorial markers on the islands.

　Until then, the Senkaku Islands had been used as a navigation marker for vessels passing through the East China Sea. The existence of the islands had long been known, as they appeared in documents and maps of the Ryukyu Dynasty. A Ryukyu scroll depicting a navigation route between Naha Port and Fuzhou Port in China also shows the Senkaku IslandsNo.1.

　Our research has confirmed the existence of a record showing that Ryukyu people drifting on the East China Sea saw the Senkaku Islands from afar on their way back from FuzhouNo.2. It has also been confirmed that the Senkaku Islands are mentioned in a book on the genealogical tree of a noble family from the Ryukyu Dynasty. (The book provides information on the successive generations of the family including the background of the head of the family)No.3.

Summary: The Ryukyu people have had specific knowledge of the Senkaku Islands from the past.