Tokunoshima

Tokunoshima lies among the Amami islands between southern Kyushu and Okinawa, placing it within a maritime corridor linking Japan and the Ryukyu world. Its communities cultivated limited island land and used surrounding seas for food and communication. Local traditions developed through interaction with neighboring islands, while language and social practices reflected the distinct history of the northern Ryukyu chain.

Pottery made on Tokunoshima circulated across the Ryukyu islands and southern Kyushu from the late eleventh to early fourteenth centuries. The island later came under the Ryukyu kingdom. After Satsuma's invasion in 1609 the Amami islands were placed under its control, with an official administration established in 1613. Sugar cultivation and taxation subsequently placed heavy demands on island households.