Before Okinawa, the unified and independent Ryukyu Kingdom existed for four hundred years—from the fifteenth century until the kingdom's annexation by the Meiji government in 1879. What was this island nation like and what kind of world did it exist in? With maritime trade from China and Korea connecting Malacca and Siam at the heart of the kingdom's golden age, this book centers on the ancient Ryukyu period. Passionate historian and Okinawa native, Takara Kurayoshi plumbs the depths of Okinawa's distant and obscure past to piece together a comprehensive image of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The Legacy of the Ryukyu Kingdom is an ambitious work that raises penetrating questions with profound implications for contemporary concerns.