Ryukyu Kingdom trade network

Timeline

1. 1429–1470Shuri–Naha · OkinawaAfter unifying Ryukyu, Shō Hashi regularly sent envoys to pay tribute under the Ming investiture system, receiving gifts of silk and porcelain, and developed re-export trade to Japan and Southeast Asia, forming a dual 'tribute–resale' economic model.
2. 1531–1540Naha port–Fuzhou trading route · NahaDuring the reign of Shō Hashi II, Ryukyu maintained tribute relations with the Ming, obtaining raw silk, porcelain and other goods via Fuzhou and shipping them on to Japanese markets such as Satsuma and Osaka, while also participating in Southeast Asian spice and sulfur trade; the network covered East Asia's major maritime trade routes.
3. 1570–1609Ryukyu–Satsuma sea route · KagoshimaIn the late 16th century Satsuma domain tightened control over Ryukyu trade; after the 1609 military invasion the kingdom's finances and diplomacy fell under Japanese control, and the traditional Naha-centered, relatively autonomous intermediary network gradually shifted to a Satsuma-dominated tribute–entrepôt model.