Loochoo

Loochoo (otherwise Liukiu or Riu Kiu), a group of thirty-seven islands, of which the most considerable are Oshima and Okinawa. The islands extend at irregular intervals in a south-westerly direction from Kyūshū in Japan, and form the prefecture of Okinawa in that empire. Their aggregate area is 1863 sq. m., and the population amounts to only 160,000. Linguistically and ethnically the Loochooans are almost identical with other Japanese, and their manners, customs, and religious observances (Shintōist) bear a close affinity. They were formerly subject to the lord of Satsuma, and paid an annual tribute, having been completely subjected in 1609. China has made a claim upon the islands, which she still holds in reserve, but they are essentially Japanese soil. The men do not shave the hair like the Japanese; they pin it on the crown of the head, with a star in front. The women tattoo their hands. The streets are paved with stone, and stone walls ten or twelve feet high, giving the streets a desolate appearance, enclose the houses, which are similar in structure and arrangements to Japanese houses; the tiles used for roofing, however, are not black, but red in colour. There are no shops in Loochoo, only a market-place in each town. The food of the people consists principally of sweet potatoes, pork, and fish, a pig being usually kept by each family. Oshima possesses a good harbour, but Nafa, the port of Shimi, capital of Okinawa, is an unsafe anchorage. Sugar is largely raised, also the sago-palm, and an aromatic variety of orange; the cocoa-nut palms do not seem to yield fruit. A small breed of ponies is found on the islands.