Records of the Imperial Title-Conferring Envoys to Ryukyu (Shi Liu Qiu Lu)

In 1534 (13th year of Emperor Jiajing’s reign of the Ming Dynasty), Chen Kan, an imperial title-conferring envoy from the Ming court to Ryukyu, stated in Records of the Imperial Title-Conferring Envoys to Ryukyu (Shi Liu Qiu Lu), “Diaoyu Yu, Huangmao Yu, Chi Yu, so many islands unfold before my eyes. Then Kume Mountain comes into sight; that is where the land of Ryukyu begins. The Ryukyuans on my ship start singing and dancing excitedly, because they know they have finally returned to their homes.” The passage indicates that even Ryukyuans believed they had arrived at Ryukyu only when they saw Kume Mountain (known as Kumejima Island today), well after passing “Diaoyu Yu” and “Chi Yu” (Diaoyu Dao and Chiwei Yu). This indicates the Diaoyu Dao is part of China rather than Ryukyu.