The Rekidai Hōan (歷代寶案)
The Rekidai Hōan (Precious Documents of Successive Generations) was compiled by the Shuri palace of Ryukyu Kingdom, covering ancient diplomatic documents between Ryukyu and China, as well as their neighboring countries such as Siam (now known as Thailand), Turkey, Pakistan , Malaysia, and Sumatra during the 15 th and 16 th centuries.
. The compilation of ancient diplomatic documents of Ryukyu Kingdom with China and the neighboring countries from the 15 th to the 16 th century.
. "Hōan means "precious documents," written entirely in Chinese.
. Historical data in detail about the tribute relationship s between Ryukyu Kingdom and China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
. The most complete works of rare manuscripts as a special collecti on by the Library of National Taiwan University
. The version adopted is authorized by National Taiwan University Pres s in cooperation with Transmission Books & Microinfo Co. (TBMC), with a total of 53 volumes of replicas
The original archive of Rekidai H ō an span s 444 years, stretching from 1424 A.D. to 1867 A.D., a long period from the 3 rd year of Ryukyu King Sh ō Hashi s reign (the 22 nd year of Emperor Yongle sre ign of Ming Dynasty in China) to the 20 th year of Sh ō Tai s reign, the last king of the Ryukyu Kingdom (the 6 th year of Emperor Tongzhi s reign of Qing Dynasty in China).
The compiled archive was named H ō an meaning precious documents, because these documents were of greatest importance in the administration of the Shuri palace.
As a result of earthquakes, fires, and wars, the original documents and transcripts of the Rekidai H ō an had all come to naught. Therefore, various fragmentary blueprint copies and handwritten manuscripts have become important sources to piece together and restore the Rekidai Hōan . This archive collected by the Library of National Taiwan Universi ty (known as Taihoku Imperial University during the Japanese colonial period in Taiwan) is the closest one
to the complete original transcripts. It is also an extremely important source for the editorial committee of the Rekidai H ō an in Okinawa, Japan, to compile, edit, and print the Revised Version of the Rekidai Hōan.
Having risen from the ashes, the Rekidai H ō an provides historians and researchers with priceless first hand data for the study of diplomatic history of Ryukyu Kingdom, especially the relati ons between Ryukyu and China.
(Source: Adapted from National Taiwan University)