Brown sugar in Okinawa began in 1623 when Gima Shinjo learned sugar manufacturing techniques from China and brought them back to Japan. Since then, it has become an important core industry of the Ryukyu Kingdom and is deeply rooted in the culture, economy, and diet of the Ryukyu Islands.
Brown sugar became a political and financial tool in the Edo and Satsuma clans' monopoly system and "tribute sugar," a form of taxation and annual tribute payment, which had a great impact on producers and local communities.
In modern times, brown sugar production is being reevaluated as a "tradition, taste, and local brand" mainly on the remote islands of Okinawa, and its value as a culture is being enhanced even as the number of productions and production areas are decreasing.
This is the kind of article we want people to read:
Those who are interested in Okinawa/Ryukyu culture and brown sugar as a traditional industry.
Those who want to understand brown sugar as more than just a sweetener, but as a historical and cultural value.
Those who wish to learn about the history of brown sugar from the perspectives of food, industry, and society, and to consider how it should be protected and developed in the future.
Historical Flow and Key Points
Brown sugar becomes the monopoly property of the Ryukyu Kingdom → Becomes economically and politically important
Involvement of Amami Islands and Satsuma, the tribute sugar system, and the occurrence of a situation called "brown sugar hell
Agricultural policy, planting restrictions, efforts to increase production, and policy changes since the period of modernization and industrialization
Production contraction in the postwar and modern era, reduction in the number of factories, branding on remote islands, and sustainability issues.
Origin of brown sugar and its introduction into the Ryukyu Dynasty (17th century-)
It is said that brown sugar was first produced in Ryukyu in 1623. A Ryukyuan samurai named Masatsune Gima sent an envoy to Fuzhou, China, to learn sugar manufacturing techniques there, and brought them to Ryukyu.
With its introduction, sugarcane cultivation took off and brown sugar became a major agricultural crop on the island. The unique Ryukyuan climate (subtropical and suitable for sugarcane cultivation) encouraged its spread.
Brown Sugar Monopoly System and the Influence of Gongsugar and the Satsuma Clan
In the Edo period (1603-1867), Okinawa (Ryukyu Kingdom) came under the control of the Satsuma clan, and brown sugar became the subject of large payments to the Satsuma clan as annual tribute or tribute material (tribute sugar). Especially in the first half of the 18th century, brown sugar was sometimes used as a tax payment material instead of rice, which was a heavy burden for the farmers.
A similar system was also put in place in the Amami Islands, and records show that the labor and tax burden for brown sugar production was so severe that it was known as "brown sugar hell. Farmers had to grow and produce brown sugar while securing their own food, which had a serious impact on their lives.
Changes and modernization since the Meiji era
After the establishment of the Meiji government, the Ryukyu Islands became Okinawa Prefecture and were incorporated into the Japanese administrative and tax systems, which also changed the treatment of the brown sugar industry. There were both policy supports and restrictions, such as planting restrictions and the modernization of sugar industry improvements and facilities.
In addition, since the mid-20th century, while mechanization of materials and production technology and the shift to large-scale factories have progressed, brown sugar production in traditional small factories and on isolated islands has gradually declined. Especially since the 1970s, the number of factories producing brown sugar has greatly decreased.
Postwar to Contemporary: Branding and Cultural Revaluation
While the entire sugar and refined sugar industries expanded with Japan's postwar economic growth, brown sugar has formed a niche in the market due to its flavor and tradition. In Okinawa, eight remote islands (Iheya, Ie, Aguni, Tarama, Kohama, Iriomote, Hateruma, and Yonaguni) remain as brown sugar production areas, and the differences in soil, climate, and production methods on each island are reflected in the taste, increasing its value as an "island brand" and "traditional food.
Currently, while about half of the arable land in Okinawa Prefecture is used for sugarcane cultivation, a small portion (about 5-61 TP3T) is used for brown sugar production, making brown sugar a scarce sweetener.
As a traditional name, brown sugar is sometimes called "nuchigusui" (medicine of life), and it is also found in historical documents that it had a reputation as a health and medicinal food.
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