Ryūkyūan Art and Ryūkyū-Chosŏn Cultural Exchange through the Lens of Ugui (御後絵) Portraiture

This study examines the art and culture of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in the fifteenth century through an analysis of ugui , the official portraits of Ryūkyūan monarchs. Focusing on the monarch’s frontal pose (正面像), it challenges the prevailing notion that these portraits were modeled primarily by Ming imperial precedents. Instead, this paper posits that ugui reflects a distinct Ryūkyūan cultural identity rooted in extensive trade and diplomatic ties with various polities. Particular emphasis is placed on the Buddhist cultural interaction between Ryūkyū and Chosŏn, highlighting how these exchanges contributed to the formation of ugui . By tracing affinities between ugui and early Chosŏn Buddhist royal portraits (眞影)—especially during the reign of King Sejo (r. 1455–1468)—this article repositions Ryūkyūan art within a broader East Asian visual framework. In doing so, it underscores the importance of multilayered inter-state exchanges in art historical narratives and offers new insight into the complexities of cultural formation and transmission in fifteenth-century East Asia.