The Kume neighborhood where the garden is located, previously known as Kumemura (Kume Village), was for centuries the center of Chinese culture and learning in the Ryūkyū Kingdom, and a symbol of the significant role of Chinese cultural influence in Okinawan history and culture.
According to traditional accounts, the community was founded in 1392 when a number of Chinese bureaucrats and craftsmen, under orders from the Ming Chinese Imperial government, traveled to Okinawa from Fujian and settled there.
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At the same time, as part of the wide-reaching reforms of the Meiji Restoration, a public school system was established across Japan; though education was meant to be uniform across the country, exceptions were made in Okinawa, as they were for most Meiji era policies, which were more gradually introduced there.
The community of scholars in Kumemura, on Okinawa, also included a number of skilled artists and craftsmen.
Kumemura |
Three memorial steles are located within the temple grounds: one to the Chūzan Confucian temple originally established in the 17th century as a gift from the Kangxi Emperor; one to Sai On, historian, government official, reformed, and royal regent at the time the temple was constructed; and one to Tei Junsoku, magistrate of Kumemura and educational force who established the Meirindō as a center of learning.