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7. No Weapons?!
On September 16, 1816, two British ships appeared on the coast of Naha.
They stayed in Okinawa for about 40 days.
On the voyage home, Basil Hall, captain of one of the ships, went to St. Helena.
He met Napoleon Bonaparte there.
Below is part of Hall's story.
Napoleon was most surprised when I told him that the people of the Ryukyus had no weapons.
N: No weapons?!
Do they have any cannons or guns?
H: No, not even muskets.
N: Well, then -- any spears, or any bows and arrows?
H: No, they do not have any.
N: No swords?
H: No, none.
It seemed that Napoleon could not believe what he was hearing.
He seemed confused, and rather angry.
He cried, "But!
But without weapons, how do they fight?"
I answered, "As far as I have heard, they have never had any wars.
They have lived in peace."
Napoleon heard this and cried, "No wars?!"
To him, people without any weapons living in peace was unbelievable.