The so-called four northern islands first belonged to the Ming Dynasty. Is there any historical basis for this? Can you introduce it?

The Four Northern Islands, also known as the Southern Kuril Islands, consist of the four archipelagos of Etor, Kunashir, Habomai and Shikotan between the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia and Hokkaido in Japan, with a total area of ??4,996 square kilometers. It now belongs to the Sakhalin Oblast of Russia, and most of its residents are Russians.

However, according to Japanese historical records, the four northern islands are one of the living areas of Japan’s ancient Ainu people. In 1644, a map drawn by Japan included the four northern islands, and Russia claimed , Russian explorers also landed on the Kuril Islands in 1691 and named these islands "Kuriel Islands".

The author of the question said that the four northern islands first belonged to the Ming Dynasty. This is completely impossible.

First of all, let’s take a look at the locations of the four northern islands:

After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the 28th edition of the Ming Taizu’s "Huang Ming Ancestral Instructions" announced that Korea, Japan, etc. 15 countries are listed as countries that cannot be conquered, warning future generations not to conquer arbitrarily. As for the location of the four northern islands, they are not bordering the East Asian continent and are located northeast of Hokkaido, Japan. In terms of their geographical location, there is absolutely no reason for them to become Ming Dynasty territory.

This is even more fantasy than what Hawaii is to the United States. Of course, the history of Hawaii becoming part of the United States is not glorious. Although the nuisance caused by Japanese pirates along the coast began in the early Hongwu years of the Ming Dynasty, it was not resolved until the Jiajing reign of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty. However, the Ming Dynasty never had any intention of sending troops to conquer Japan, nor did it strongly demand that Japan become a qualified vassal. As far as the Ming Dynasty was concerned, it was better to let Japan as a country fend for itself. As for the four northern islands, it is estimated that the people of the Ming Dynasty would not even look at them. After all, the Nansha Islands were not wanted by the Ming Dynasty. Hainan Island was still a place of exile for imperial courtiers. Didn’t Taiwan Island never belong to the Ming Dynasty?

So how Japan and Russia compete is their own business. Regardless of any nonsense, they have to find a sense of existence from history.

In terms of geographical location, if the four northern islands really belong to China, then the whole of Japan may also belong to China. Regionally, this archipelago is closer to being part of Hokkaido.

The earliest history of Hokkaido can be traced back to the end of the 16th century. The Matsumae clan of Japan crossed the sea and built Fukuyama Castle and occupied the land. Later, the Russians went south and carried out military campaigns against Hokkaido, the Thousand Islands, and Sakhalin for national defense needs. Exploration activities on the island and other places, and soon Hokkaido became a territory directly under the shogunate.

In the final analysis, the dispute over the four northern islands originated at the end of the 16th century. At that time, both Sakhalin Island and Hokkaido were actually unclaimed lands, or they belonged to indigenous peoples. Japan’s sphere of influence was The Hokkaido area was never considered a part of Japan until the end of the 16th century.

Since Japan, which is so close to this area, does not take it seriously, it is even less likely that the Chinese dynasties across the sea would come here to claim their own territory.

The above picture is a map of Zhu Siben of the Yuan Dynasty. Can you find the four northern islands on it?

This map is the "Hun Da Ming Map" drawn during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. It basically marked all the administrative offices of the Ming Dynasty at that time. If you can find the four northern islands from this map, you are considered awesome. !

Based on the level of surveying at the time, the four northern islands and neighboring Japan only paid attention to it and claimed it as their own territory in order to cope with the threat of Russia's continuous movement southward. Therefore, for China, it is completely impossible for the four northern islands to have ever been part of China. At least, no Chinese have set foot in that area, and that area has never been described in Chinese literature.

So, don’t think too much.