Shō Hō
尚豊
Official royal portrait of Shō Hō, painted by Shō Genko in 1796.
King of Ryūkyū
Reign1621–1640
PredecessorShō Nei
SuccessorShō Ken
sessei of Ryukyu
Tenure1617–1621
PredecessorKikuin Sōi
SuccessorKin Chōtei
BornUmigurugani (思五郎金)
(1590-12-09)December 9, 1590
DiedJune 23, 1640(1640-06-23) (aged 49)
Burial
Tamaudun, Shuri, Okinawa
SpouseGaja-Uemori Aji-ganashi
Kimitoyomi Aji-ganashi
ConcubineNishi no Aji-ganashi, Ryōgetsu
Mafē Aji, Ranshitsu
Mafē Aji, Nangaku
Yonabaru Agomo-shirare
IssueShō Kyō, Prince Urasoe Chōryō
Shō Bun, Crown Prince Nakagusuku Chōeki
Shō Ken, Prince Kume-Nakagusuku
Shō Shitsu, Prince Sashiki
Princess Shuri-ōkimi Aji-ganashi
Princess Takushi
Princess Shimajiri-Sashisaka Aji-ganashi
Princess Yonashiro
Names
Shō Hō (尚豊)
Divine nameTenigiyasuhe-ajisohe (天喜也末按司添)[1]
Yamato nameChōshō (朝昌)
HouseSecond Shō dynasty
FatherShō Kyū, Prince Kin Chōkō
MotherKin Ō-Aji-ganashi
Signature

Shō Hō (尚豊, 1590–1640) was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom.[2] He succeeded Shō Nei, whose reign saw the invasion of Ryukyu by Japanese forces in 1609 and the subjugation of the kingdom to Satsuma Domain, and ruled from 1621 until 1640.

Shō Hō was the fourth son of Shō Kyū, the third son of King Shō Gen. In 1616, he was appointed kokushō,[3] a high government position akin to prime minister or chief royal advisor, which would later be replaced with sessei.

Three years later, Shō Hō was named Prince of Nakagusuku and given Nakagusuku magiri as his domain. King Shō Nei died without an heir in 1621, and Shō Hō was selected to succeed him.[3] As the first king to be enthroned since Satsuma's invasion in 1609, formal permission and acknowledgment of the king's authority and legitimacy was required before performing the coronation ceremony, sending heralds to China, and assuming the responsibilities of the throne. In addition, while Shō Hō retained powers related to organization of offices and administration of punishments, along with all the ritual prestige of the throne, Shō Nei was the last king of Ryukyu to rule personally, directly, and absolutely as monarch. Much of the decisions and behavior of Shō Hō's government were subject to Satsuma's approval.[4]

Relations with China were also strained. At the start of Shō Hō's reign, Okinawan tribute ships were only welcome in Fuzhou once every ten years. The Chinese Imperial Court had reduced the tribute missions to this frequency following the Japanese invasion in 1609, claiming that it was done in consideration of the instability and poverty that the chaos of the invasion must have brought to the kingdom. In fact, these tribute missions, the only legal method of trading with Ming China, were essential to the kingdom's economic prosperity. Therefore, in 1623, when investiture missions were exchanged, the Ryukyuan officials pushed for a return to the system of sending tribute every other year; it was decided that missions would be allowed once every five years.[5]

After a twenty-year reign, Shō Hō died in 1640, and was succeeded by his son, Shō Ken.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 琉球国王の神号と『おもろさうし』 (PDF) (in Japanese).
  2. ↑ Suganuma, Unryu. (2000). Sovereign Rights and Territorial Space in Sino-Japanese Relations, p. 46. at Google Books
  3. 1 2 "Shō Hō." Okinawa konpakuto jiten (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryukyu Shimpo (琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 12 February 2009.
  4. ↑ Kerr, George. Okinawa: The History of an Island People. (revised edition). Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2000. p185.
  5. ↑ Kerr. p180.

References

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