, also known as King of Lew Chew, , or more officially , was the title held by several lineages in Okinawa Island from 1372 until the monarchy's dissolution in 1879.
According to the traditional official Okinawan narrative, the legendary ruler Shunten, who supposedly ascended to the throne in 1187, was first to hold the title. Additionally, the notion of a single-line of succession has been maintained despite the Crown clearly recognising several unrelated lineages acceding. However, the monarchy effectively started in 1372 when Satto greeted a Chinese envoy from the newly established Ming dynasty, although his son Bunei was the first to be officially recognized as the King of Chūzan.
Shō Tai was the final sovereign ruler of Ryukyu until his demotion in 1872 by the government of Meiji Japan to the title of Domain King (琉球藩王, Ryūkyū-han-ō) and his forced abdication in 1879. He was inducted into the kazoku with the rank of marquess (侯爵, Kōshaku), earning him a hereditary seat in the House of Peers, which his son later inherited. It is curious that Shō, a monarch, was given a rank lesser than that of some Japanese kuge and daimyo, such as the peasant turned prime minister Itō Hirobumi who received the rank of prince (公爵, Kōshaku) in recognition for his achievements in the Meiji Restoration.
Mamoru Shō is the current pretender to the Okinawan throne.
Early forms of the narrative The earliest known form of the narrative dates to the reign of King Shō Shin of the Second Shō dynasty. A stone monument dated 1522 makes reference to "three dynasties of Shunten's, Eiso's and Satto's". His son King Shō Sei expressed the line of succession in a slightly more elaborate form. The Katanohana Inscription (1543) reads: "Shō Sei, King of Chūzan of the Great State of Ryūkyū, ascended to the throne as the 21st king since Sonton [Shunten]" (大りうきう国中山王尚清ハ、そんとんよりこのかた二十一代の御くらひをつきめしよわちへ). Similarly, another stone monument dated 1597 states that Shō Nei is the 24th king since Sonton [Shunten] (しやうねいハそんとんよりこのかた二十四たいのわうの御くらゐ...). The numbers of kings mentioned in these monuments agree with those of the official history books compiled much later although it is not clear whether the individual members were fixed at this stage.
Historian Dana Masayuki relates the notion of the line of succession to Buddhist temples where ancestral tablets of the deceased kings were stored. According to the Chūzan Seifu, Manju-ji stored the ancestral tablets of Satto, Bunei, Shishō and Shō Hashi, while the tablets of Shō Taikyū and Shō Toku were at Tenkai-ji. Shō En, the founder of the Second Shō dynasty, established Tennō-ji and designated it as the family mausoleum. It is not certain which temples were dedicated to the missing kings of the First Shō dynasty, Shō Chū, Shō Shitatsu, and Shō Kinpuku. Nevertheless, each king performed "ancestral" worship for deceased kings from different dynasties in the presence of a Chinese envoy, presumably because they deceived the Chinese into thinking that the throne was normally succeeded from the father to the son.
According to the Ryūkyū-koku yuraiki (1713), Ryūfuku-ji in Urasoe, in addition to the above-mentioned temples, served as the royal mausoleum. This temple stored inkstone tablets representing the deceased kings from Shunten to Shō Hashi. According to the Chūzan Seifu, Ryūfuku-ji was originally founded by Eiso under the name of Gokuraku-ji and was re-established by Shō En. Dana Masayuki surmises that Gokuraku-ji used to serve not only as the family mausoleum of the Eiso dynasty but as the state mausoleum tracing the royal line back to Shunten. The apparent conflict between Manju-ji and Gokuraku-ji is resolved if Manju-ji is seen as a representation of the state in relation to China while Gokuraku-ji was the manifestation of Okinawa's own narrative.
Shō Shin established Enkaku-ji and transferred the function of the family mausoleum from Tennō-ji to Enkaku-ji. Shō Shin founded another temple named Sōgen-ji and decided to use it as the state mausoleum while the function of Enkaku-ji was clarified as the mausoleum of the Second Shō dynasty. He moved all ancestral tablets, starting from Shunten, to Sōgen-ji and thereby visualized the single line of succession based on Okinawa's own narrative.
Minamoto no Tametomo as the father of Shunten Minamoto no Tametomo (1139–1170), the uncle of the Kamakura shogunate's founder Minamoto no Yoritomo, has been consistently treated as the father of Shunten since the earliest official history book, the Chūzan Seikan (1650). The earliest known association of Tametomo with Ryūkyū can be found in a letter written by a Zen monk in Kyoto named Gesshū Jukei (1470–1533) with a request by Kakuō Chisen, another Zen monk serving to Ryūkyū's Tennō-ji. According to a tale which Gesshū attributed to Kakuō, Tametomo moved to Ryūkyū, used demons as servants, and became the founder of the state, which the Minamoto clan had ruled since then. The reference to demons may reflect the centuries-old Japanese Buddhist perception of Ryūkyū as the land of man-eating demons, as seen in, for example, the Hyōtō Ryūkyū-koku ki (1244). Although at this stage, Tametomo was not explicitly associated with Shunten, the tale apparently circulated in the network of Zen Buddhists connecting Kyoto to Okinawa. A similar tale was recorded in the Ryūkyū Shintō-ki (1606) by Jōdo-shū monk Taichū, who visited Ryūkyū from 1603 to 1606. This indicates that by that time, the tale of Tametomo had been known to non-Zen Buddhists. In light of these, the apparent innovation of the Chūzan Seikan (1650) was the explicit association of Tametomo with Shunten.
The tale of Tametomo had a profound impact on Ryūkyū's self-perception. In 1691, for example, the king ordered all the male members of the royal family to use the kanji Chō (朝) as the first of their two-character given names, presumably to indicate an affinity to Minamoto no Tametomo (源為朝).
Association of the foundation myth with the royal line Another innovation of the Chūzan Seikan (1650) was the association of the foundation myth with the royal line. The foundation myth concerning the goddess Amamikyu itself was recorded in the Ryūkyū Shintō-ki (1606). However, the Chūzan Seikan was the first to make reference to the , who supposedly descended from the goddess.
Without showing a clear genealogy, the official history books connect the Tenson dynasty remotely to the Eiso dynasty. Eiso's mother dreamed that the sun intruded into her bosom, giving a miraculous birth to Eiso, but Eiso's foster father was said to have descended from the Tenson dynasty. Similarly, Satto was said to have been mothered by a swan maiden. Shō En was believed to have descended from Gihon of the Shunten dynasty (i.e., the second Shō family originated from the Minamoto clan), or some other king. It is not clear why the Chūzan Seikan did not provide a special link to the First Shō dynasty.
Official narrative Tenson dynasty The founder of the Tenson dynasty was a descendant of . The 25 generations of the Tenson dynasty ruled the land for 17,802 years, but their names are unknown.
Shunten dynasty The Shunten dynasty lasted from AD 1187 to AD 1259. In 1186, the 25th ruler's throne was usurped by Riyū. Minamoto no Tametomo's son Shunten overthrew Riyū the next year, becoming the king.
Name Kanji Divine name Reign Age at death Shunten舜天 suntin Sonton尊敦 suntun 1187–1237 71 Shunbajunki舜馬順煕 Sonomasu 其益 unumashiorSonomasumi 其益美 unumashimi 1238–1248 63 Gihon義本 jifun Unknown 1249–1259 ?
Eiso dynasty
The Eiso dynasty lasted from AD 1260 to AD 1349. In 1259, Gihon, who was the last king of the Shunten dynasty, abdicated his throne. Fathered by the sun, Eiso succeeded him. During the reign of Tamagusuku, the state was divided into three polities. The King of Nanzan (Sannan) and the King of Hokuzan (Sanhoku) came to compete with the King of Chūzan.
NameKanjiDivine nameReignAge at death Eiso英祖 Wezo-no-tedako英祖日子 iiju nu tiidakwa 1260–1299 70 Taisei大成 Unknown 1300–1308 9 or 61 Eiji英慈 Unknown 1309–1313 45 Tamagusuku玉城 Unknown1314–1336 40 Seii西威 Unknown 1337–1354 21
Satto dynasty The Satto dynasty lasted from AD 1350 to AD 1405. Satto, the son of a peasant and a swan maiden, replaced Seii as the King of Chūzan. Satto started a tributary relation to the Ming emperor.
NameKanjiDivine nameReignAge at death Satto察度 Oho-mamono大真物 ufu mamun1355–1397 74 Bunei武寧 Naga-no-mamono中之真物 naka nu mamun 1398–1406 50
First Shō dynasty The First Shō dynasty lasted from AD 1429 to AD 1469. Shō Hashi, the virtual founder of the First Shō dynasty, overthrew Bunei in 1406. He installed his father, Shō Shishō, as the nominal King of Chūzan. Shō Hashi annihilated the King of Hokuzan (Sanhoku) in 1416. In 1421, after the death of his father, Shō Hashi became the King of Chūzan. He overthrew the King of Nanzan (Sannan) until 1429, unifying the island. The surname Shō (尚) was given by the Ming emperor.Kerr, George. Okinawa: The History of an Island People. Tokyo: Tuttle, 2000. p. 89.
Name Kanji Divine name Reign Age at death Shō Shishō尚思紹 Kimishi-mamono君志真物 jinshi mamun 1407–1421 67 Shō Hashi尚巴志 Sejitaka-mamono勢治高真物 shiijitaka mamun 1422–1439 67 Shō Chū尚忠 Unknown 1440–1442 54 Shō Shitatsu尚思達 Kimiteda jintiida君日 1443–1449 41 Shō Kinpuku尚金福 Kimishi jinshi君志 1450–1453 55 Shō Taikyū尚泰久 Nanojiyomoi 那之志与茂伊 naanujiyumuialso calledOho-yononushi 大世主 ufuyu nu ushi 1454–1460 45 Shō Toku 尚徳 Hachiman-no-aji 八幡之按司also calledSetaka-ō 世高王 shidaka-oo 1461–1469 29
Second Shō dynasty The Second Shō dynasty lasted from AD 1470 to AD 1879. When Shō Toku, the last king of the First Shō dynasty, died in 1469, courtiers launched a coup d'état and elected Shō En as king. He became the founder of the Second Shō dynasty. The kingdom was at its peak during the reign of his son, Shō Shin. In 1609, the Satsuma Domain conquered the Ryukyu Kingdom. From then on, Ryūkyū was a vassal state of the Satsuma Domain, while the king was ordered to keep its tributary relation with China. The kingdom became a domain of Japan in 1872. In 1879, Japan replaced Ryukyu Domain with Okinawa Prefecture, formally annexing the islands. King Shō Tai was dethroned and later given the title of marquis.
Name Kanji Divine name Warabi-naa Nanui Reign Age at deathShō En 尚円 Kanamaru-aji-sohesuwetsugiwaunise金丸按司添末続王仁子 kanimaru aji shiishii chiji oonishi Umitukugani思徳金 –1470–1476 61 Shō Sen'i尚宣威 Nishi no yononushi西之世主 nishi nu yuu nu ushi ? – 1477 48 Shō Shin尚真 Ogiyakamowi於義也嘉茂慧 ujakamui Makatutarugani真加戸樽金 – 1477–1526 61Shō Sei 尚清 Tenitsugi-no-ajisohe天続之按司添 tinchiji nu ajishii Manichiyutarugani真仁堯樽金 –1527–1555 59 Shō Gen尚元 Tedahajime-ajisohe日始按司添 tiidahajimi nu ajishii Kanichiyuu金千代 – 1556–1572 44 Shō Ei尚永 Wezoniyasuhe-ajisohe 英祖仁耶添按司添 iijuniyashii ajishiialso calledTedahokori-ō 日豊操王 tiidafukui-ooor Tedayomutori-ō 日豊操王 tiida yumutui oo? – 1573–1586 30 Shō Nei尚寧 Tedagasuhe-ajisohe日賀末按司添 tiidagasui ajishii Umitukugani思徳金 – 1587–1620 56 Shō Hō 尚豊 Tenigiyasuhe-ajisohe天喜也末按司添 tinjagashii ajishii Umigurugani思五郎金 Chōshō朝昌 1621–1640 50 Shō Ken尚賢 – Umimatsugani思松金 ? 1641–1647 23 Shō Shitsu尚質 – Umitukugani思徳金 ?1648–1668 39 Shō Tei尚貞 – Umigurugani思五郎金 Chōshū朝周 1669–1709 64 Shō Eki尚益 – Umigurugani思五郎金 ? 1710–1712 34 Shō Kei 尚敬 – Umitukugani思徳金 Chōshi朝糸1713–1751 52 Shō Boku尚穆 – Umigurugani思五郎金 Chōkō朝康 1752–1795 55 Shō On尚温 – Umigurugani思五郎金 Chōkoku朝克 1796–1802 18 Shō Sei尚成 – Umitukugani思徳金 – 1803 3 Shō Kō尚灝 – Umijirugani思次良金 Chōshō朝相1804–1828 47 Shō Iku尚育 – Umitukugani思徳金 Chōken朝現 1829–1847 34Shō Tai 尚泰 – Umijirugani思次良金 Chōken朝憲 1848–1879 58
Honored as king posthumously