Shō Toku (尚 徳, 1441–1469) was the son of Shō Taikyū and last king of the First Shō Dynasty. He came to power as a young man in a kingdom whose treasury had been depleted. He engaged in efforts to conquer islands between Ryukyu and Japan and took the Mitsudomoe, the symbol of Hachiman, as his banner to emphasize his martial spirit. In 1466, he led an invasion on Kikai Island, which strained the Ryukyuan treasury with little benefit.[2] He either died young or was possibly killed by forces within the kingdom as details are somewhat unclear.[3] As is common for rulers who preside over the end of a dynasty, moralists portrayed him as cruel, violent, and lacking in virtue.[4]
| Shō Toku 尚徳 shoo tuku | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Ryukyu | |||||
| Reign | 1460–1469 | ||||
| Predecessor | Shō Taikyū | ||||
| Successor | Shō En | ||||
| Born | 1441 | ||||
| Died | June 1, 1469 (aged 27–28) | ||||
| Spouse | daughter of Gushichan aji | ||||
| Concubines | daughter of Yabiku aji | ||||
| |||||
| Divine name | Hachiman-no-aji (八幡之按司), also Setaka-ō (世高王 shidaka oo)[1] | ||||
| House | First Shō dynasty | ||||
| Father | Shō Taikyū | ||||
| Mother | Miyazato Agomo-shirare (Naajatu agumushirari) | ||||
Family
edit- Father: Shō Taikyū
- Mother: Miyazato Agunshitari-agomoshirare
- Wife: daughter of Gushikawa Aji
- Concubine: daughter of Yabiku Aji
- Children:[dubious – discuss]
- Shō Shashiki
- Shō Urasoe
- Shō Daiyako, descendant was Minshikameya Family
- Shō Koban
References
edit- ^ 琉球国王の神号と『おもろさうし』 (PDF) (in Japanese).
- ^ Turnbull, Stephen. The Samurai Capture a King: Okinawa 1609. Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2009. P. 8-9.
- ^ Okinawa, the history of an island people by George H. Kerr, pgs 100–103
- ^ Visions of Ryukyu: identity and ideology in early-modern thought and politics by Gregory Smits, pgs 60–61