Jana Ueekata
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Jana Ueekata Rizan (謝名 親方 利山?) (1549-1611), also known by the Chinese-style name Tei Dō (鄭迥?), was a Ryukyuan aristocrat and bureaucrat in the royal government of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. A member of the Sanshikan, the king's closest advisors, Rizan was the only Ryukyuan official to refuse to recognize the suzerainty of Japan's Satsuma Domain over the kingdom; he was executed as a result.
"Jana Ueekata" is actually a title, not a name, reflecting that Rizan was of ueekata rank, and assigned to the region or territory of Jana. This name structure, along with the fact that he possessed a separate, Chinese-style, name (Tei Dō) was typical of the Ryukyuan aristocracy.
[edit] Biography
Rizan was, like most officials in the royal government, originally from Kumemura, a community descended from Chinese immigrants and the primary center of learning in the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Having been chosen to start on the track to becoming a bureaucrat, he traveled to China to study at the age of 16. He would return there a number of times over the course of his career, heading tribute missions and being involved in other diplomatic activities. At the age of 57, he became a member of the Sanshikan, the king's closest advisors.
At the time of the invasion of Ryūkyū by forces from the Japanese feudal domain of Satsuma, in 1609, Rizan oversaw the defense of Mie gusuku (Mie castle) in Naha harbor. After the fall of Shuri castle, the royal palace, and the surrender of King Shō Nei, Rizan was taken captive along with the king and a number of other officials. They were brought to Kagoshima, the capital of Satsuma Domain, and then to Edo, the shogunal capital, where they were forced to sign a number of vows of fealty and allegiance to the Shimazu clan lords of Satsuma. Refusing to do this, Rizan was decapitated.
Rizan was a master of karate, and legends and rumors state that it took a number of men to overcome his resistance and successfully execute him.
[edit] References
- This article's content is derived from that of the corresponding article on the Japanese Wikipedia.
- Rekidai Hōan. #1-18-03.
