List of monarchs of Ryukyu Islands

King of Ryūkyū
Crown of the King of Ryūkyū
Details
Style	Your Majesty (首里天加那志)
First monarch	Shunten
Last monarch	Shō Tai
Formation	1429
Abolition	March 17, 1879
Residence	Shuri Castle
Pretender(s)	Mamoru Shō

The list of monarchs of the Ryūkyū Islands extends from King Shunten in the 12th century through the last king in the 19th century.

History of Ryūkyū
Periods Prehistoric pre–14,000 BC Early Shell Mound 14,000–300 BC Middle Shell Mound 300 BC–750 AD Late Shell Mound 750–1187 Gusuku 1187–1314 Sanzan 1314–1429 First Shō Dynasty 1429–1469 Second Shō Dynasty 1469–1879 Invasion of Ryūkyū 1609 Ryūkyū Domain 1872–1879 Annexation of Ryūkyū 1879 Meiji 1879–1912 Taishō 1912–1926 Pre-World War 2 1926–1945 Militarism Battle of Okinawa 1945 American Occupation 1945–1971 Koza riot 1970 Okinawa Prefecture 1971–present Kagoshima Prefecture 1953–present
Topics Ryūkyū Kingdom 1429–1879 Ryūkyū independence movement 1945–present

Tenson Dynasty

According to the "Mirror of Chūzan" (中山世鑑, chūzan seikan), the founder of the Tenson Dynasty was a descendant of Amamikyu (阿摩美久, the goddess of creation in the Ryukyuan religion). Though the "Mirror of Chūzan" said that the Tenson Dynasty had 25 early kings, the names of the other kings are still unknown.

Shunten Dynasty

In 1186, the 25th king's throne was usurped by Riyū (利勇). Shunten overthrew Riyū the next year, becoming king of the Ryūkyū Islands. He established the Shunten Dynasty.

Eiso Dynasty

In 1259, Gihon, who was the last king of Shunten Dynasty, abdicated his throne. His Sessei Eiso succeeded him.

Sanzan period

The Sanzan Period is a period of history of the Ryūkyū Kingdom that lasted from 1322 until 1429. During these years, the island of Okinawa was politically divided into three kingdoms.

• Satto Line

(Chūzan Kingdom, 1355–1406)

Chūzan Kingdom had paid tribute to Ming court in 1372 and 1404.

• Ōsato Line

(Nanzan Kingdom, 1337–1429)

Nanzan Kingdom had paid tribute to Ming court in 1383 and 1388.

• Haniji Line

(Hokuzan Kingdom, 1322–1416)

Hokuzan Kingdom had paid tribute to Ming court in 1383.

The First Shō Dynasty

(Chūzan Kingdom, 1407–1429;

Ryūkyū Kingdom, 1429–1469)

In 1406, Bunei was overthrown and Shō Shishō became the nominal king of Chūzan Kingdom, placed there by his elest son Shō Hashi as part of a power bid to control Chūzan while giving an appearance to China of proper Confucian respect for one's elders. Hashi then set out to conquer the island, conquering the other aji (tribal lords) of Chuzan and then, in 1416, the northern kingdom, Hokuzan. In 1421, after the death of his father, Shō Hashi became the ruler of Chuzan and claimed to China that he had unified the island of Okinawa and asked to be recognized as the king (although he had not, in fact, yet conquered the entire island; Nanzan, the southernmost kingdom, remained independent until 1429). Thus, in 1422, the Hongwu Emperor recognized Hashi as king, gave Hashi the surname Shō (尚) as the designator for his dynasty, and gave a new name to the country: Ryūkyū Kingdom.^[1]

The Second Shō Dynasty

(Ryūkyū Kingdom (琉球王國), 1470–1872; Ryūkyū Domain (琉球藩) of Japan, 1872–1879)

In 1469, Shō Toku, the last king of The First Shō Dynasty, was killed in a coup d'état with no son to succeed. So courtiers elected Shō En as king, and established The Second Shō Dynasty.

During King Shō Shin's reign, the Ryūkyū Kingdom was rich, powerful and properous, conquering the Sakishima Islands and centralizing the royal government. It was called "the Great Days of Chūzan", a "golden period" in Ryūkyūan history. But the military strength of the Ryukyu Kingdom soon declined after his death, although later kings made gains against the Satsuma Domain of Japan in conquering the Amami Islands. In 1609, Satsuma Domain invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom, capturing the Amami Islands and landing on Okinawa Island. After taking Nakijin Castle, Urasoe Castle, and Shuri Castle, King Shō Nei was taken as a prisoner to Kagoshima and later to Edo (modern day Tokyo). The king was forced to sign an oath of vassalage to the head of Satsuma Domain. From then on, Ryukyu was a vassal state of Satsuma; the king had to pay tribute to both China and Satsuma.

The Ryukyu Kingdom became a Han of Japan in 1872.

In 1879, Japan replaced Ryūkyū Domain with Okinawa Prefecture, formally annexing the islands. King Shō Tai was dethroned and given the title of marquis and removed to Tokyo.

See also

• Family trees of the Shō Dynasties kings
• Ryūkyū Kingdom
• History of Ryukyu Islands

Notes

References

• Kerr, George H. (1965). Okinawa, the History of an Island People. Rutland, Vermont: C.E. Tuttle Co. OCLC 39242121

External links

• (Japanese)(Chinese)中山世鑑
• (Chinese)中山世譜