Urasoe Chōshō

Urasoe Chōshō

Urasoe Ueekata Chōshō (浦添 親方 朝昭, 25 July 1825 – 6 January 1883), also known by his Chinese style name Shō Kyoken (向 居謙), was a politician and bureaucrat of Ryukyu Kingdom.

Chōshō was born to an aristocrat family called Shō-shi Urasoe Dunchi (向氏浦添殿内). He was the 14th head of Urasoe Dunchi, and his father Kuniyoshi Chōshō (国吉 朝章, also known as Shō Ryōhitsu 向 良弼), was a Sanshikan during Shō Iku's reign.

Chōshō was selected as a member of the Sanshikan in 1872. In 1876, Ryukyu had to break off diplomatic relations with Qing China under the pressure of Imperial Japan. Chōshō sent Kōchi Chōjō, Rin Seikō and Sai Taitei (蔡 大鼎) to China in order to seek for help.

In 1879, the Meiji Japanese government decided to abolish the Ryukyu Domain, and sent Matsuda Michiyuki to Shuri. Chōshō met Michiyuki and tried to prevent it but failed. Ryukyu was annexed by Japan and later Japan declared the creation of Okinawa Prefecture. Two of the last three Sanshikan left in Okinawa, Urasoe Chōshō and Tomikawa Seikei, were appointed advisers of Okinawa Prefecture, but both of them wanted to restore the Ryukyu Domain. Chōshō stayed in Shuri, while Seikei fled to Fuzhou. The other Sanshikan, Yonabaru Ryōketsu, went to Tokyo serving as Keishi (家司) of the former King Shō Tai. All of them struggled for this ideal until their death.

Chōshō was good at waka and Han learning.

References

• (in Japanese)浦添朝昭∥ウラゾエ　チョウショウ
• (in Japanese)廃藩当時の人物