Shō Toku
| Shō Toku 尚徳王 | |
|---|---|
| King of the Ryūkyū Kingdom | |
| Reign | 1460–1469 |
| Predecessor | Shō Taikyū |
| Successor | Shō En |
| Born | 1441 |
| Died | 1469 |
| House | House of Shō |
| Father | Shō Taikyū |
| Mother | Miyazato Agunshitari-agomoshirare |
Shō Toku (尚 徳, Shō Toku, 1441–1469) was the son of Shō Taikyū and last king of his dynasty. He came to power as a young man in a kingdom whose treasury had been depleted. He engaged in efforts to conquer islands and took the symbol of Hachiman as his banner to emphasize his martial spirit. In 1466, he led an invasion on Kikai Island, which strained the Ryūkyūan treasury with little benefit.[1] He either died young or was possibly killed by forces within the kingdom as details are somewhat unclear.[2] As is common for rulers who preside over the end of a dynasty moralists portrayed him as cruel, violent, and lacking in virtue.[3]
References
- ^ 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