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Shō Kō

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Shō Kō
尚灝
Official royal portrait of Shō Kō, painted by Mō Chōki in 1837.
King of Ryūkyū
Reign1804–1828
PredecessorShō Sei
SuccessorShō Iku
BornUmijirugani (思次良金)
(1787-07-14)14 July 1787
Died5 July 1834(1834-07-05) (aged 46)
SpouseOmokametarugane, Sashiki Aji-ganashi
Concubine
See list
  • Mamatsugane, Gushiken Aji-ganashi
    Manabetaru, Kohagura Aji-ganashi
    Maushigane, Onaha Agunshitari-agomoshirare
    Makadotaru, Zakimi Agunshitari-agomoshirare
    Omodogane, Matayoshi Agunshitari-agomoshirare
    Matsurugane, Miyagi Agunshitari-agomoshirare
    Makuresegane, Uema Agunshitari-agomoshirare
    Omotaketarugane, Nakanishi Agunshitari-agomoshirare
    Omokametaru, Janatō Agunshitari-agomoshirare
Issue
See list
  • Shō Iku, Crown Prince Nagagusuku
    Prince Shō Yō
    Omonabetaru, Princess Onaga
    Shō Ton, Prince Ōzato Chōkyō
    Shō Ken, Prince Ie Chōchoku
    Matsurugane, Kikoe-ōkimi-ganashi
    Omokanegane, Princess Shikina
    Prince Shō I
    Makuresegane, Princess Kamida
    Matsurugane, Princess Kadekaru
    Omokametaru, Princess Yonaha
    Shō Ken, Prince Yoshimura Chōshō
    Makadotarugane, Princess Miyahira
    Maushigane, Princess Amuro
    Princess Omokanetarugane
    Manabetaru, Princess Onaha
    Maakarigane, Princess Ishimine
    Princess Omodogane
    Shō Shū, Prince Nago Chōmu
    Omotakeuhugane, Princess Kakeboku
    Omodogane, Princess Makishi
    Maushigane, Princess Asato
    Shō Shin, Prince Tamagawa Chōtatsu
    Princess Maushi
    Prince Shō Ten
Names
Shō Kō (尚灝)
Era dates
Jiaqing 嘉慶
Daoguang 道光
Yamato nameChōshō (朝相)
HouseSecond Shō dynasty
FatherShō Tetsu
MotherManabetarugane, Kikoe-ōgimi ganashi

Shō Kō (尚灝) (14 July 1787 – 5 July 1834) was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, who held the throne from 1804 to 1828, when he was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, Shō Iku. This was only the second time in the history of the kingdom that a king abdicated;[1] the 1477 abdication of Shō Sen'i was the first.[2]

It is said that towards the end of his reign, Shō Kō's "behavior became strange, unbalanced, and unpredictable."[1] The Sanshikan (the council of the top three elder royal advisors) appealed to the government of Japan's Satsuma Domain and, with Satsuma's approval, forced Shō Kō to abdicate in 1828 and to retire to the countryside. An envoy mission was prepared to formally inform Beijing of the change in rulership, and a second royal manor was established in the countryside, to maintain the prestige and dignities appropriate to Shō Kō's status.[1]

Historian George H. Kerr suggests the possibility that Shō Kō did not in fact suffer from any mental illness, but rather contemplated radical actions such as seeking the kingdom's full independence from Satsuma, to which it was a vassal tributary, in the hopes that this would alleviate the intense economic difficulties faced by the kingdom.[3] If this were the case, perhaps the Sanshikan feared that such action was too radical, and too risky, and felt the need to prevent the king from going through with it.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Kerr, George H. Okinawa: The History of an Island People. (revised ed.) Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2003. p244.
  2. ^ Kerr. p104.
  3. ^ Kerr. p245.

Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Ryūkyū
1804–1828
Succeeded by