Changes

The ''sessei'' worked alongside the king and the ''[[Sanshikan]]'' (Council of Three) to draft and enact laws, though the king gradually became more and more of a figurehead over the course of the period when Ryûkyû was a subsidiary of the Japanese ''[[han]]'' of [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]] (1609-1870s). Like most Ryukyuan government officials at the time, most ''sessei'' were appointed from the elite class of ''[[yukatchu]]'', scholars of Chinese subjects from the town of [[Kumemura]].

The ''sessei'' worked alongside the king and the ''[[Sanshikan]]'' (Council of Three) to draft and enact laws, though the king gradually became more and more of a figurehead over the course of the period when Ryûkyû was a subsidiary of the Japanese ''[[han]]'' of [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]] (1609-1870s). Like most Ryukyuan government officials at the time, most ''sessei'' were appointed from the elite class of ''[[yukatchu]]'', scholars of Chinese subjects from the town of [[Kumemura]].

According to the "Mirror of Chûzan" (中山の世鑑, chûzan no sekan), the classical Ryukyuan history text by ''sessei'' [[Sho Shoken|Shô Shôken]], the ''sessei'' have always been a part of the system of the Ryukyuan Kingdom and were originally appointed by the "excellent ancestors" (英祖). The three men who held the position of ''sessei'' during the first Shô Dynasty of Ryukyuan kings were Chinese, but beginning with the Second Shô Dynasty, ''sessei'' were native Ryukyuans. Royal officials, sometimes princes, would select the ''sessei'', and the appointment would come with an appropriate rank and title, often that of "prince" (王子), despite the ''sessei'' being in essence a bureaucrat and not royalty himself. It was not uncommon for such a title to be conferred upon anyone who performed great service to the kingdom, though right of succession and other such royal rights implied by the title of "prince" did not accompany such an honor.

According to the "Mirror of Chûzan" (中山の世鑑, chûzan no sekan), the classical Ryukyuan history text by ''sessei'' [[Sho Shoken|Shô Shôken]], the ''sessei'' have always been a part of the system of the Ryukyuan Kingdom and were originally appointed by the "excellent ancestors" (英祖). The three men who held the position of ''sessei'' during the first Shô Dynasty of Ryukyuan kings were Chinese, but beginning with the Second Shô Dynasty, ''sessei'' were native Ryukyuans. Royal officials, sometimes princes, would select the ''sessei'', and the appointment would come with an appropriate rank and title, often that of "prince" (王子), despite the ''sessei'' often being a member of the aristocracy and not royalty himself. It was not uncommon for such a title to be conferred upon anyone who performed great service to the kingdom, though right of succession and other such royal rights implied by the title of "prince" did not accompany such an honor. In some cases, however, a royal prince already in the line of succession by right of descent would serve as ''sessei''; the Crown Prince served as ''sessei'', for example, from [[1828]] to [[1835]], before taking the throne as King [[Sho Iku|Shô Iku]].<ref>Miyagi Eishô 宮城栄昌, ''Ryûkyû shisha no Edo nobori'' 琉球使者の江戸上り, Tokyo: Daiichi Shobô (1982), 16. </ref>

While most ''sessei'' essentially played the role of a bureaucrat and privileged member of the royal entourage, Shô Shôken, who held the post from [[1666]] to [[1673]], is particularly known for acting as a lawmaker, issuing a great many important and beneficial reforms during his short tenure.

While most ''sessei'' essentially played the role of a bureaucrat and privileged member of the royal entourage, Shô Shôken, who held the post from [[1666]] to [[1673]], is particularly known for acting as a lawmaker, issuing a great many important and beneficial reforms during his short tenure.