Kin Seishun

  • Japanese: 正春 (Kin Seishun)

Kin Seishun was a Ryukyuan scholar-official who led missions to China on several occasions, and also played a significant role in the establishment of Kumemura's Confucian temple.

Kin accompanied Mô Taikyû in 1645 in leading a mission to China, to offer congratulations to the Prince of Tang, aka the Longwu Emperor, a pretender to the Ming throne following the fall of Beijing to Manchu forces the previous year. Though Mô and Kin successfully met with the Prince, they were attacked by pirates on the return journey back home to Ryûkyû; they lost a number of crewmen, and all of their cargo, and were forced to return to Fuzhou, which by that point had fallen to the Manchus as well. The Ryukyuans were then brought to Beijing, and remained there until 1647/6, before finally being able to return home.[1]

In 1671, while serving as village head of Kumemura, Kin requested permission from King Shô Tei to establish a temple to house a series of Confucian images of worship brought back to Ryûkyû in 1610 by Sai Ken, from Confucius' birthplace, Qufu. The Court granted permission, and construction was completed in 1674. This temple then became the chief center of Confucian worship in the kingdom, and later in the 18th century, the chief center of Confucian learning and even of local village administration. This temple has now been rebuilt twice over, in the Matsuyama area of Naha (near the original Kume location), and at the end of Kume Ôdôri, near Naminoue Shrine.[2]

References

  1. Fukazawa Akito 深澤秋人, Ryûkyû shisetsu no Pekin taizai: Shinchô to no kôtsûki wo chûshin ni 琉球使節の北京滞在期間: 清朝との通交期を中心に, in Okinawa kokusai daigaku sôgô gakujutsu kenkyû kiyô 沖縄国際大学総合学術研究紀要8:1 (2004), 82n10.; Maehira Fusaaki, Ryûkyû shisetsu no ikoku taiken 琉球使節の異国体験, in Kokusai kôryû 国際交流 59 (1992), 66.
  2. Plaques and pamphlets available on-site at Shiseibyô, Wakasa, Naha.