Sho Ho
Shô Hô was king of the Ryûkyû Kingdom from 1621 to 1640, succeeding Shô Nei, during whose reign forces from Satsuma han invaded Ryûkyû. The "dual tribute" system, in which the kingdom was subordinate to both China and Satsuma (Japan), a situation into which Shô Nei was unwillingly forced, became more formalized under Shô Hô.
As a young man, Shô Hô, then known as Prince Sashiki Chôshô, spent a number of years as a political hostage in Kagoshima, beginning in 1614. His son, Shô Kyô, was named Crown Prince in 1616, but was ultimately still too young to succeed to the throne when Shô Nei died in 1620. Prince Sashiki Chôshô thus took the throne in 1621, taking the name King Shô Hô. He later studied Confucian classics, kanbun, and the like under Tomari Jochiku, alongside Shô Shôken, who would later go on to be a top-ranking and particularly influential court official & royal advisor.
As king, Shô Hô had to work to effect the restoration of the system of Chinese investiture envoys, which was severed due to the invasions. Beijing required that not only the king but a majority of his court nobles be in support of an investiture mission being dispatched. Initially, a large faction at court opposed this move as continued trade with China would be just what Satsuma wanted to exploit Ryûkyû for; Shô Hô was successful, however, in the end, in negotiating with that faction and securing the reestablishment of tribute/investiture relations, which was a concession to Satsuma, but which also served to maintain the prestige of Ryûkyû and its monarchy, and to avoid raising the ire of Satsuma once again, which could have had disastrous results for the kingdom's sovereignty. His investiture, delayed for many years, took place finally in 1633. This was to be the last investiture mission sent by the Ming Dynasty.
References
- Robert Hellyer, Defining Engagement, Harvard University Press (2009), 36.
| Preceded by: Shô Nei |
Reign as King of Ryûkyû 1621-1640 |
Succeeded by: Shô Ken |
