Tamekoro was born perhaps around [[1570]], the son of [[Tameyoshi]], the fourth-generation head of a lineage of Ryukyuan officials based on Amami Ôshima. After his father was lost at sea sometime in the 1570s (perhaps [[1579]]) when returning from [[Shuri]] to take up his official post on Amami, Tamekoro at age nine traveled to Shuri himself where he studied for a time at the royal [[Zen]] temple [[Engaku-ji (Okinawa)|Engaku-ji]]. At age 13, he then became an apprentice within [[Shuri castle]] as several of his predecessors had, and later returned to Amami Ôshima to take up an official position there. After some time overseeing Ushuku in Kasari district, he became the ''[[oyako|ôyako]]'' of Higashi (Setouchi) district, and later of Kasari. | Tamekoro was born perhaps around [[1570]], the son of [[Tameyoshi]], the fourth-generation head of a lineage of Ryukyuan officials based on Amami Ôshima. After his father was lost at sea sometime in the 1570s (perhaps [[1579]]) when returning from [[Shuri]] to take up his official post on Amami, Tamekoro at age nine traveled to Shuri himself where he studied for a time at the royal [[Zen]] temple [[Engaku-ji (Okinawa)|Engaku-ji]]. At age 13, he then became an apprentice within [[Shuri castle]] as several of his predecessors had, and later returned to Amami Ôshima to take up an official position there. After some time overseeing Ushuku in Kasari district, he became the ''[[oyako|ôyako]]'' of Higashi (Setouchi) district, and later of Kasari. |