Kishaba Choken

• Born: 1840
• Japanese: 喜舎場 朝賢 (Kishaba Chouken)

Kishaba Chôken was a prominent scholar-official and royal advisor in the Ryûkyû Kingdom during the last years of the kingdom (1860s-70s).

Chôken became a close advisor to King Shô Tai in 1868, at the recommendations of Tsuhako ueekata and Tomizato ueekata. In addition to other duties and activities, Chôken took on oversight of the archiving and preservation of historical documents. This included hand-copying a number of precious texts.

Chôken's notable writings include the Tôtei zuihitsu (東汀随筆), a collection of records pertaining to the royal court.

References

• Liao Zhenpei 廖真珮, "Ryûkyû kyûtei ni okeru Chûgoku kei ongaku no ensô to denshô" 琉球宮廷における中国系音楽の演奏と伝承, in Uzagaku no fukugen ni mukete 御座楽の復元に向けて, Naha, Okinawa: Uzagaku fukugen ensô kenkyûkai 御座楽復元演奏研究会 (2007), 120.

External Links

• The Tôtei zuihitsu, available at the University of Ryukyus Digital Archive.