O Shitatsu

• Japanese/Chinese: 翁 士達 (Ô Shitatsu / Wēng Shìdá)

Ô Shitatsu was a Ryukyuan scholar-official and court musician.

He was named to the koakukabe (novice musicians + pages) attached to the shichagui (lower throne room) of Shuri castle in 1735; this was a standard entry position for young boys first entering the court, after which they were often promoted to "court page" (koshô) attached to the palace "study" (shoin), as Shitatsu was in 1739.

In 1746, when Ô was 23 years of age, he was then named a gakushi (lead musician) for the 1748 Ryukyuan embassy to Edo.

He led a nentôshi (New Year's) mission to Kagoshima in 1767.

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), 123, citing Naha shishi vol 7, p91.