Sho Ei

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  • Born: 1559
  • Died: 1588
  • Japanese/Chinese: (Shô Ei / Shàng Yǒng)

Shô Ei was the 13th king of the Ryûkyû Kingdom, reigning from 1573 to 1587.

He was the second son of King Shô Gen, and succeeded his father upon the latter's death in 1572. He received investiture from the Ming Dynasty in 1579. It was on this occasion that the now-famous "Shurei no kuni" plaque was first created and hung at the gate of Shuri castle; though originally hung only during the visit of the Ming envoys, King Shô Shitsu later had it hung permanently.

In 1587, despite having two brothers (at least one of whom was still living), Shô Ei was succeeded by one of his nephews, who took the throne as King Shô Nei.[1]

Shô Ei was entombed alongside his primary queen, Konkô, at the royal mausoleum at Tamaudun.

Preceded by:
Shô Gen
Reign as King of Ryûkyû
1573-1587
Succeeded by:
Shô Nei

References

  1. Shô Nei was the son of one of Shô Ei's sisters. Whether he was formally adopted as heir prior to Shô Ei's death seems unclear, being mentioned in only one of the kingdom's official histories. Gregory Smits, Maritime Ryukyu, University of Hawaii Press (2019), 143.