Sho Toku

• Born: 1441
• Died: 1469
• Titles: King of Ryûkyû (1461-1469)
• Japanese: 尚 徳 (Shou Toku)

Shô Toku was the seventh king of Ryûkyû, and the last of the First Shô Dynasty. According to traditional accounts, he was the third son of King Shô Taikyû, who he succeeded in 1461.

The reign of Shô Toku is known primarily for the king's military adventures, chiefly the conquest in 1466 of Kikaigashima, a nearby island which served no economic, political, or strategic purpose. This campaign saw the adoption of the mitsu-domoe banner of Hachiman, commonly used by wakô at the time, as the royal crest. This and a number of other historical or legendary incidents, including Shô Toku's establishment of the Hachiman Shrine in the village of Asato (today part of Naha City), have led a number of historians to suggest that Shô Toku was himself a wakô lord.

The kingdom's coffers being already depleted by his father's campaigns of temple building, lavish entertainments, and ritual and ceremony, this would come to be seen in later generations as an extravagance, and an unnecessary drain on resources.

Shô Toku died in 1469, with no obvious successor. He was succeeded by the royal treasurer, Kanamaru, who after being chosen by a council of the top court elders took the throne as King Shô En, marking the beginning of the Second Shô Dynasty. Histories such as the Chûzan Seikan and other accounts created under the latter dynasty describe Shô Toku as an unvirtuous ruler, lacking the Mandate of Heaven, a man filled with violence and cruelty. Other tales tell of his infatuation with a priestess of Kudaka Island, and that his dalliance with her provided the opportunity for Kanamaru's rebellion. It is these same sources, written by officials in service to Shô En's descendants, which also emphasize Shô En's virtue and legitimacy.

References

• "Shô Toku." Okinawa konpakuto jiten (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Dictionary"). Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003. Accessed 19 December 2009.
• Kerr, George. Okinawa: The History of an Island People. Revised Edition. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2000. pp100-101.
• Smits, Gregory. Visions of Ryukyu. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1999. p60.

Preceded by: Shô Taikyû

Reign as King of Chûzan and Ryûkyû 1461–1469

Succeeded by: Shô En