- Japanese/Chinese: 貝姓 (Bai sei / Bèi xìng)
The Bai family was a scholar-aristocratic family of Naha, whose members served in various official positions within the government of the Ryûkyû Kingdom.
Bai Iren (貝唯廉), the fourth head of the family, was appointed ôyako (head) of the shinoboseza in 1770, a position he shared with a Shuri aristocracy]. Bai Iki (貝唯紀), the sixth head, was appointed ufunitii hissha (clerk/secretary in charge of ships) in 1817, and Sugar Guild Magistrate (satôza bujô) in 1854. His successor, Bai Ien (貝唯延), was named gohyôgu atai hissha (secretary of equipping soldiers) in 1856 and satôza ôyako in 1862, while Bai Izen (貝唯善), who would later become the eighth head of the family, was appointed waka hissha (junior clerk/secretary) of the Oyamise in 1855.
References
- Naha shizoku no isshô 那覇士族の一生 (Naha: Naha City Museum of History, 2010).