- Died: 1860/3/13
- Japanese: 恩河 朝恒 (Onga Choukou)
Onga ueekata Chôkô was a Ryukyu Kingdom official known for his involvement in the Makishi-Onga Incident of 1859, in which a number of officials, including Makishi Chôchû and Onga, were found to have been working with Satsuma han domain government behind the back of the Ryukyu royal government to negotiate relations with France. Ichiki Shôemon was one of the chief Satsuma officials involved. The negotiations included arrangements for Ryukyuan scholar-aristocrats to study in France, for the kingdom to obtain warships and weapons from France, and for regular trade to begin between Ryukyu and France (as a way for Satsuma to engage in foreign relations and trade for its own benefit, via Ryukyu, circumventing Tokugawa shogunate monopolies on foreign relations and trade).[1]
These dealings came to light in 1859 as Shimazu Hisamitsu, regent to lord Shimazu Tadayoshi of Satsuma, sought to reverse many of the policies of Tadayoshi's predecessor, Shimazu Nariakira, with whom Makishi, Onga, et al had negotiated.
References
- "Onga Chôkô," Okinawa konpakuto jiten, Ryukyu Shimpo (2003).
- ↑ George Kerr. Okinawa: The History of an Island People. Revised Edition. Tuttle Publishing (2000), 345-346.