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Sôgen-ji was a [[Rinzai]] [[Zen]] temple in [[Tomari]], [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], originally constructed during the reign of King [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]] (r. 1477-1526). All that survives of the temple today are its thick, heavy stone gates, which were originally constructed during an expansion of the temple in [[1496]].

Sôgen-ji was a [[Rinzai]] [[Zen]] temple in [[Tomari]], [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], originally constructed during the reign of King [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]] (r. 1477-1526). All that survives of the temple today are its thick, heavy stone gates, which were originally constructed during an expansion of the temple in [[1496]].

At that same time in [[1496]], stelae were erected in honor of all the kings of [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû]], making the temple both a shrine to each of the kings of the past, and also a shrine to the kingdom itself. These stelae were typically organized according to a system of Ryukyuan custom, with the earliest Okinawan kings, [[Shunten]], [[Eiso]], and [[Satto]], at the center, and the kings of the First Shô Dynasty on each end of the row, and the latest kings, those of the Second Shô Dynasty, between them. In short, the arrangement looked something like this:  

At that same time in [[1496]], stelae were erected in honor of all the kings of [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû]], making the temple both a shrine to each of the kings of the past, and also a shrine to the kingdom itself. [[Chinese investiture envoys]] regularly paid formal visits to Sôgen-ji, and to these stelae, performing a ritual in honor of the late former king, prior to the ceremony at [[Shuri castle]] investing the new king in his position.<ref>Plaques at former site of the [[Tenshikan]], Naha.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/21257376353/sizes/k/]</ref> These stelae were typically organized according to a system of Ryukyuan custom, with the earliest Okinawan kings, [[Shunten]], [[Eiso]], and [[Satto]], at the center, and the kings of the First Shô Dynasty on each end of the row, and the latest kings, those of the Second Shô Dynasty, between them. In short, the arrangement looked something like this:  

<center>1st Shô Dynasty | 2nd Shô Dynasty | Satto, Shunten, Eiso | 2nd Shô Dynasty | 1st Shô Dynasty</center>

<center>1st Shô Dynasty | 2nd Shô Dynasty | Satto, Shunten, Eiso | 2nd Shô Dynasty | 1st Shô Dynasty</center>

In [[1683]], [[Chinese investiture envoys|Chinese envoy]] [[Wang Ji]] expressed his confusion, or perhaps even distaste, at seeing the stones arranged in this manner. In [[1719]], [[Xu Baoguang]] reported that the stones had been rearranged, and now fit the standard Chinese system, with the reigns simply alternating left and right, extending outwards from the earliest kings at the center, to the latest at the edges. A similar set of tablets erected at [[Engaku-ji (Okinawa)|Engaku-ji]] were temporarily rearranged only when Chinese envoys were about, and were then placed back into the standard Ryukyuan order when the envoys had left.<ref>[[Gregory Smits]], "Ryukyu and its Geo-cultural Context," presentation at [http://www.hawaii.edu/asiaref/japan/event2013/Index.htm#symposium Interpreting Parades and Processions of Edo Japan symposium], University of Hawaii at Manoa, 10 Feb 2013.</ref>

In [[1683]], Chinese envoy [[Wang Ji]] expressed his confusion, or perhaps even distaste, at seeing the stones arranged in this manner. In [[1719]], [[Xu Baoguang]] reported that the stones had been rearranged, and now fit the standard Chinese system, with the reigns simply alternating left and right, extending outwards from the earliest kings at the center, to the latest at the edges. A similar set of tablets erected at [[Engaku-ji (Okinawa)|Engaku-ji]] were temporarily rearranged only when Chinese envoys were about, and were then placed back into the standard Ryukyuan order when the envoys had left.<ref>[[Gregory Smits]], "Ryukyu and its Geo-cultural Context," presentation at [http://www.hawaii.edu/asiaref/japan/event2013/Index.htm#symposium Interpreting Parades and Processions of Edo Japan symposium], University of Hawaii at Manoa, 10 Feb 2013.</ref>

In [[1527]], a pair of stelae were erected at the gates to Sôgen-ji declaring that all who enter, even the reigning king himself, were expected to dismount before passing through the gates.

In [[1527]], a pair of stelae were erected at the gates to Sôgen-ji declaring that all who enter, even the reigning king himself, were expected to dismount before passing through the gates.