Jana Teido
- Died: 1611
- Other Names: 鄭道利山 (Tei Dou Rizan)
- Japanese/Okinawan: 謝名親方 (Jana ueekata)
Tei Dô was a Ryukyuan scholar-bureaucrat who was among the chief advisors to King Shô Nei at the time of the invasion of the Ryûkyû Kingdom by samurai forces from Satsuma han. He was known both by the Chinese-style name Tei Dô[1], and by his Ryukyuan rank or title, ueekata of Jana[2].
He was appointed to the Sanshikan in 1605, becoming one of the three topmost royal advisors.[3]
During the invasion, alongside Tomigusuku Seizoku, he commanded a force of 3000 men in the defense of the harbor of Naha, successfully repulsing the Satsuma approach by ship.[4] The samurai, however, simply made landfall elsewhere, and marched overland to seize Shuri castle, the royal palace. When they heard of the attack on Shuri, Tei Dô and Tomigusuku began moving their troops from Naha in order to ward off the attack, but in the end they were too late.[5]
After the kingdom's defeat, the king and his advisors were taken to Kagoshima, where they were forced to sign a number of oaths, swearing their loyalty and fealty to Satsuma. Only Tei Dô refused to sign. According to most accounts, he was beheaded on the spot.
References
- Turnbull, Stephen. The Samurai Capture a King: Okinawa 1609. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2009.
- ↑ It was typical among members of the Ryukyuan aristocrat-administrator class, heavily steeped in classical Chinese learning and in administrative/political structures based on Chinese models, to take Chinese-style names.
- ↑ A manor or territory within what is today the village of Nakijin.
- ↑ Turnbull. p56.
- ↑ Turnbull. p19.
- ↑ Turnbull. p44.
