Difference between revisions of "Eiso"
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| + | [[File:Urasoe-yodore-2.JPG|right|thumb|400px|The entrance (in white) of the tombs of Eiso and two of his successors, at [[Urasoe yodore|Urasoe yôdore]]]] | ||
::''Not to be confused with the Eiso [[Japanese Eras|era]], which ran from [[989]]-[[990]]'' | ::''Not to be confused with the Eiso [[Japanese Eras|era]], which ran from [[989]]-[[990]]'' | ||
*''Born: [[1229]]'' | *''Born: [[1229]]'' | ||
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*''Japanese'': 英祖 ''(Eiso)'' | *''Japanese'': 英祖 ''(Eiso)'' | ||
| − | Eiso was | + | Eiso was a prominent local powerholder on [[Okinawa Island]] in the 13th century. Traditional histories describe him as an early king of Okinawa as a whole, who united parts of central and southern Okinawa and established the capital at [[Urasoe castle|Urasoe]]. He is sometimes identified as the first historical king of Okinawa, with all those before him seen as legendary.<ref>Pearson, 148.</ref> However, in recent years scholars questioning the unity of Okinawa in any period prior to around the 1550s have pointed to the rise of [[Katsuren gusuku|Katsuren]] around this time as a major economic center in the region (and the concurrent decline of [[Kikaijima]] and the northern portion of the Ryûkyûs in general as a notable center), and have suggested that Eiso could not have been more than a local or regional power-holder.<ref>Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii Press (2019), 88.</ref> |
Eiso is said to have been born at [[Iso gusuku]]. His reign is traditionally said to have lasted from [[1260]] to [[1299]], marking the beginning of a new dynasty after the previous king, [[Gihon]], went into exile. | Eiso is said to have been born at [[Iso gusuku]]. His reign is traditionally said to have lasted from [[1260]] to [[1299]], marking the beginning of a new dynasty after the previous king, [[Gihon]], went into exile. | ||
| − | He established the royal mausoleum at [[Urasoe yodore|Urasoe yôdore]] in [[1261]], and is entombed there. | + | He established the royal mausoleum at [[Urasoe yodore|Urasoe yôdore]] in [[1261]], and is entombed there alongside two other medieval Okinawan rulers. |
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Latest revision as of 05:24, 13 January 2020
Eiso was a prominent local powerholder on Okinawa Island in the 13th century. Traditional histories describe him as an early king of Okinawa as a whole, who united parts of central and southern Okinawa and established the capital at Urasoe. He is sometimes identified as the first historical king of Okinawa, with all those before him seen as legendary.[1] However, in recent years scholars questioning the unity of Okinawa in any period prior to around the 1550s have pointed to the rise of Katsuren around this time as a major economic center in the region (and the concurrent decline of Kikaijima and the northern portion of the Ryûkyûs in general as a notable center), and have suggested that Eiso could not have been more than a local or regional power-holder.[2]
Eiso is said to have been born at Iso gusuku. His reign is traditionally said to have lasted from 1260 to 1299, marking the beginning of a new dynasty after the previous king, Gihon, went into exile.
He established the royal mausoleum at Urasoe yôdore in 1261, and is entombed there alongside two other medieval Okinawan rulers.
References
- Richard Pearson, Ancient Ryukyu, University of Hawaii Press (2013), 148.
