Changes

::''For King Shô Kô (尚灝, 1787-1834), see [[King Sho Ko]].''

*''Born: [[1578]]''

*''Died: [[1610]]''

::''For other figures by this name, see [[Sho Ko]].''

*''Born: [[1578]]/5/20''

*''Died: [[1610]]/8/24''

*''Titles'': 具志頭王子 ''(Gushichan-ôji)''

*''Titles'': 具志頭王子 ''(Gushichan-ôji)''

*''Other Names'': 朝盛 ''(Chôsei)''

*''Other Names'': 朝盛 ''(Chôsei)'', 駿河王子 ''(Suruga ôji)'', 求玉院殿大洋尚公大居士 ''(Kyûgyokuin Daiyô Shôkô Daikyoshi)''

*''Japanese'': [[尚]]宏 ''(Shou Kou)''

*''Japanese'': [[尚]]宏 ''(Shou Kou)''

Shô Kô was the younger brother of [[Sho Nei|Shô Nei]], king of the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]]. As such, he was Crown Prince; he was a prominent political advisor and held the title "Prince [of] Gushichan." His Chinese-style name was Chôsei.

Shô Kô was the younger brother of [[Sho Nei|Shô Nei]], king of the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]]. As such, he was Crown Prince; he was a prominent political advisor and held the title "Prince [of] Gushichan." His Chinese-style name was Chôsei.

Following the [[1609]] [[invasion of Ryukyu|invasion of Ryûkyû]] by samurai forces from [[Satsuma han]], Shô Kô was taken hostage along with the king and a number of other senior officials and advisors, and brought to Japan as a prisoner. During that journey, he fell ill and died, in [[1610]], at [[Sunpu]].

Following the [[1609]] [[invasion of Ryukyu|invasion of Ryûkyû]] by samurai forces from [[Satsuma han]], Shô Kô was taken hostage along with the king and a number of other senior officials and advisors, and brought to Japan as a prisoner in 1609/5. Unlike the king, the prince was permitted to return to Ryûkyû in the 9th month that same year along with Ikegusuku ''ueekata'' [[Mo Hogi|Mô Hôgi]], in order to perform the necessary preparations for the following year's [[tribute]] mission to [[Ming Dynasty]] China. Once the preparations were complete, Prince Shô Kô returned to [[Kagoshima]] in 1610/3. The following month, he joined the royal entourage in departing for [[Sunpu]]. While there, he fell ill, and while the king departed for [[Edo]], the ill prince remained behind, dying in Sunpu on 1610/8/24. The king heard of his brother's death some weeks later, but was unable to stop at Sunpu to see his brother's grave, or to pay respects, on his return trip.

Shô Kô was buried at the temple of Seiken-ji in Sunpu (modern-day [[Shizuoka City]]). His grave became a customary stop made by [[Ryukyuan embassies to Edo]] during the remainder of the [[Edo period]].

Prince Shô Kô was buried at the temple of [[Seiken-ji]] at [[Okitsu]] (a [[Tokaido|Tôkaidô]] [[post-station]] in modern-day [[Shizuoka City]]). He came to be referred to sometimes in Ryûkyû as "Suruga ôji," or "the Suruga prince," as people thought about his grave in faraway [[Suruga province]].<ref>"Seikenji Temple," pamphlet available at Seiken-ji, 13.</ref> His grave became a customary stop made by [[Ryukyuan embassies to Edo]] during the remainder of the [[Edo period]].

==References==

==References==

*"[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-41734-storytopic-121.html Shô Kô]." ''Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia'' 沖縄コンパクト事典. Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003.

*"[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-41734-storytopic-121.html Shô Kô]." ''Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia'' 沖縄コンパクト事典. Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003.

==External Links==

==External Links==