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His reign is characterized by political and military expansion and the consolidation of power under the royal court at Shuri; a height of maritime trade activity and prosperity; the renovation of [[Shuri castle]] and the construction of numerous monuments, temples, shrines, and other structures speaking to the power and glory of Shuri; and the establishment or standardization otherwise of numerous aspects of what would remain the foundation of the structure and character of the Ryûkyû Kingdom for centuries, until its [[Ryukyu Shobun|dissolution in the 1870s]].

His reign is characterized by political and military expansion and the consolidation of power under the royal court at Shuri; a height of maritime trade activity and prosperity; the renovation of [[Shuri castle]] and the construction of numerous monuments, temples, shrines, and other structures speaking to the power and glory of Shuri; and the establishment or standardization otherwise of numerous aspects of what would remain the foundation of the structure and character of the Ryûkyû Kingdom for centuries, until its [[Ryukyu Shobun|dissolution in the 1870s]].

Much of the foundational organization of the kingdom's early modern administration and economy is traced back to developments which occurred during Shô Shin's reign. Shô Shin developed a court bureaucracy more centralized and standardized than ever before, including perhaps the first system of standard practices of employing administrative documents and maintaining written records; in this and various other important ways, the kingdom under Shô Shin began to resemble that of a Confucian kingdom (and no longer the domain of rival ''[[wako|wakô]]'' "sea lords") more than ever before.<ref>Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii (2019), 137.</ref> As government became more institutionalized and organized, the ''[[anji]]'' (local lords) gradually lost power and independence, becoming more closely tied to the central government at [[Shuri]]. In order to strengthen central control over the kingdom, and to prevent insurrection on the part of the ''anji'', Shô Shin gathered weapons from all the ''anji'' to be put to use for the defense of the kingdom, and ordered ''anji'' to make their residences in Shuri; lords separated from their lands and from their people were far less able to act independently or to organize rebellion, and, over time, their emotional connections to Shuri grew, those with their territory weakening. The residences at Shuri of the ''anji'' were divided into three districts - one each for those coming from the northern, central, and southern areas of [[Okinawa Island]] which had formerly been the independent kingdoms of [[Hokuzan]], Chûzan, and [[Nanzan]] respectively. These regions were now renamed [[Kunigami]], [[Nakagami]], and [[Shimajiri]], respectively, place names which remain in use today. Through intermarriage, residence in Shuri, and other factors, the ''anji'' came to be more integrated as a class, more closely associated with life and customs and politics at Shuri, and less attached to their ancestral territorial identities.

Much of the foundational organization of the kingdom's early modern administration and economy is traced back to developments which occurred during Shô Shin's reign. Shô Shin developed a court bureaucracy more centralized and standardized than ever before, including perhaps the first system of standard practices of employing administrative documents and maintaining written records; in this and various other important ways, the kingdom under Shô Shin began to resemble that of a Confucian kingdom (and no longer the domain of rival ''[[wako|wakô]]'' "sea lords") more than ever before.<ref>Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii (2019), 137.</ref>

 

As government became more institutionalized and organized, the ''[[anji]]'' (local lords) gradually lost power and independence, becoming more closely tied to the central government at [[Shuri]]. In order to strengthen central control over the kingdom, and to prevent insurrection on the part of the ''anji'', Shô Shin gathered weapons from all the ''anji'' to be put to use for the defense of the kingdom, and ordered ''anji'' to make their residences in Shuri; lords separated from their lands and from their people were far less able to act independently or to organize rebellion, and, over time, their emotional connections to Shuri grew, those with their territory weakening. The residences at Shuri of the ''anji'' were divided into three districts - one each for those coming from the northern, central, and southern areas of [[Okinawa Island]] which had formerly been the independent kingdoms of [[Hokuzan]], Chûzan, and [[Nanzan]] respectively. These regions were now renamed [[Kunigami]], [[Nakagami]], and [[Shimajiri]], respectively, place names which remain in use today. Through intermarriage, residence in Shuri, and other factors, the ''anji'' came to be more integrated as a class, more closely associated with life and customs and politics at Shuri, and less attached to their ancestral territorial identities.

The ''anji'' left deputies, called ''anji okite'', to administer their lands on their behalf, and some years later a system of ''jito dai'', agents sent by the central government to oversee the outlying territories, was established. Some ''anji'' of the northern regions were allowed to remain there, not moving to Shuri, as they were too powerful for the king to force their obedience in this matter; the king's third son [[Sho Shoi|Shô Shôi]] was made [[Warden of the North]], however, and granted authority to maintain peace and order in the region<ref>Kerr. pp105-8.</ref>.

The ''anji'' left deputies, called ''anji okite'', to administer their lands on their behalf, and some years later a system of ''jito dai'', agents sent by the central government to oversee the outlying territories, was established. Some ''anji'' of the northern regions were allowed to remain there, not moving to Shuri, as they were too powerful for the king to force their obedience in this matter; the king's third son [[Sho Shoi|Shô Shôi]] was made [[Warden of the North]], however, and granted authority to maintain peace and order in the region<ref>Kerr. pp105-8.</ref>.

The process of moving the ''anji'' to Shuri also brought about major changes to the city, including the construction of a great many grand gates, pavilions, lakes, bridges, monuments, and gardens. There came to be a great demand for masons, carpenters, and others, as well as for a wide variety of goods and materials, imported by each ''anji'' from his own territories. Okinawa Island quickly became more economically integrated, with goods and labor traveling to and from Shuri and the neighboring port city of [[Naha]]<ref>Kerr. p108.</ref>. Economic integration allowed territories to become more specialized, and the production of luxury goods expanded significantly. Various kinds of hairpins and other ornaments became standard elements of the fashions of courtiers and bureaucrats, new techniques in producing and weaving silk were imported, and the use of gold, silver, lacquer, and silk became more common among townspeople<ref>Kerr. p108.</ref>. Urbanization led to increased prosperity for merchants, traders, courtiers, townsmen and others, though historian [[George H. Kerr]] points out that farmers and fishermen, who made up the vast majority of the Okinawan population, remained quite poor<ref>Kerr. p105.</ref>.

The process of moving the ''anji'' to Shuri also brought about major changes to the city, including the construction of a great many grand gates, pavilions, lakes, bridges, monuments, and gardens. There came to be a great demand for masons, carpenters, and others, as well as for a wide variety of goods and materials, imported by each ''anji'' from his own territories. Okinawa Island quickly became more economically integrated, with goods and labor traveling to and from Shuri and the neighboring port city of [[Naha]]<ref>Kerr. p108.</ref>. Economic integration allowed territories to become more specialized, and the production of luxury goods expanded significantly. Various kinds of hairpins and other ornaments became standard elements of the fashions of courtiers and bureaucrats, new techniques in producing and weaving silk were imported, and the use of gold, silver, lacquer, and silk became more common among townspeople<ref>Kerr. p108.</ref>. Urbanization led to increased prosperity for merchants, traders, courtiers, townsmen and others, though historian [[George H. Kerr]] points out that farmers and fishermen, who made up the vast majority of the Okinawan population, remained quite poor<ref>Kerr. p105.</ref>.

Many monuments, temples, and other structures were also erected during the prosperous reign of Shô Shin. A new palace building was constructed, in Chinese style, and court rituals and ceremonies were dramatically altered and expanded, in emulation of Chinese modes. A pair of tall stone "Dragon Pillars" were placed at the entrance to the palace, patterned not after Chinese, Korean or Japanese models, but after those of Thailand and Cambodia, reflecting, as Kerr points out, the reach and extent of Okinawan trade and the cosmopolitan nature of the capital at this time<ref>Kerr. p109.</ref>. The Buddhist temple [[Enkaku-ji (Okinawa)|Enkaku-ji]] was built in 1492, [[Sogen-ji|Sôgen-ji]] was expanded in 1496, and in 1501, [[Tamaudun]], the royal mausoleum complex, was completed. Shô Shin successfully petitioned the Korean royal court, several times, to send volumes of Buddhist texts<ref>Kerr. p112.</ref>; the first metal movable type printing presses in the world had been invented in Korea in the 13th century. In the thirtieth year of his reign, a stele was erected in the grounds of [[Shuri Castle]], listing Eleven Distinctions of the Age enumerated by court officials. A reproduction of this stele, destroyed in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa along with the castle, stands in the castle grounds today.

Shô Shin also had many monuments, temples, and other structures erected, and constructed a new palace building in Chinese style. These served vital purposes as part of efforts to construct and project discourses of legitimacy, both through adopting Chinese modes and styles of "kingship," and through constructing and asserting an inheritance from a long line of kings. Most of the oldest surviving records or objects relating to articulating a long line of previous kings date to the time of Shô Shin; one example of this was the arrangement and display at the castle of ancestral tablets for each of the previous kings, all in one place, where they had been previously scattered across different temples and other sites.<ref>Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', 149.</ref>

 

Court rituals and ceremonies were also dramatically altered and expanded, in emulation of Chinese modes. A pair of tall stone "Dragon Pillars" were placed at the entrance to the palace, patterned not after Chinese, Korean or Japanese models, but after those of Thailand and Cambodia, reflecting, as Kerr points out, the reach and extent of Okinawan trade and the cosmopolitan nature of the capital at this time<ref>Kerr. p109.</ref>. The Buddhist temple [[Enkaku-ji (Okinawa)|Enkaku-ji]] was built in 1492, [[Sogen-ji|Sôgen-ji]] was expanded in 1496, and in 1501, [[Tamaudun]], the royal mausoleum complex, was completed. Shô Shin successfully petitioned the Korean royal court, several times, to send volumes of Buddhist texts<ref>Kerr. p112.</ref>; the first metal movable type printing presses in the world had been invented in Korea in the 13th century. In the thirtieth year of his reign, a stele was erected in the grounds of [[Shuri Castle]], listing Eleven Distinctions of the Age enumerated by court officials. A reproduction of this stele, destroyed in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa along with the castle, stands in the castle grounds today.

The reign of Shō Shin also saw the expansion of the kingdom's control over several of the outlying [[Ryukyu Islands]]. Okinawan ships began in the late 15th century to frequent [[Miyakojima]] and the [[Yaeyama Islands]]; following a series of disputes among the local lords in the Yaeyama Islands which broke out in 1486, Shô Shin in 1500 sent military forces to quell the disputes and establish control over the islands. [[Kumejima]] was brought under firm control of Shuri, and liaison offices were established in Miyako and Yaeyama, in 1500 and 1524 respectively<ref>Kerr. p115.</ref>.

The reign of Shō Shin also saw the expansion of the kingdom's control over several of the outlying [[Ryukyu Islands]]. Okinawan ships began in the late 15th century to frequent [[Miyakojima]] and the [[Yaeyama Islands]]; following a series of disputes among the local lords in the Yaeyama Islands which broke out in 1486, Shô Shin in 1500 sent military forces to quell the disputes and establish control over the islands. [[Kumejima]] was brought under firm control of Shuri, and liaison offices were established in Miyako and Yaeyama, in 1500 and 1524 respectively<ref>Kerr. p115.</ref>.