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Shô Shishô was the first king of the first [[Sho dynasty|Shô dynasty]] of [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Ryûkyû]].
Shô Shishô was the first king of the first [[Sho dynasty|Shô dynasty]] of [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Ryûkyû]].
Originally from [[Iheya Island]], he was a son of the lord of Samegawa. Shishô's son [[Sho Hashi|Shô Hashi]], ''[[anji]]'' of [[Sashiki gusuku|Sashiki]] ''[[magiri]]'', overthrew [[Bunei]] of [[Chuzan|Chûzan]] in [[1406]] and appointed Shô Shishô king, while he himself served essentially as regent and ''de facto'' ruler for the duration of his father's reign. Shô Shishô received formal [[investiture]] from the Chinese in [[1408]]<ref>Kerr, George. ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People''. Revised Edition. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2000. p184.</ref>, and held the throne until his death in 1421.
As king, he worked to incorporate officials of Chinese origin more fully into the Chûzan/Ryûkyû court. By granting them posts and titles which derived from himself, and not solely from the [[Ming Dynasty|Ming]] Court, he strengthened their reliance on - and thus loyalty to - the Ryukyuan court.<ref>Tomiyama Kazuyuki, ''Ryûkyû ôkoku no gaikô to ôken'', Yoshikawa kôbunkan (2004), 48.</ref>
As king, he worked to incorporate officials of Chinese origin more fully into the Chûzan/Ryûkyû court. By granting them posts and titles which derived from himself, and not solely from the [[Ming Dynasty|Ming]] Court, he strengthened their reliance on - and thus loyalty to - the Ryukyuan court.<ref>Tomiyama Kazuyuki, ''Ryûkyû ôkoku no gaikô to ôken'', Yoshikawa kôbunkan (2004), 48.</ref>
Though generally considered the first king of the first Shô dynasty, Shô Shishô is only referred to as "king" (国王, J: ''kokuô'', C: ''guowang'') in some historical sources, and not in others. The historical understanding of his position or status is thus known to have been ambiguous.
Shô Shishô is buried near Sashiki ''gusuku'', at a site called [[Sashiki yodore|Sashiki yôdore]] which is today located within the Japan Self-Defense Forces' Chinen Air Base. Shishô is the only king buried there; Hashi and his successors are buried elsewhere, at a site in modern-day [[Yomitan]] Village.<ref>Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii Press (2019), 117.</ref>
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