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King Shô Shin (r. [[1477]]-[[1526]]) is often said to have ruled over a golden age for the kingdom. He solidified and strengthened the power of the king (and of the central royal government more generally), both practically and ideologically. Areas outside of Shuri had previously been ruled by ''anji'', local/regional rulers akin perhaps to feudal lords, with considerable power and autonomy within their lands. Under Shô Shin's predecessors, and especially under Chûzan prior to the unification of the island, ''anji'' wielded considerable power, occasionally even toppling and replacing kings.<ref>As is believed to have happened at least once in Nanzan, as indicated in the ''Ming Taizong shilu''. Chan, 25-26.</ref> The ''anji'' were not fully secure in their power, however, as local elites beneath them could also overthrow their ''anji'' when they perceived him to be politically or spiritually weak; priestesses also wielded considerable local political power.<ref>Chan, 25-26.</ref>

King Shô Shin (r. [[1477]]-[[1526]]) is often said to have ruled over a golden age for the kingdom. He solidified and strengthened the power of the king (and of the central royal government more generally), both practically and ideologically. Areas outside of Shuri had previously been ruled by ''anji'', local/regional rulers akin perhaps to feudal lords, with considerable power and autonomy within their lands. Under Shô Shin's predecessors, and especially under Chûzan prior to the unification of the island, ''anji'' wielded considerable power, occasionally even toppling and replacing kings.<ref>As is believed to have happened at least once in Nanzan, as indicated in the ''Ming Taizong shilu''. Chan, 25-26.</ref> The ''anji'' were not fully secure in their power, however, as local elites beneath them could also overthrow their ''anji'' when they perceived him to be politically or spiritually weak; priestesses also wielded considerable local political power.<ref>Chan, 25-26.</ref>

Shô Shin addressed these competing powers by forcing the ''anji'' to reside in Shuri, transforming them into an aristocratic-bureaucrat class, and reorganizing their lands into ''[[magiri]]'' (districts)<ref>Though this term may have previously existed, it now became a more formalized unit of political geography as delineated by Shuri, and governed by those appointed from Shuri.</ref> and ''shima'' (villages). Officials not of an ''anji'' ("warlord") background were appointed by the royal court to govern these districts; thus, the power of the ''anji'' to act as independent feudal states was removed, and put into the hands of administrators who were reliant on the royal court for the ability to continue to hold that post. By the end of Shô Shin's reign, all military forces in the kingdom were under his command, rather than under the command of individual regional lords; regional forces were now known as ''magiri gun'', rather than ''anji gun'', associating them with the districts, and not with the regional lords. Shô Shin also expanded the reach of the kingdom by sending military forces to conquer or subjugate other islands, sometimes coming into conflict with Japanese forces from [[Satsuma province]] seeking to expand their influence south into the Ryukyus.<ref name=pacifism>Smits, Gregory. "[http://www.japanfocus.org/-Gregory-Smits/3409 Examining the Myth of Ryukyuan Pacifism]." ''The Asia-Pacific Journal'' 37-3-10 (September 13, 2010).</ref>  

Shô Shin addressed these competing powers by forcing the ''anji'' to reside in Shuri, transforming them into an aristocratic-bureaucrat class, and reorganizing their lands into ''[[magiri]]'' (districts)<ref>Though this term may have previously existed, it now became a more formalized unit of political geography as delineated by Shuri, and governed by those appointed from Shuri.</ref>. Each ''magiri'' consisted of a number of villages known either as ''mura'' or ''shima''; all together, the ''magiri'' comprised the "rural" or "provincial" portion of the kingdom, ''inaka no hô'' in modern Japanese, in contrast to Shuri, Kume, Tomari, and Naha, the four "towns" (''machi'') which comprised the "urban" or "metropolitan" areas of the kingdom.<ref name=nahacity>Gallery labels, Naha City Museum of History.</ref> Officials not of an ''anji'' ("warlord") background were appointed by the royal court to govern these districts; thus, the power of the ''anji'' to act as independent feudal states was removed, and put into the hands of administrators who were reliant on the royal court for the ability to continue to hold that post. By the end of Shô Shin's reign, all military forces in the kingdom were under his command, rather than under the command of individual regional lords; regional forces were now known as ''magiri gun'', rather than ''anji gun'', associating them with the districts, and not with the regional lords. Shô Shin also expanded the reach of the kingdom by sending military forces to conquer or subjugate other islands, sometimes coming into conflict with Japanese forces from [[Satsuma province]] seeking to expand their influence south into the Ryukyus.<ref name=pacifism>Smits, Gregory. "[http://www.japanfocus.org/-Gregory-Smits/3409 Examining the Myth of Ryukyuan Pacifism]." ''The Asia-Pacific Journal'' 37-3-10 (September 13, 2010).</ref>  

Shô Shin and his predecessors also worked to consolidate royal power, and weaken the threat of rivalry from the ''anji'', by developing royal monopolies on maritime trade. They acquired oceangoing vessels from the Ming, monopolized [[lacquerware]] production, and maintained royal sources of various other goods, including [[Ryukyuan horses|horses]] and [[sulphur]];<ref>Chan, 58.</ref> much later, in the 1680s, the royal government ordered all [[Ryukyuan pottery|potters]] in the kingdom to relocate to the [[Tsuboya pottery|Tsuboya]] neighborhood of Naha, thus solidifying a royal monopoly on pottery as well.<ref>Gallery labels, Okinawa Prefectural Museum.; Gallery labels, "The Tsuboya-yaki region" and "Okinawan pottery," Gallery 4: Minzoku, National Museum of Japanese History.</ref>

Shô Shin and his predecessors also worked to consolidate royal power, and weaken the threat of rivalry from the ''anji'', by developing royal monopolies on maritime trade. They acquired oceangoing vessels from the Ming, monopolized [[lacquerware]] production, and maintained royal sources of various other goods, including [[Ryukyuan horses|horses]] and [[sulphur]];<ref>Chan, 58.</ref> much later, in the 1680s, the royal government ordered all [[Ryukyuan pottery|potters]] in the kingdom to relocate to the [[Tsuboya pottery|Tsuboya]] neighborhood of Naha, thus solidifying a royal monopoly on pottery as well.<ref>Gallery labels, Okinawa Prefectural Museum.; Gallery labels, "The Tsuboya-yaki region" and "Okinawan pottery," Gallery 4: Minzoku, National Museum of Japanese History.</ref>