| Shô Shin was a king of the [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Kingdom of Ryûkyû]], the third of the line of the Second Shô Dynasty. Shô Shin's long reign has been described as "the Great Days of [[Chuzan|Chûzan]]", a period of great peace and relative prosperity. He was the son of [[Sho En|Shô En]], the founder of the dynasty, by [[Yosoidon]], Shô En's second wife, often referred to as the queen mother. He succeeded his uncle, [[Sho Seni|Shô Sen'i]], who was forced to abdicate in his favor. | | Shô Shin was a king of the [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Kingdom of Ryûkyû]], the third of the line of the Second Shô Dynasty. Shô Shin's long reign has been described as "the Great Days of [[Chuzan|Chûzan]]", a period of great peace and relative prosperity. He was the son of [[Sho En|Shô En]], the founder of the dynasty, by [[Yosoidon]], Shô En's second wife, often referred to as the queen mother. He succeeded his uncle, [[Sho Seni|Shô Sen'i]], who was forced to abdicate in his favor. |
| Much of the foundational organization of the kingdom's administration and economy is traced back to developments which occurred during Shô Shin's reign. 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 administration and economy is traced back to developments which occurred during Shô Shin's reign. 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. |