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Shô Toku was the seventh king of [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Ryûkyû]], and the last of the First Shô Dynasty. According to traditional accounts, he was the third son of King [[Sho Taikyu|Shô Taikyû]], who he succeeded in [[1461]].

Shô Toku was the seventh king of [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Ryûkyû]], and the last of the First Shô Dynasty. According to traditional accounts, he was the third son of King [[Sho Taikyu|Shô Taikyû]], who he succeeded in [[1461]].

The reign of Shô Toku is known primarily for the king's military adventures, chiefly the conquest in [[1466]] of [[Kikaigashima]], a nearby island which served no economic, political, or strategic purpose. This campaign saw the adoption of the ''mitsu-domoe'' banner of [[Hachiman]], commonly used by ''[[wako|wakô]]'' at the time, as the royal crest. This and a number of other historical or legendary incidents, including Shô Toku's establishment of the [[Azato Hachiman-gu|Hachiman Shrine]] in the village of Asato (today part of [[Naha]] City), have led a number of historians to suggest that Shô Toku was himself a ''wakô'' lord.<ref>Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii Press (2019), 118.</ref>

The reign of Shô Toku is known primarily for the king's military adventures, chiefly the conquest in [[1466]] of [[Kikaigashima]], a nearby island which served no economic, political, or strategic purpose. This campaign saw the adoption of the ''mitsu-domoe'' banner of [[Hachiman]], commonly used by ''[[wako|wakô]]'' at the time, as the royal crest. This and a number of other historical or legendary incidents, including Shô Toku's establishment of the [[Azato Hachiman-gu|Hachiman Shrine]] in the village of Asato (today part of [[Naha]] City), have led a number of historians to suggest that Shô Toku was himself a ''wakô'' lord.<ref>Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii Press (2019), 118.</ref> Toku made various attempts to shore up his legitimacy, especially through the construction of a Buddhist temple, [[Jintoku-ji]], and the acquisition of a collection of the complete Buddhist canon, the [[Tripitaka]], from Korea.<ref>Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', 130-131.</ref>

The kingdom's coffers being already depleted by his father's campaigns of temple building, lavish entertainments, and ritual and ceremony, this would come to be seen in later generations as an extravagance, and an unnecessary drain on resources.

The kingdom's coffers being already depleted by his father's campaigns of temple building, lavish entertainments, and ritual and ceremony, this would come to be seen in later generations as an extravagance, and an unnecessary drain on resources.