Shō Hashi
| Shō Hashi 尚巴志 |
|
|---|---|
| 1st King of Ryukyu | |
| Reign | 1422 – 1439 |
| Predecessor | Position established |
| Born | 1371 |
| Died | 1439 (aged 67–68) |
| Father | Shō Shishō |
Shō Hashi (尚巴志?) was the last king of Chūzan and the first king of the Ryukyu Kingdom (today Okinawa Prefecture, Japan), uniting the three kingdoms of Chūzan, Hokuzan, and Nanzan by conquest. His name as rendered in Japanese is "Shō Hashi"; in Chinese, he is known as Shang Bazhi.
As lord (aji) of Sashiki Mairi, he was seen as an able, well-liked administrator within his own lands, who rose in prominence at the opening of the 15th century. He led a small rebellion against the lord of Azato district in 1402. Hashi then went on to overthrow King Bunei of Chūzan in 1404 and placed his father Shō Shishō on the throne. Even with his father as King, however, Hashi held true political power, and organized envoys to Nanking, to assure China, to which the Ryūkyū kingdoms were tributaries, of his kingdom's continued cooperation and friendship. He also reorganized much of the administrative organs of the kingdom to better fit Chinese models. The people of Chūzan also quickly adopted many elements of Chinese culture, and came to be recognized as "civilized", at least somewhat more so than earlier, by the Chinese. Hashi also oversaw the expansion and embellishment of Shuri Castle, and the placement of distance markers throughout the land, marking the distance to Shuri.
Meanwhile, though Hokuzan, the neighboring kingdom to the north, held no advantages over Chūzan economically or in terms of political influence, Hashi viewed their capital city castle of Nakijin Castle as a threat militarily. When that opportunity presented itself in 1419, after three Hokuzan aji (local lords) turned to his side, Hashi led his father's army, and conquered Nakijin in a swift series of attacks. The king of Hokuzan, along with his closest retainers, committed suicide after a fierce resistance. A year after his father's death in 1421, Hashi requested official recognition and investiture from the Chinese imperial court, and received it in due course. It may be interesting to note that, despite the nominal independence of Ryūkyū into the 19th century, this practice would continue. In 1428, the Xuande Emperor bestowed upon him the family name Shang (Shō in Japanese), registered a new title in their annals: Liuqiu Wang (琉球王, Jap: Ryūkyū-Ō, King of Ryūkyū), and sent Hashi's emissary back with a ceremonial dragon robe, and a lacquer tablet with the word Chūzan inscribed upon it. This Chūzan tablet was then placed on display on the Chūzan gate in front of Shuri Castle, where it remained until the early 20th century.
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