Shō Kō

Shō Kō 尚灝
Official royal portrait of Shō Kō, painted by Mō Chōki in 1837.
King of the Ryūkyū Kingdom
Reign	1804–1828
Predecessor	Shō Sei
Successor	Shō Iku
Born	(1787-07-14)14 July 1787
Died	5 July 1834(1834-07-05) (aged 46)
Spouse	Omokametarugane, Sashiki Aji-ganashi
Concubine	See list Mamatsugane, Gushiken Aji-ganashi Manabetaru, Kohagura Aji-ganashi Maushigane, Onaha Agunshitari-agomoshirare Makadotaru, Zakimi Agunshitari-agomoshirare Omodogane, Matayoshi Agunshitari-agomoshirare Matsurugane, Miyagi Agunshitari-agomoshirare Makuresegane, Uema Agunshitari-agomoshirare Omotaketarugane, Nakanishi Agunshitari-agomoshirare Omokametaru, Janatō Agunshitari-agomoshirare
Issue	See list Shō Iku, Crown Prince Nagagusuku Prince Shō Yō Omonabetaru, Princess Onaga Shō Ton, Prince Ōzato Chōkyō Shō Ken, Prince Ie Chōchoku Matsurugane, Kikoe-ōkimi-ganashi Omokanegane, Princess Shikina Prince Shō I Makuresegane, Princess Kamida Matsurugane, Princess Kadekaru Omokametaru, Princess Yonaha Shō Ken, Prince Yoshimura Chō Shō Makadotarugane, Princess Miyahira Maushigane, Princess Amuro Princess Omokanetarugane Manabetaru, Princess Onaha Maakarigane, Princess Ishimine Princess Omodogane Shō Shū, Prince Nago Chōmu Omotakeuhugane, Princess Kakeboku Omodogane, Princess Makishi Maushigane, Princess Asato Shō Shin, Prince Tamagawa Chōtatsu Princess Maushi Prince Shō Ten
Era dates Jiaqing 嘉慶 Daoguang 道光
House	House of Shō
Father	Shō Tetsu
Mother	Manabetarugane, Kikoe-ōkimi ganashi

Shō Kō (尚灝^?, Chinese pinyin: Shàng Hào) (1787–1834) was a king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, who held the throne from 1804 to 1828, when he was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, Shō Iku. This was only the second time in the history of the kingdom that a king abdicated; the 1477 abdication of Shō Sen'i was the first.

It is said that towards the end of his reign, Shō Kō's "behavior became strange, unbalanced, and unpredictable." The Sanshikan (the council of the top three elder royal advisors) appealed to the government of Japan's Satsuma Domain and, with Satsuma's approval, forced Shō Kō to abdicate in 1828 and to retire to the countryside. An envoy mission was prepared to formally inform Beijing of the change in rulership, and a second royal manor was established in the countryside, to maintain the prestige and dignities appropriate to Shō Kō's status.

Historian George H. Kerr suggests the possibility that Shō Kō did not in fact suffer from any mental illness, but rather contemplated radical actions such as seeking the kingdom's independence from Satsuma, to which it was a vassal tributary, in the hopes that this would alleviate the intense economic difficulties faced by the kingdom. If this were the case, perhaps the Sanshikan feared that such action was too radical, and too risky, and felt the need to prevent the king from going through with it.