Sanzan period facts for kids
The Sanzan period (meaning 'three mountain period') was a time in the history of the Okinawa Islands. During this period, three different kings are believed to have ruled separate parts of Okinawa Island at the same time. These three kingdoms were called Sanhoku (north), Chūzan (middle), and Sannan (south).
This period is thought to have begun around 1314, during the rule of King Tamagusuku. It ended in 1429 when Shō Hashi united the entire island under one rule. However, the historical records from this time are not complete and sometimes even disagree with each other. Some historians even wonder if these three kingdoms truly existed as separate powers.
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What Records Tell Us
Okinawa itself does not have many records from the Sanzan period. Most of what we know comes from old Chinese and, less often, Korean government documents. These records are often incomplete and might have been written to make things look better for diplomatic reasons. Since the Chinese records only mention rulers who contacted China, it's possible there were other local rulers who didn't have official ties with China. Because of this, the real situation in Okinawa during this time is still a bit of a mystery.
China's View of the Three Kingdoms
According to the Veritable Records of the Ming (official Chinese historical records), the new Ming dynasty of China sent a messenger to a place they called the "State of Ryūkyū" in 1372. They wanted to start a relationship where Ryūkyū would send gifts (tribute) to China. In response, a ruler named Satto, who was the King of Chūzan, sent his younger brother to China.
Later, in 1380, Shōsatto, the King of Sannan, also sent a group to China. Then, in 1383, Hanishi, the King of Sanhoku, did the same. The names Sanhoku and Sannan seem to have been given by the Chūzan kingdom, but it's not clear who first used them.
China understood that there were three rulers on Okinawa Island who were often fighting. China recognized them as "kings" and encouraged them to make peace.
Kings of Sanhoku
The Chinese records mention three kings of Sanhoku: Hanishi, Min, and Han'anchi. The records don't say if they were related by blood. The last time the King of Sanhoku sent a diplomatic group to China was in 1416.
Kings of Sannan
The records for the Kings of Sannan are more complex. Missions from Shōsatto, King of Sannan, happened from 1380 to 1396. Interestingly, a person called Ōeishi, who was described as the "King's father's younger brother," also sent messengers from 1388 to 1397.
In 1403, Ōōso, who said he was Shōsatto's younger brother or cousin, reported that Shōsatto had died. Ōōso was then recognized as the King of Sannan the next year. In 1415, a Crown Prince named Taromai reported that King Ōōso had been killed by his "elder brother" Tafuchi. Taromai's relationship to Ōōso isn't mentioned. As King of Sannan, Taromai sent messengers from 1416 to 1429.
Korean records, called the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, tell some strange stories about the King of Sannan. In 1394, Satto, King of Chūzan, asked Korea to send back Shōsatto, who was supposedly the Crown Prince of Sannan and had fled to Korea. In 1398, another King of Sannan, Onsadō, reportedly fled to Korea after being banished by the King of Chūzan. He died there that same year. These Korean records don't quite match the Chinese ones, which makes historians wonder about the accuracy of Okinawa's messages to other countries.
Kings of Chūzan
The King of Chūzan sent messengers to China much more often than the Kings of Sanhoku and Sannan. Chūzan sent tribute every two years from 1372 to 1382, and then once or twice a year after that. Some of Chūzan's missions were also unusual because they were sent by the crown prince, even though usually the king would do this.
In 1404, Crown Prince Bunei reported King Satto's death and was recognized as the next king. In 1407, Crown Prince Shishō's messenger reported his "father" Bunei's death to get approval to become king. A record from 1425 says that China allowed Crown Prince Shō Hashi to become king after the death of King Shishō.
Confusing Diplomatic Missions
Historians have noticed some confusing patterns in the diplomatic missions from the three kingdoms. For example, China gave ships and crews to the Kings of Chūzan and Sannan, but not to the King of Sanhoku. This might explain why the King of Sanhoku's missions almost always happened at the same time as Chūzan's, even though they were supposedly fighting.
Also, it seems that some people worked for more than one kingdom. For instance, a person named Sangurumi was sent to China by the King of Sannan in 1392 and claimed to be Shōsatto's nephew. But in Chūzan's missions, he appeared as Satto's nephew in 1403 and Bunei's nephew in 1404. Even though some historians think these might have been different people with the same name, it's clear that the messengers and ships sent by Taromai, King of Sannan, often overlapped with those of the King of Chūzan.
The Korean records also mention that in 1418, Katsuren, the second son of the King of Chūzan, wanted to trade with Korea and sent ships with Chinese and Southeast Asian goods. Historians are not sure who he really was.
It's important to note that the Chinese records don't mention the supposed unification of Okinawa. The only thing we can tell from the records is that the Kings of Sanhoku and Sannan stopped sending diplomatic missions. The King of Chūzan kept his title even after he became the sole ruler of the State of Ryūkyū.
In 1416, the Ashikaga shōgun (a military ruler in mainland Japan) sent a letter to the "yo-no-nushi of the State of Ryūkyū" (a local ruler of Ryūkyū). This rare record is only found in Japanese historical documents.
Okinawa's Later Stories
Okinawa's own stories about the Sanzan period were written down much later by the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Important history books include the Chūzan Seikan (1650), and different versions of the Chūzan Seifu (1701 and from 1724 onwards), and the Kyūyō (1745). These books show some of Okinawa's own historical traditions. However, they also tried hard to make sense of the conflicting information from different sources.
Sai On, a famous scholar, greatly rewrote his father's version of the Chūzan Seifu using new Chinese records. Because of this, modern historians believe he actually made the book less historically accurate. Also, the Omoro Sōshi (1623), a collection of poems, helps us understand Okinawa's own view of the world, even though it's not a history book.
Different Names for the Kingdoms
The Chūzan Seikan and Sai Taku's Chūzan Seifu use the names Sanhoku, Chūzan, and Sannan, just like the Chinese sources. But for some unknown reason, Sai On changed the names of Sanhoku and Sannan to Hokuzan and Nanzan in his version.
The Omoro Sōshi (the poem collection) has a very different view. It doesn't mention Okinawa being divided into three kingdoms at all. It never uses the terms Sanzan, Sanhoku, Chūzan, or Sannan. The King of Sanhoku is called the Aji of Nakijin, and the King of Sannan is called the Aji of Ōzato or Shimo no yo-no-nushi. These rulers are treated like other local leaders, not as powerful kings of separate kingdoms.
The Unification Story
According to Ryūkyū's official history books, King Tamagusuku, who had ruled a united Okinawa, lost the support of local leaders. People in the south followed the Aji of Ōzato, while the northern area was controlled by the Aji of Nakijin. These books say that the Aji of Nakijin was the King of Sanhoku and the Aji of Ōzato was the King of Sannan. Most modern historians doubt this story of a split because they don't believe there was a truly unified Okinawa before the "reunification" in the 15th century.
The Chūzan Seikan and Sai Taku's Chūzan Seifu don't list the personal names of the Aji of Nakijin, except for Hanishi, whose name clearly came from Chinese records. It wasn't known in Ryūkyū how many rulers held this title. Sai On's Chūzan Seifu added two more names, Min and Han'anchi, but these also came from a Chinese source, not from Okinawa's own stories.
Similarly, the Chūzan Seikan and Sai Taku's Chūzan Seifu don't have personal names for the Aji of Ōzato. The names Ōōso and Taromai, added by Sai On, are also not from Okinawa's own stories. There's also confusion about the location of Ōzato. There are two possible places: Shimasoe-Ōzato in modern-day Nanjō City and Shimajiri-Ōzato in modern-day Itoman City. The Omoro Sōshi divides southern Okinawa into three regions. The Chūzan Seifu identifies the Shimasoe-Ōzato Aji as the King of Sannan, which seems to match Okinawa's own stories. However, both versions of the Chūzan Seifu say that Shimajiri-Ōzato was the capital of Sannan.
Territories of the Kingdoms
According to the Chūzan Seikan, the Aji of Nakijin's area included places like Haneji, Nago, and Ie. The Aji of Ōzato controlled 11 regions in the south, such as Sashiki, Chinen, and Tomigusuku. The Chūzan King ruled over Naha, Tomari, Urasoe, and Shuri. Shuri is described as the main capital of Chūzan forever. However, old writings and archaeological finds show that Urasoe was actually the most powerful center on the island before the capital moved to Shuri.
King Tamagusuku of Chūzan was followed by King Seii. After Seii died, people removed the crown prince and made Satto, the ruler of Urasoe, king in 1350. Although historical records confirm Satto's existence, his life story is mixed with myths: he was said to be the son of a humble farmer and a mythical swan maiden. During his rule, he started sending tribute to China. He also received tribute from the southern island groups of Miyako and Yaeyama for the first time. Satto was followed by his son Bunei in 1395.
How Shō Hashi United Okinawa
Even though the history books agree that Shō Hashi united Okinawa, the details of how he did it are different in each book.
The oldest book, Chūzan Seikan, says that after Shō Hashi became the Aji of Sashiki in 1402, he defeated the King of Sannan and took his title. Then, in 1421, he overthrew Bunei, King of Chūzan, to become the King of Chūzan. Finally, he killed the King of Sanhoku in 1422.
Sai Taku's Chūzan Seifu generally follows this story. However, it says Shō Hashi conquered Chūzan 16 years earlier than the Chūzan Seikan. It also claims that Shō Hashi made his father Shishō the King of Chūzan instead of himself. Shō Hashi only became King of Chūzan after Shishō died in 1421.
Sai On's Chūzan Seifu is very different. It claims that Shō Hashi defeated the King of Chūzan and put his father Shishō in power in 1406. He then conquered the King of Sanhoku in 1416 and the King of Sannan in 1429.
The Chūzan Seikan seems to follow Okinawa's own traditions. Sai Taku "corrected" the Chūzan Seikan using Chinese records that said Shishō, Crown Prince of Chūzan, reported the death of "his father" Bunei. Sai On's big changes were also based on Chinese records. The last time the King of Sannan sent a diplomatic mission was in 1429, and for the King of Sanhoku, it was 1416. From these records, Sai On simply assumed that these two kings stopped existing right after their last contacts.
Images for kids
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Nakijin Castle, identified as the King of Sanhoku's residence
