Shō Nei facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shō Nei 尚寧
Shō Nei, painted by Shō Genko (1748–1841) in 1796.
King of Ryūkyū
Reign	1589–1620
Predecessor	Shō Ei
Successor	Shō Hō
Born	Umitukugani (思徳金) 1564
Died	October 14, 1620 (aged 55–56)
Burial	Urasoe Yōdore, Urasoe, Okinawa
Spouse	Aoriyae Aji-ganashi
Concubine	Nishi no Aji Adaniya Ōaji-shirare
Full name Shō Nei (尚寧)
Divine name	Tedagasuhe-ajisohe (日賀末按司添)
House	Second Shō dynasty
Father	Shō I, Prince Yonagusuku Chōken
Mother	Shuriōkimi Aji-ganashi
Signature

Shō Nei (1564–1620) was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom. He ruled from 1587 to 1620. During his time as king, the Ryukyu Kingdom was invaded by Japan in 1609. After this, Shō Nei became the first Ryukyu king to be a vassal (meaning a ruler who owes loyalty to a more powerful lord) to the Shimazu clan from Satsuma, a powerful area in Japan. Shō Nei was the great-grandson of King Shō Shin and the adopted son-in-law of King Shō Ei.

King Shō Nei's Reign

Early Challenges and Japanese Demands

When Shō Nei first became king, a powerful Japanese leader named Toyotomi Hideyoshi was planning to invade Korea. Hideyoshi sent messages through the Satsuma lords. He demanded that the Ryukyu Kingdom send soldiers to help with the invasion. King Shō Nei refused this request.

Hideyoshi also ordered Ryukyu to stop its official trips to China. However, Ryukyu still sent a group to Beijing. This trip was important for Shō Nei's official crowning as king. While in China, Ryukyu officials told the Chinese court about Hideyoshi's plans.

Soon after, King Shō Nei sent a letter and a gift to Hideyoshi. This was a custom when a new ruler took power. He congratulated Hideyoshi on uniting Japan. He also sent valuable Chinese lacquerware as a gift. The letter said that Ryukyu was a "small and humble island kingdom." It explained that Ryukyu could not show proper respect due to its distance and lack of money.

Refusing to Send Supplies

Shimazu Yoshihisa, the lord of Satsuma, then suggested a different plan. He said Ryukyu could send food and supplies instead of soldiers. Hideyoshi agreed to this idea. But King Shō Nei ignored this request too. He did not send any supplies.

After Hideyoshi died in 1598, Tokugawa Ieyasu became the new powerful leader in Japan. Satsuma asked King Shō Nei to officially accept the new Japanese government. King Shō Nei also ignored this request.

The Invasion of Ryukyu

Because King Shō Nei refused their demands, Satsuma invaded Ryukyu in the spring of 1609. When Satsuma soldiers landed in northern Okinawa, they attacked Nakijin Castle. Sadly, King Shō Nei's son, Shō Kokushi, was killed during this battle.

Satsuma soldiers then surrounded and broke into Shuri Castle. King Shō Nei surrendered on the fifth day of the fourth lunar month. He and many of his officials were taken to Japan.

Journey to Japan and Oaths

First, King Shō Nei met with the retired Japanese leader, Tokugawa Ieyasu, in Sunpu. Then, he traveled to Edo (now Tokyo). There, he had a formal meeting with the new Japanese leader, Tokugawa Hidetada. After that, he went to Kagoshima. In Kagoshima, he was forced to officially surrender to the Shimazu clan. He also had to make several promises to them.

The Japanese leader in Edo said that Shō Nei should stay king. This was because his family had ruled the islands for a very long time.

This was the first time a ruler from another country had come to Japan in this way. Shimazu Tadatsune, the lord of Satsuma, used this event to gain more power for himself. Future Satsuma lords also used their unique position. They were the only Japanese lords who had a foreign king as their vassal. This helped them get more political power and higher ranks.

In 1611, two years after the invasion, King Shō Nei returned to his castle in Shuri. He was allowed to return only after Tadatsune and his advisors were sure he would keep his promises.

Stone sarcophagus of King Shō Nei's tomb.

Later Reign and Burial

At first, Satsuma was very strict in controlling Ryukyu. They removed officials who seemed disloyal to Satsuma. But by 1616, this strict control ended. Satsuma even reversed some of the "Japanization" rules. King Shō Nei was officially given back his main power over his kingdom. For the rest of his rule, King Shō Nei acted like a true king. He had great power within the rules set by Satsuma.

When King Shō Nei died, he was not buried in the royal family tomb in Shuri. Instead, he was buried at Urasoe Castle. Many people believe this was because he felt he had dishonored himself by surrendering to Satsuma. He might have felt he was not worthy to be buried with his ancestors. However, Shō Nei was originally from Urasoe. So, a simpler reason might be that he just wanted to be buried in his hometown.

The Oaths King Shō Nei Swore

While in Kagoshima, King Shō Nei had to make several important promises. These promises formally made him and his kingdom vassals to the Shimazu clan.

The Fifteen Injunctions

One of the most important sets of promises was called the Fifteen Injunctions (Okite jūgo-ka-jō). These rules mostly dealt with politics and foreign relations. For example, they stated that Ryukyu could not trade or have diplomatic talks with other countries without Satsuma's permission. These rules, along with other limits on sea travel, controlled Ryukyu's daily life and foreign relationships for over 250 years.

Acknowledging Satsuma's Power

King Shō Nei and his top advisors (called the Council of Three) also had to swear another oath. They had to say that the Ryukyu Kingdom had always been dependent on Satsuma. This was not true. They also had to admit that their recent failures to obey Satsuma had caused the invasion. They had to say the invasion was a fair punishment.

The oath also thanked Satsuma for being kind enough to let the king and his advisors return to their kingdom and continue to rule. King Shō Nei promised to pass these oaths on to his future family members. This made sure that the relationship where Ryukyu was a vassal to Satsuma would last a long time.