Shunten
Sign in to saveShunten (, traditionally dated – 1237) was the legendary first king of Chūzan and a ruler of Okinawa. The official histories of the Ryukyu Kingdom claim that he was the son of the samurai Minamoto no Tametomo and a local noblewoman during his exile following the Hōgen rebellion. He became the aji of Urasoe at age 15. Seven years later, he led a popular revolt against Riyū, who had usurped the throne of the ancient and mythical Tenson dynasty. He gained recognition as the overlord of all Okinawan chieftains, ruling from Urasoe Castle until his death in 1237. He inaugurated the Shunten dynasty,
Person
- Born
- 1166-01-01
- Died
- 1237-01-01
via Open Library + Wikidata
Key facts
- Royalty.name
- Shunten
- Royalty.image
- Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki 28-6 the enthronement of Sutemaru Cropped.jpg
- Royalty.caption
- 19th-century depiction of Shunten's enthronement
- Royalty.succession
- King of Chūzan (legendary)
- Royalty.reign
- 1187–1237
- Royalty.birth_place
- Urasoe, Okinawa
- Royalty.burial_place
- Urasoe yōdore
- Royalty.issue
- Shunbajunki
- Royalty.house
- Shunten dynasty
- Royalty.father
- Minamoto no Tametomo
- Royalty.mother
- sister of the aji of Ōzato
- Royalty.successor1
- Shunbajunki
- Royalty.native_lang2
Key dates
- Born
- 1 January 1166
- Died
- 1 January 1237
via Wikidata · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Place of birth
- Urasoe
- Child
- Shunbajunki
- Father
- Minamoto no Tametomo
- Occupation
- monarch
- Position held
- king
- Family
- Shunten Dynasty
- Image
- Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki 28-6 the enthronement of Sutemaru Cropped.jpg
Show 1 more fact
- P119
Article
4 sectionsContents
- Narrative
- Historiography
- References
- Bibliography
Shunten (, traditionally dated – 1237) was the legendary first king of Chūzan and a ruler of Okinawa. The official histories of the Ryukyu Kingdom claim that he was the son of the samurai Minamoto no Tametomo and a local noblewoman during his exile following the Hōgen rebellion. He became the aji of Urasoe at age 15. Seven years later, he led a popular revolt against Riyū, who had usurped the throne of the ancient and mythical Tenson dynasty. He gained recognition as the overlord of all Okinawan chieftains, ruling from Urasoe Castle until his death in 1237. He inaugurated the Shunten dynasty, which lasted until 1260, when his grandson Gihon disappeared.
The mythology surrounding Shunten and Tametomo likely spread to Okinawa from Kyushu folklore around 1400. It was recorded in both Ryukyuan and Japanese histories by the 1500s and 1600s. His descent from Tametomo was used to justify the Satsuma Domain's invasion of Ryukyu in 1609; by the early 20th century, it was used to justify the 1879 Japanese annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom. No evidence exists to authenticate Shunten or his unification of Okinawa, which was historically unified by the end of the 15th century.