Shō Taikyū 尚泰久王 |
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King of the Ryukyu Kingdom | |
Reign | 1454–1460 |
Predecessor | Shō Kinpuku |
Successor | Shō Toku |
Born | 1415 |
Died | 1460 |
House | House of Shō |
Father | Shō Hashi |
Shō Taikyū (尚 泰久?, c. 1415–1460, r. 1454–1460) was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the sixth of the line of the first Shō Dynasty. His reign saw the construction of many Buddhist temples, and the casting of the "Bridge of Nations" Bell (万国津梁の鐘? Bankoku shinryō no kane).
Shō Taikyū was the seventh son of Shō Hashi, founder of the Ryukyu Kingdom and of the Shō Dynasty. In 1453, he was named Prince of Goeku, and given Goeku magiri (today part of Okinawa City) as his domain.
When King Shō Kinpuku died in 1453, a succession dispute erupted between the king's son Shiro (志魯?) and his younger brother Furi (布里?). Shuri Castle was burned down in the conflict, which ended in the death of both Shiro and Furi, and the succession of Shō Taikyū to the throne.
Having studied under Kaiin, a Zen monk from Kyoto, Shō Taikyū had a number of Buddhist temples founded, including the Kōgen-ji, Fumon-ji, Manju-ji, and Tenryū-ji., and the so-called "Bridge of Nations" Bell cast. The bell, with an inscription describing the kingdom's prosperity in maritime trade and diplomacy, hung in Shuri Castle for centuries and became a famous symbol of the castle and of the kingdom.