, also known as Ukiyaka or Yosoidon (1445-1505), was Queen of the

Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom, Middle Chinese: , , Classical Chinese: (), Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'', ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo'', Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou'', Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe'' was a kingdom in the ...

from 1469 until her death. She married

Shō En was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the founder of the Second Shō dynasty. Prior to becoming king, he was known as . Early life and rise to power Kanamaru was born into a family of peasant farmers on Izena Island,"Shō En." ''Okinawa rekishi jinm ...

before he became king, and acted as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

during the early years of

Shō Shin was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the third ruler the second Shō dynasty. Shō Shin's long reign has been described as "the Great Days of Chūzan", a period of great peace and relative prosperity. He was the son of Shō En, the founder of the dyn ...

's reign.

Life

Ogiyaka was born in 1445, possibly in

Shuri, Okinawa ''Sui'' or ''Shui'', Northern Ryukyuan languages, Northern Ryukyuan: ''Shiyori'' is a district of the city of Naha, Okinawa. It was formerly a separate city in and of itself, and the royal capital of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. A number of famous his ...

. She became the second wife of Kanemaru, and gave birth to a son in 1465 at age 21. After King

Shō Toku was the son of Shō Taikyū and last king of the First Shō Dynasty. He came to power as a young man in a kingdom whose treasury had been depleted. He engaged in efforts to conquer islands between Ryukyu and Japan and took the Mitsudomoe, the symb ...

died, Kanemaru became King of the

in 1469 and adopted the name

, making their son,

, the heir to the throne and their eldest daughter the royal high priestess. She held the titles of and . Shō En died in 1476, however, and his brother, Shō Sen'i, took the throne. The high priestess promptly had a vision that the King should abdicate in favor of Shō Shin, then almost 13 years old, and Shō Sen'i abdicated. It has been theorized that Ogiyaka orchestrated the abdication to maintain power. Ogiyaka acted as regent for many years until Shō Shin took control from her. During her rule, she oversaw the construction of the

Enkaku-ji , or Engaku-ji (円覚寺), is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains. It is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa Prefecture to the south of Tokyo. Found ...

temple and the

Tamaudun is one of the three royal mausoleums of the Ryukyu Kingdom, along with Urasoe yōdore at Urasoe Castle and Izena Tamaudun near Izena Castle in Izena, Okinawa. The mausoleum is located in Shuri, Okinawa, and was built for Ryūkyūan royalty in ...

mausoleum, as well as the enlargement of the Sogen-ji temple. She died in 1505 at the age of 61 and was buried in Tamaudun. Stories of "the Queen Mother" persisted as late as the 1540s.Kerr, George H. ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People''. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1958. 146.

References

{{Reflist 1445 births 1505 deaths 15th-century Ryukyuan monarchs 16th-century Ryukyuan monarchs 15th-century Ryukyuan people 16th-century Ryukyuan people 15th-century women rulers 16th-century women rulers

Life

See also

References