The was the second dynasty in the traditional historiography of Okinawa Island. It was established by

Shunten , also known as , was a legendary ruler of Okinawa Island. Shunten is the earliest chief in Okinawa for whom a name is known. He is said to have taken power after defeating an usurper to the throne by the name of Riyū who had overthrown the 25th ...

in 1187. According to ''

Chūzan Seikan , compiled in 1650 by Shō Shōken, is the first official history of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. In six scrolls, the main text occupies five and an accompanying summary the sixth. Unlike later official histories such as '' Chūzan Seifu'' and '' Kyūyō ...

'', Shunten's mother was a daughter of the ''

aji Aji or AJI may refer to: Location *Aji (town), Tieling County, Liaoning, China *Aji Island, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan *Aji, Kagawa, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan * Aji River (disambiguation), rivers with the same name Other * Aji (Go), a latent tr ...

'', or local chieftain, of Ōzato; his father, Minamoto no Tametomo, was an adventurer from Japan. Prior to becoming king, Shunten was the lord of

Urasoe is a city located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The neighboring municipalities are Naha to the south, Ginowan to the north, and Nishihara to the east. As of November 2012, the city has an estimated population of 113,718 and a population den ...

. At that time, Okinawa Island was in great confusion; the last overlord of

Tenson dynasty The was the first dynasty in the traditional historiography of the Ryukyu Islands. According to the Ryukyuan creation myth, the Heavenly Emperor (天帝), who lived in the Heavenly ''Gusuku'' (天城), ordered Amamikyu to create the Ryukyu Islands. ...

was assassinated by the powerful official named Riyū (利勇), whom promoted himself as paramount chief. Shunten revolted against Riyū and overthrew him. In 1187, Shunten was recognized as the new "king". overlord among ''aji''.''Chūzan Seikan'', vol. 1 Though commonly called the "kings", the Okinawan rulers at that time should be more accurately identified as paramount chiefs, or overlords among ''aji'' during the .

George H. Kerr George H. Kerr (November 7, 1911 – August 27, 1992), also known in Taiwan as 葛超智 (or 柯喬治), was a United States diplomat during World War II, and in later years he was an author and an academic. His published works and archived pap ...

suggested that the stories of Shunten and Eiso dynasties "reflect the increasing penetration of Japanese influence" among Ryukyu Islands.Kerr. p58–59. The Shunten dynasty had three kings, lasted from 1187 to 1259. The last king

Gihon Gihon is the name of the second river mentioned in the second chapter of the biblical Book of Genesis. The Gihon is mentioned as one of four rivers (along with the Tigris, Euphrates, and Pishon) issuing out of the Garden of Eden that branched fr ...

was forced to abdicate to his regent, Eiso, whom established the

Eiso dynasty The was the third dynasty in the traditional historiography of Okinawa Island. It was established by Eiso in 1259. ''Chūzan Seikan'', the first official history of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, claimed that Eiso was a descendant of the ancient Tenson ...

List of rulers

Notes

References