Han'anchi

Han'anchi (攀安知) was a local ruler of Okinawa Island, who was given the title of King of Sanhoku. Contemporary sources on Han'anchi are very scarce. He first appeared in Chinese diplomatic records in 1396 and his last contact was of 1415. His blood relationship with Min, the preceding King of Sanhoku, is unknown. After 1415, the King of Sanhoku did not contact China again. The Chinese records suggest that the Chinese had no information on when and how the king disappeared. Because the King of Chūzan continued tributary missions, the Chinese later speculated that the Kings of Sannan and Sanhoku had been removed by the King of Chūzan.

His real name is unknown. Modern attempts to decipher the enigmatic un-Okinawan name Han'anchi point to Haneji (羽地), a settlement in northern Okinawa (part of modern-day Nago City). Han'anchi can be either a corrupt form of Haneji or a contraction of Haneji Aji (local ruler of Haneji). The name suggests some connection to the settlement, but it is not confirmed by contemporary sources.