Shō Shōken

Haneji Chōshū
羽地 朝秀
sessei of Ryukyu
In office
1666–1675
MonarchsShō Shitsu
Shō Tei
Preceded byGushikawa Chōei
Succeeded byŌzato Chōryō
Personal details
Born(1617-06-06)June 6, 1617
DiedJanuary 5, 1676(1676-01-05) (aged 58)
Resting placeTomb of Haneji Chōshū
Childhood nameUmigami (思亀)
Chinese nameGo Shōken (呉 象賢), later
Shō Shōken (向 象賢)
RankŌji

Shō Shōken (向 象賢; 16171675), also known as Haneji Ōji Chōshū (羽地 王子 朝秀), was a Ryukyuan scholar and served as sessei, a post often translated as "prime minister," from 1666 to 1673. Shō wrote the first history of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Chūzan Seikan (中山世鑑; "Mirror of Chūzan"), and enacted a number of practical political reforms aimed at improving Ryukyu's prosperity and dignity in the eyes of China and Japan.