Wakugawa Chōkyō

Wakugawa Ueekata Chōkyō (湧川 親方 朝喬, 24 March 1712 – 16 April 1785) also known by his Chinese style name Shō Hōten (向 邦鼎), was a bureaucrat of Ryukyu Kingdom.

Wakugawa Chōkyō
湧川 朝喬
sanshikan of Ryukyu
In office 1765–1778
Preceded by	Kochinda Chōei
Succeeded by	Fukuyama Chōki
Personal details
Born	March 24, 1712
Died	April 16, 1785 (aged 73)
Chinese name	Shō Hōten (向 邦鼎)
Rank	Ueekata

Wakugawa was born to an aristocrat family called Shō-uji Wakugawa Dunchi (向氏湧川殿内); later, he became the eleventh head of this family, and was given Goeku magiri (越来間切, modern part of Okinawa, Okinawa) as a hereditary fief. He was also a descendant of King Shō Sen'i.[1]

Wakugawa was dispatched together with Prince Yuntanza Chōkō (also known by Yuntanza Chōken) in 1764 to celebrate Tokugawa Ieharu succeeded as shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate. They sailed back in the next year.[2]

He served as a member of sanshikan from 1765 to 1778.[3] He put forward a proposal for the first statutory law in Ryukyuan history, together with his two colleagues, Miyahira Ryōtei and Yonabaru Ryōku, and the sessei Yuntanza Chōkō in 1775. This proposal was approved by King Shō Boku. The law was completed in 1786.[4][5]

References

1. Rizō, Takeuchi. (1992). Okinawa-ken seishi kakei daijiten (沖縄県姓氏家系大辞典). Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten.
2. Chūzan Seifu, appendix vol.4
3. 中山王府相卿伝職年譜　向祐等著写本
4. "Ryūkyū Karitsu." Okinawa konpakuto jiten (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia").
5. Chūzan Seifu, vol.10