Heshikiya Chobin
Encyclopedia
was one of the leaders of a plot to overthrow Sai On
, chief royal advisor to King Shō Kei
of the Ryūkyū Kingdom
, a plot for which he was arrested and executed. Chōbin was a scholar of Japanese literature and member of a pro-Japanese faction in the kingdom's government.
The grandson of a scholar of Japanese studies, Heshikiya Chōbin is said to have been quite talented, and studied Japan from a very young age.
As a member of the Ryūkyū mission to Edo in 1718, Chōbin enjoyed the opportunity to study Japanese subjects there, and to view kabuki
, Noh
, and ningyō jōruri
(puppet theatre) performances. Upon his return to Okinawa, he viewed the first performances of kumi odori
, now a major form of traditional Ryukyuan dance, and created his own piece for the form, a love story entitled temizu no en (手水の縁, "Fate of washwater"), in which he incorporated political criticism and evoked the wrath of King Shō Kei. Along with fellow Okinawan government official Tomoyose Anjō (友寄安乗), he composed a letter in 1734 to the judicial offices of Japan's Satsuma Domain, of which the Ryūkyū Kingdom was a vassal, criticizing the kingdom's government, in particular royal advisor Sai On, who was accused of being pro-Chinese. When the royal government learned of this development, Chōbin was arrested and crucified; fourteen others were likewise executed. A legend tells that Heshikiya and the daughter of Shō Kei had been in love, and that when he was executed, she threw herself from the walls of the castle, committing suicide; it is said that only her leg was found, and from then on a particular pavilion in the castle's gardens came to be known as One-Leg Pavilion (Kunra gushiku).
Sai On
', also known as ' was a scholar-bureaucrat official of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, serving as regent, instructor, and advisor to King Shō Kei...
, chief royal advisor to King Shō Kei
Sho Kei
' was king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom from 1713-1752. His reign, strongly guided by royal advisor Sai On, is regarded as a political and economic golden age and period of the flowering of Okinawan culture....
of the Ryūkyū Kingdom
Ryukyu Kingdom
The Ryūkyū Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Kings of Ryūkyū unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan...
, a plot for which he was arrested and executed. Chōbin was a scholar of Japanese literature and member of a pro-Japanese faction in the kingdom's government.
The grandson of a scholar of Japanese studies, Heshikiya Chōbin is said to have been quite talented, and studied Japan from a very young age.
As a member of the Ryūkyū mission to Edo in 1718, Chōbin enjoyed the opportunity to study Japanese subjects there, and to view kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
, Noh
Noh
, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
, and ningyō jōruri
Bunraku
, also known as Ningyō jōruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:* Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai—puppeteers* Tayū—the chanters* Shamisen players...
(puppet theatre) performances. Upon his return to Okinawa, he viewed the first performances of kumi odori
Kumi Odori
, meaning "combination dance" or "ensemble dance" in both the Okinawan and Japanese languages, is a form of narrative traditional Ryukyuan dance.Originating in the Okinawan capital of Shuri, Okinawa in 1719, the original purpose of this dance was to provide amusement and diversions, which were...
, now a major form of traditional Ryukyuan dance, and created his own piece for the form, a love story entitled temizu no en (手水の縁, "Fate of washwater"), in which he incorporated political criticism and evoked the wrath of King Shō Kei. Along with fellow Okinawan government official Tomoyose Anjō (友寄安乗), he composed a letter in 1734 to the judicial offices of Japan's Satsuma Domain, of which the Ryūkyū Kingdom was a vassal, criticizing the kingdom's government, in particular royal advisor Sai On, who was accused of being pro-Chinese. When the royal government learned of this development, Chōbin was arrested and crucified; fourteen others were likewise executed. A legend tells that Heshikiya and the daughter of Shō Kei had been in love, and that when he was executed, she threw herself from the walls of the castle, committing suicide; it is said that only her leg was found, and from then on a particular pavilion in the castle's gardens came to be known as One-Leg Pavilion (Kunra gushiku).