Sessei
Encyclopedia
was the highest government post of the Ryūkyū Kingdom
below the king; the sessei served the function of royal or national advisor. In the Ryukyuan language
at the time, the pronunciation was closer to shisshii, and has only changed relatively recently. Though the same Chinese characters which compose the modern Okinawan
word sessei are read as sesshō in Japanese
, the position is not quite the same, and the Ryukyuan post is not derived from the Japanese model or system.
The sessei worked alongside the king and the Sanshikan
(Council of Three) to draft and enact laws, though the king gradually became more and more of a figurehead over the course of the period when Ryūkyū was a subsidiary of the Japanese feudal domain of Satsuma (1609-1870s). Like most Ryukyuan government officials at the time, most sessei were appointed from the elite class of yukatchu
, scholars of Chinese subjects from the town of Kumemura.
According to the , the classical Ryukyuan history text by sessei Shō Shōken
, the sessei have always been a part of the system of the Ryukyuan Kingdom and were originally appointed by Eiso
. The three men who held the position of sessei during the first Shō Dynasty of Ryukyuan kings were Chinese
, but beginning with the Second Shō Dynasty, sessei were native Ryukyuans. Royal officials, sometimes princes, would select the sessei, and the appointment would come with an appropriate rank and title, often that of "prince", despite the sessei being in essence a bureaucrat and not royalty himself. It was not uncommon for such a title to be conferred upon anyone who performed great service to the kingdom, though right of succession and other such royal rights implied by the title of "prince" did not accompany such an honor.
While most sessei essentially played the role of a bureaucrat and privileged member of the royal entourage, Shō Shōken, who held the post from 1666 to 1673, is particularly known for acting as a lawmaker, issuing a great many important and beneficial reforms during his short tenure.
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...
below the king; the sessei served the function of royal or national advisor. In the Ryukyuan language
Ryukyuan languages
The Ryukyuan languages are spoken in the Ryukyu Islands, and make up a subgroup of the Japonic, itself controversially a subgroup of Altaic....
at the time, the pronunciation was closer to shisshii, and has only changed relatively recently. Though the same Chinese characters which compose the modern Okinawan
Okinawan language
Central Okinawan, or simply Okinawan , is a Northern Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kumejima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller peripheral islands...
word sessei are read as sesshō in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, the position is not quite the same, and the Ryukyuan post is not derived from the Japanese model or system.
The sessei worked alongside the king and the Sanshikan
Sanshikan
The Sanshikan , or Council of Three, was a government body of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, which originally developed out of a council of regents.It emerged in 1556, when the young Shō Gen, who was mute, ascended to the throne of Ryūkyū...
(Council of Three) to draft and enact laws, though the king gradually became more and more of a figurehead over the course of the period when Ryūkyū was a subsidiary of the Japanese feudal domain of Satsuma (1609-1870s). Like most Ryukyuan government officials at the time, most sessei were appointed from the elite class of yukatchu
Yukatchu
Yukatchu were the aristocracy of the Ryūkyū Kingdom; the scholar-bureaucrats of classical Chinese studies living in Kumemura, they held the majority of government positions.-History:...
, scholars of Chinese subjects from the town of Kumemura.
According to the , the classical Ryukyuan history text by sessei Shō Shōken
Sho Shoken
Shō Shōken , also known as Haneji Chōshū , was a Ryūkyūan scholar and served as sessei, a post often translated as "prime minister," from 1666 to 1673...
, the sessei have always been a part of the system of the Ryukyuan Kingdom and were originally appointed by Eiso
Eiso (Ryukyu)
' , also known as Yingzu, was a king of the Ryūkyū Islands.Eisō was a member of the Tenson family; and he is also known as the first of the Eiso Lineage of Ryukyuan monarchs...
. The three men who held the position of sessei during the first Shō Dynasty of Ryukyuan kings were Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, but beginning with the Second Shō Dynasty, sessei were native Ryukyuans. Royal officials, sometimes princes, would select the sessei, and the appointment would come with an appropriate rank and title, often that of "prince", despite the sessei being in essence a bureaucrat and not royalty himself. It was not uncommon for such a title to be conferred upon anyone who performed great service to the kingdom, though right of succession and other such royal rights implied by the title of "prince" did not accompany such an honor.
While most sessei essentially played the role of a bureaucrat and privileged member of the royal entourage, Shō Shōken, who held the post from 1666 to 1673, is particularly known for acting as a lawmaker, issuing a great many important and beneficial reforms during his short tenure.