Hiroshi Shō

Hiroshi Shō
Hiroshi Shō in 1956
Born (1918-01-18)January 18, 1918
Shuri, Okinawa
Died August 30, 1996(1996-08-30) (aged 78)
Tokyo, Japan
Nationality Japan
Occupation Businessman

Hiroshi Shō (尚裕, Shō Hiroshi, 18 January 1918 – 30 August 1996) was the head of the Shō family, the former Ryūkyūan royal family. He was the great-grandson of Shō Tai, the last king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, and was the last member of the family to hold the title of Marquess (侯爵, kōshaku). Like most members of the kazoku system of peerage, and all heads of the Shō family since the abolition of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, he lived in Tokyo for his whole life.

Life

Hiroshi Shō was born the eldest son of Shō Shō with Momoko Ogasawara. Upon his father's death in 1923, and at the age of five, he became head of the family and inherited the family title of Marquess. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University earning a degree in East Asian history from the Department of Literature.

He served for a time as a captain in the Japanese Imperial Navy. He was also active in the business world, working with various institutions, including Shō Enterprises, where he was representative director.[1] He lost his title, as did all other members of the kazoku system of peerage, with the implementation of the post-war Constitution of Japan in 1947.

Late in life, in the 1990s, Hiroshi Shō donated many Shō family possessions, including artworks, ritual objects, historical documents, the royal mausoleum of Tamaudun and royal gardens of Shikina-en to the City of Naha. He also donated artworks, documents, and other family possessions to the city of Urasoe and village of Izena.[1] Hiroshi Shō died on 30 August 1996. His funeral was held in Tokyo, though he was entombed in Izena Tamaudun on the Okinawan island of Izena.

Family

He had four daughters and one son, Mamoru Shō (尚衞), who is the current head of the Shō family.

  • Father: Shō Shō
  • Mother: Momoko Ogasawara
  • Wives:
    • Tozawa Eiko (1919-1945)
    • Keiko (b.1920)
  • Children:
    • Mamoru Shō by Keiko
    • Kazuko (b.1943)
    • Yoshiko (b.1945)
    • Keiko (b.1947) by Keiko married Kabaya Nozu
    • Kaoru (b.1949)

Ancestry

[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Shō Hiroshi." Okinawa konpakuto jiten (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryūkyū Shimpō (琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 12 February 2009.
  2. ↑ "Second Shō clan genealogy". Reichsarchiv. Retrieved 15 January 2018. (in Japanese)
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Shō Shō		 Marquess
1923-1947		 Title abolished
Preceded by
Shō Shō		 — TITULAR —
Shō family head
1923-1996		 Succeeded by
Mamoru Shō
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