Bunei

Bunei 武寧 bunii
King of Chūzan
Reign	1398–1406
Predecessor	Satto
Successor	Shishō
Born	1356
Died	1406?
Issue	Kanneishiketsu (完寧斯結)[1][2]
Divine name	Naga-no-mamono (中之真物 nakanu mamun)[3]
Father	Satto

Bunei (武寧, 1356–c.1406, r. 1398–1406) was King of Chūzan. He was the second and last ruler of the Satto dynasty.

Biography

Bunei inherited the throne upon the death of his father, King

(Treasury of Royal Succession) was first compiled in 1403.

This period saw a great proliferation of trade and cultural interaction between the three Okinawan polities and other states in the region; sources seem to indicate, however, that only Chūzan successfully established relations with the

first entered Okinawa in a significant way at this time as well, from Japan.

Naha became the busiest port on the island at this time, bringing wealth and prestige to Chūzan over its neighboring polities, and enhancing already heightened tensions. The Kings of Sanhoku and Sannan died around the same time as Bunei's father Satto, and since China never recognized more than one chief (or prince, in the Chinese view) of Okinawa, all three clamored to be officially invested by the Chinese Imperial Court as the sole ruler of all of Okinawa. However, due to the recent chaos in

, Bunei's request lay unanswered for eleven years. A missive was finally sent in 1406.

Meanwhile, a local lord (

, Hashi's father, as King of Chūzan. Though records do not indicate the details of Bunei's fate, it is likely that he either died at the hands of the rebels, or escaped to some distant island to live out the rest of his days in relative solitude.

See also

• Imperial Chinese missions to the Ryukyu Kingdom

Notes

References

• Hamashita, Takeshi. (2000). Okinawa Nyuumon. Tokyo: Chikumashobou.
• Kerr, George H. (1965). Okinawa, the History of an Island People. Rutland, Vermont: C.E. Tuttle Co. OCLC 39242121
• ISBN 9780824824938; OCLC 170955369

Regnal titles
Preceded by Satto	King of Chūzan 1398–1406	Succeeded by Shō Shishō