Taromai

Taromai (他魯毎, Okinawan: Taromii[1] or Tarumii[2]) (died 1429) was the last chief[3] of the Okinawan principality of Nanzan.

The details of Taromai's birth are not known for sure, and a number of theories exist. According to Kyūyō, an official history compiled by officials of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, Taromai was the eldest son of the previous chief of Nanzan, Ououso.[1]

Taromai received investiture from officials of the Ming Dynasty in 1415, and sent tribute missions to Ming China eight times during his short reign.[1]

Nanzan was invaded and conquered by Chūzan to the north, in 1429, marking the unification of Okinawa Island, and the emergence of the unified Ryūkyū Kingdom. According to some sources, Taromai's fall was the result of a loss of popular support among the peasantry, after Taromai greedily traded Chūzan a spring (i.e. a precious source of fresh water) for a gold-painted fence.[1][2] Historian George H. Kerr, however, notes that succession disputes among Taromai's heirs were seen as a sign of weakness by Shō Hashi, king of Chūzan, and as an opportunity to seize control of the principality.[4]

References
  1. "Taromii." Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten (沖縄歴史人名事典, "Encyclopedia of People of Okinawan History"). Naha: Okinawa Bunka-sha, 1996. p 47.
  2. "Tarumii." Okinawa konpakuto jiten (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003. Accessed 29 July 2009.
  3. George H. Kerr. (2000). Okinawa: The History of an Island People, p. 52 , p. 52, at Google Books; although the paramount leaders of Okinawa beginning with Shunten (c. 1166 – c. 1237) are commonly identified as "kings," Kerr observes that "it is misleading to attribute full-fledged 'kingship' to an Okinawan chief in these early centuries... distinctly individual leadership exercised through force of personality or preeminent skill in arms or political shrewdness was only slowly replaced by formal institutions of government — laws and ceremonies — supported and strengthened by a developing respect for the royal office."
  4. Kerr, George H. Okinawa: The History of an Island People. (revised ed.) Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2000. p86.



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