Nanzan

Kingdom of Nanzan
南山
1314–1429
Map of the Three Kingdoms (Sanzan) of Okinawa, with Nanzan in green.
Map of the Three Kingdoms (Sanzan) of Okinawa, with Nanzan in green.
CapitalNanzan Castle
Common languagesOkinawan
Religion
Ryukyuan religion
GovernmentMonarchy
King (国王) 
• 1337–1396
Ofusato
• 1388–1402
Oueishi
• 1403–1413
Ououso
• 1415–1429
Taromai
History 
• Established
1314
1429
5 April 1609
Succeeded by
Ryūkyū Kingdom

Nanzan (南山), also known as Sannan (山南) before the 18th century, located in the south of Okinawa Island, was one of three independent political entities which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century. The political entity was identified as a tiny country,[1][2][3] a kingdom, or a principality by modern historians, however the ruler of Nanzan was in fact not "kings" at all, but petty lords with their own retainers owing their direct service, and their own estates.

Okinawa, previously controlled by a number of local chieftains or lords, loosely bound by a paramount chieftain or king of the entire island, split into these three more solidly defined kingdoms within a few years after 1314; the Sanzan period thus began, and would end roughly one hundred years later, when Chūzan's King Shō Hashi[4] conquered Hokuzan in 1419 and Nanzan in 1429.

After the unification of Ryukyu, Nanzan became one of three nominal fu (, lit. "prefectures") of Ryukyu Kingdom without administrative function.

  1. ^ "琉球". デジタル大辞泉 (in Japanese). 14世紀に沖縄島に北山・中山・南山の三つの小国家ができ、のち、中山が統一王朝を樹立。
  2. ^ "琉球". 百科事典マイペディア (in Japanese). 14世紀半ばごろには沖縄本島に北山(ほくざん)・中山(ちゅうざん)・南山(なんざん)の小国家が形成される。
  3. ^ "琉球". ブリタニカ国際大百科事典 (in Japanese). 11~12世紀頃から古代首長、按司が割拠、やがて沖縄島には三つの小国家(山北〈北山〉、中山、山南〈南山〉)が形成され、明朝廷にそれぞれ朝貢し覇を競うが、のち中山に統一された(第一尚氏王朝)。
  4. ^ Technically, Hashi's father Shō Shishō was king of Chūzan in 1419, and neither was called "Shō" until that name was granted them by the Ming court in 1421.