Shunten

Shunten 舜天
19th-century depiction of Shunten's enthronement
King of Chūzan (legendary)
Reign	1187–1237
Successor	Shunbajunki
Born	c. 1165 Urasoe, Okinawa
Died	1237 (aged 70–71)
Issue	Shunbajunki
Divine name	Sonton (尊敦)
House	Shunten dynasty
Father	Minamoto no Tametomo
Mother	sister of the aji of Ōzato

Shunten (舜天, traditionally dated c. 1165 – 1237) was the legendary first king of Chūzan and a ruler of Okinawa. The official histories of the Ryukyu Kingdom claim that he was the son of the samurai Minamoto no Tametomo and a local noblewoman during his exile following the Hōgen rebellion. He became the aji of Urasoe at age 15. Seven years later, he led a popular revolt against Riyū, who had usurped the throne of the ancient and mythical Tenson dynasty. He gained recognition as the overlord of all Okinawan chieftains, ruling from Urasoe Castle until his death in 1237. He inaugurated the Shunten dynasty, which lasted until 1260, when his grandson Gihon disappeared.

The mythology surrounding Shunten and Tametomo likely spread to Okinawa from Kyushu folklore around 1400. It was recorded in both Ryukyuan and Japanese histories by the 1500s and 1600s. His descent from Tametomo was used to justify the Satsuma Domain's invasion of Ryukyu in 1609; by the early 20th century, it was used to justify the 1879 Japanese annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom. No evidence exists to authenticate Shunten or his unification of Okinawa, which was historically unified by the end of the 15th century.