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In 1872, the Empire of Japan declared that King Shô Tai of the Kingdom of Ryûkyû was to be no longer the king of a kingdom, but a lord of a domain within Japan. He was given a mansion here, at Mochizaka (today Chiyoda-ku Fujimi 1-chôme).
Nothing survives of the mansion today, so far as I know, or even marks the site. Banana leaves and palm trees give a tropical sense, evocative of Ryukyu, but today these are the grounds of the Filipino Embassy; I'm not sure exactly where the Shô family mansion had been.
Meanwhile, about half an hour's walk to the southwest, in Kioi-chô, we find the "Classic House at Akasaka Prince Hotel," identified as the former residence of Prince Kitashirakawa, and ever so quietly also identified as having been built for the former Korean royal family.
As the sign here says, a residence for Prince Kitashirakawa was built on the site in 1884. A new residence was then built in 1930, for the former royal family of Korea (which psst psst had been annexed and colonized).
I'm sure there's a large element of just happenstance, or other factors, involved, but at the same time I'm somehow not surprised that the Korean mansion survives (or has been rebuilt?), and the Ryukyuan one doesn't even have a historical marker.
The same is generally true of both primary and secondary sources: a ton more historical documents rel. to Japan-Korea relations survive than those pertaining to Japan-Ryukyu, and there's a ton more research.
Korea is considered a major element of "history of Japanese foreign relations," and Ryukyu an odd side-case, a curiosity.
There are many rational reasons for this. But, even so, nevertheless, it is a thing.
There are many rational reasons for this. But, even so, nevertheless, it is a thing.
Ah. I suppose I should give addresses:
*Momochizaka: 〒102-0071 東京都千代田区富士見１丁目１ ( https://goo.gl/maps/C9xrwSXqEEYMDauM6)
*Former Korean mansion / now, Akasaka Prince Hotel Classic House: 〒102-0094 東京都千代田区紀尾井町１−２ ( https://g.page/akasakaprince?share)
*Momochizaka: 〒102-0071 東京都千代田区富士見１丁目１ ( https://goo.gl/maps/C9xrwSXqEEYMDauM6)
*Former Korean mansion / now, Akasaka Prince Hotel Classic House: 〒102-0094 東京都千代田区紀尾井町１−２ ( https://g.page/akasakaprince?share)
God, I'm bad at threads 
. Thanks to @sherryberry100 for helping me realize that I might share the newspaper article where I learned about this, also:
From a 1993 reprinting of the Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun (vol 1), ostensibly(?) as it originally appeared in print on 3 Oct 1872:
. Thanks to @sherryberry100 for helping me realize that I might share the newspaper article where I learned about this, also:From a 1993 reprinting of the Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun (vol 1), ostensibly(?) as it originally appeared in print on 3 Oct 1872:
And as retyped up, reformatted, in the 1934 Shinbun Shûsei Meiji hennenshi (vol. 1, p497):
If I am understanding the article correctly, Saga domain retainer Shima Yoshitake 島義勇 sold the house (along with tatami and furnishings) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 3000 yen; the Ministry then "granted" or "bestowed" 下賜 the house to (former king) Shô Tai.
Shima appears to have been something of a big deal, I suppose. There are statues of him today in both Saga and Sapporo.
Why it was his mansion that was purchased and then given to Shô Tai, though, if there was any profound reason at all, is unclear.
Why it was his mansion that was purchased and then given to Shô Tai, though, if there was any profound reason at all, is unclear.
(The above images of statues from: http://map.uu-hokkaido.jp/e/hokkaido-shrine/ and http://www.takenakadouki.com/cms/w_all/cate_area/kyu-oki/saga/post_4104.html)
If anyone knows differently, i.e. if I've misinterpreted the newspaper article, or anything else here, please let me know :) thanks.
My sincere thanks to Ōzato-sensei of the Hōsei University Okinawan Studies Center, who some years ago pointed out the window of the Center, in the general direction of Kudanshita, and told me the former site of the mansion was over there somewhere.
Somehow, for whatever reason, I never expected to find out any more specifically where it was. The newspaper article came as a surprise.
I would love to investigate in future just what the mansion was like, and what the Shō family's life as kazoku (nobles) in Imp Japan was like... I wonder what materials might survive that might shed light on this.
But, that's a project for another day. First I have to finish all the projects I'm already juggling!
