Makishi Chōchū

Makishi Chōchū
Makishi Chōchū as depicted in Narrative of The Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan by Matthew C. Perry & Francis L. Hawks, Washington, 1856
Native name	牧志朝忠
Born	1818 Shuri, Ryūkyū Kingdom
Died	August 14, 1862
Nationality	Ryūkyū Kingdom
Other names	Itarashiki Chōchū Shō Eikō
Education	Royal Academy of Ryūkyū
Occupation	Diplomat
Years active	1844-1862
Title	Pechin

Makishi Pekumi Chōchū (牧志 親雲上 朝忠, 1818 - August 14, 1862) was a scholar-bureaucrat and diplomat of Ryūkyū Kingdom. He was also known as Itarashiki Chōchū (板良敷 朝忠), and his Chinese style name, Shō Eikō (向 永功).

Life

Makishi was born in Shuri, the capital of Ryūkyū. He studied in Kokugaku (国学 the Royal Academy of Ryūkyū) in his early years. In 1838, he traveled to China to study, and stayed in Beijing for several years. When he came back to Ryūkyū, he learned English from Aniya Seiho (安仁屋 政輔). He was then appointed Ikoku Tsūji (異国通詞, the diplomat towards Western countries) in 1844.

References

• 『沖縄大百科事典』、沖縄タイムス、1983年