Origins & Early Life

Sai On (蔡温) (1682–1762), or Cai Wen in Chinese, also known as Gushi-chan Bunjaku (具志頭 文若, lit. Bunjaku, head of Gushi), was a scholar-bureaucrat official of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, serving as regent, instructor, and advisor to King Shō Kei. He is renowned for the many reforms he initiated and oversaw, and is among the most famous figures in Okinawan history. He edited Chūzan Seifu, a rewrite of Chūzan Seikan by his father Sai Taku.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Sai On was born in Kumemura, the village within the major port city of Naha which served as the chief center of classical Chinese learning in Okinawa, and the source of the vast majority of the scholar-bureaucrats who were raised to serve in the administration of the kingdom. His father had likewise been a scholar-bureaucrat of Kumemura, educated in the Confucian classics, and had served on several tribute missions to China. Sai On's father wrote the Chūzan Seifu by rewriting the Chūzan Seikan in 1701. Unlike Chūzan Seikan, which was written in Japanese Kanbun, Chūzan Seifu is written in Classical Chinese. Sai On edited Chūzan Seifu in 1724, and it is believed that this was to give the work a pro-Chinese point of view.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

At the age of 27,...

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