On 27 March 1879, Shō Tai formally abdicated upon the orders of Tokyo, which abolished Ryukyu han and created Okinawa Prefecture, with officials appointed from Tokyo to administer the islands.
The former King was made to leave his palace, which he did on 30 March, and to move to Tokyo, which he did after some delays owing to supposed illness and inability to travel, leaving Okinawa finally on 27 May, and arriving in Yokohama on 8 June, whence he traveled with his entourage of 96 courtiers to Tokyo.

After meeting with Emperor Meiji on 17 June 1879, Shō Tai was incorporated into the newly established kazoku peerage, and on 2 May 1885, he was granted the title of Marquess (侯爵, kōshaku).
Chinese Viceroy Li Hongzhang protested against the annexation of the former kingdom, and attempted to reopen the question of Ryukyu's sovereignty, by entering into discussions with former US president Ulysses S. Grant and officials in Tokyo, but without success.

Tokyo statesman Ōkubo Toshimichi suggested in 1875 that if Shō Tai were to be made hereditary governor of Okinawa, it would help quiet anti-Japanese elements in Okinawa and would help the prefecture better assimilate into the nation.
A major Okinawan movement called the Kōdō-kai proposed the same some years later, but the idea was ultimately rejected by Tokyo as it could represent a failure of the current administration and could reignite issues over sovereignty of the islands.

Although now a Marquess, much of the same formalities and rituals appropriate for the Ryūkyūan King continued to be performed for Shō Tai.
He moved in the elite circles of Tokyo, and became involved in business.
Interests associated with the Shō family attempted to develop a copper mining operation on Okinawa in 1887, but with little success.
His business managers, however, did succeed in establishing an Osaka-based company called "Maruichi Shōten", which dealt in native Okinawan products, selling them in Osaka and distributing them across the country.
In the rest of his life he returned to Okinawa Prefecture only once, in 1884, to pay formal respects to his ancestors at Tamaudun, the royal mausoleum in Shuri.

Shō Tai died in 1901, at the age of 58, and was entombed in the royal mausoleum at Shuri, Tamaudun.
His family observed traditional Ryukyuan mourning rituals for two years, after which they gave up traditional costume, rituals, court language, and ways of life, adopting those of the rest of the Japanese kazoku aristocracy.
On 27 March 1879, Shō Tai formally abdicated upon the orders of Tokyo, which abolished Ryukyu han and created Okinawa Prefecture, with officials appointed from Tokyo to administer the islands. The former King was made to leave his palace, which he did on 30 March, and to move to Tokyo, which he did after some delays owing to supposed illness and inability to travel, leaving Okinawa finally on 27 May, and arriving in Yokohama on 8 June, whence he traveled with his entourage of 96 courtiers to Tokyo.
After meeting with Emperor Meiji on 17 June 1879, Shō Tai was incorporated into the newly established kazoku peerage, and on 2 May 1885, he was granted the title of Marquess (侯爵, kōshaku). Chinese Viceroy Li Hongzhang protested against the annexation of the former kingdom, and attempted to reopen the question of Ryukyu's sovereignty, by entering into discussions with former US president Ulysses S. Grant and officials in Tokyo, but without success.
Tokyo statesman Ōkubo Toshimichi suggested in 1875 that if Shō Tai were to be made hereditary governor of Okinawa, it would help quiet anti-Japanese elements in Okinawa and would help the prefecture better assimilate into the nation. A major Okinawan movement called the Kōdō-kai proposed the same some years later, but the idea was ultimately rejected by Tokyo as it could represent a failure of the current administration and could reignite issues over sovereignty of the islands.
Although now a Marquess, much of the same formalities and rituals appropriate for the Ryūkyūan King continued to be performed for Shō Tai. He moved in the elite circles of Tokyo, and became involved in business. Interests associated with the Shō family attempted to develop a copper mining operation on Okinawa in 1887, but with little success. His business managers, however, did succeed in establishing an Osaka-based company called "Maruichi Shōten", which dealt in native Okinawan products, selling them in Osaka and distributing them across the country. In the rest of his life he returned to Okinawa Prefecture only once, in 1884, to pay formal respects to his ancestors at Tamaudun, the royal mausoleum in Shuri.
Shō Tai died in 1901, at the age of 58, and was entombed in the royal mausoleum at Shuri, Tamaudun. His family observed traditional Ryukyuan mourning rituals for two years, after which they gave up traditional costume, rituals, court language, and ways of life, adopting those of the rest of the Japanese kazoku aristocracy.
Shō Tai