Biography

Rizan was, like most officials in the royal government, originally from Kumemura, a Chinese colony and the primary center of learning in the Ryukyu Kingdom. Having been chosen to start on the track to becoming a bureaucrat, he traveled to China to study at the age of 16, remaining at the Imperial Academy in Beijing for six years. He would return there a number of times over the course of his career, heading tribute missions and being involved in other diplomatic activities. In 1606, at the age of 57, he became a member of the Sanshikan, the king's closest advisors.

The court at this time was split between pro-Chinese and pro-Japanese factions; Jana Ueekata was strongly pro-Chinese, and it is said he behaved rudely to Japanese envoys from Satsuma. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi, through agents of Satsuma, demanded that the Kingdom supply forces and supplies to aid in his invasions of Korea, King Shō Nei ignored the demand, largely upon the advice of Jana Ueekata.

In 1602, a Ryukyu ship was washed ashore in the Sendai domain, and was repatriated in 1603 by the order of Ieyasu Tokugawa .

After that, a messenger to thank Ieyasu was often requested. However Ryukyu officials did not show any gratuity to Tokugawa Shogunate.

Ryukyu was invaded in 1609 by forces from the Japanese feudal domain of Satsuma, nominally in response to this and other refusals of Tokugawa Shogunate demands to show gratuity with a courtesy manner.

Rizan oversaw the defense of Mie Castle in Naha harbor and successfully repelled an initial Japanese landing there. After the fall of Shuri Castle, the royal palace, and the surrender of King Shō Nei, Rizan was taken captive along with the king and a number of other officials. They were brought to Kagoshima, the capital of Satsuma Domain, and then to Sunpu, where they met with the retired former shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu, and were forced to sign a number of vows of fealty and allegiance to the Shimazu clan lords of Satsuma. Refusing to do this, Rizan was decapitated.

There is anecdotes about Rizan and karate saying it took a number of men to overcome his resistance and successfully execute him.

後世評價

• 歷代中國派往琉球的冊封使，都把鄭迵視為琉球的忠臣，給予他很高的評價。

• 時任琉球王府茶人的喜安，在其所著的《喜安日記》裡對鄭迵的評價很差：「尋此次琉國之亂的根本，若那一人所為也。此上之佞臣也。」（）喜安把鄭迵說成是一個「無能的佞臣」。

• 《中山世鑑》和《中山世譜》把他當作引來國難的元兇，並將鄭迵的和名「謝名」寫作「邪名」。在漢語中，「謝（xiè）」與「邪（xié）」諧音；在琉球語中，「謝」字與「邪」字都讀作「ジャ（拉丁化：Ja）」。

• 美國學者柯喬治認為，鄭迵不願讓自己的祖國成為薩摩藩的附庸，因此與薩摩藩抗爭到底。但最終仍然無法保持琉球的獨立自主狀態，於是選擇的以殉國而死來抗議。

• 鄭迵在第二尚氏王朝時期一直被當作權奸看待，直到近代人們的觀點才得以改變。現今的沖繩學學者多對鄭迵持正面評價，學者真境名安興稱讚鄭迵有「不屈不撓」的精神，紙屋敦之亦認為鄭迵拒絕日本的要求是正義的，把他當作殉國的忠臣和英雄。今沖繩縣那霸市有鄭迵的顯彰碑。

登場作品

• 「琉球之風」，1993年NHK大河劇，演員：江守徹（配音：八木政男）

註釋

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|align="center" colspan="3"|鄭迵（謝名利山）