It was Sho Hashi, from the southern part of Okinawa, that finally brought the whole of the Ryukyus under the control of a single ruler for the first time. Using the excellent Baten harbor and Yonabaru as his base, Sho Hashi accumulated the financial resources through trade which enabled him to achieve his ambitions.
In 1406 Sho Hashi and his father Shisho attacked and took the Urasoe Gusuku of Chuzan. Solidifying his base by installing his father as king of Chuzan, Satto began preparations to unify the Ryukyus.
In 1422 he took the Hokuzan castle Nakijin Gusuku, in 1429 he destroyed Nanzan's castle, Shimajiri Ozato Gusuku. For the next 450 years the Ryukyu monarchy stood unified. In this way the First Ryukyu Dynasty began.
During this time it is said that Sho Hashi transferred his base of operations to Shuri Gusuku from Urasoe Gusuku, in what is now called Naha City , but the details of this move are not well known. However, it is recorded that in 1427 a Chinese named Kaiki was commissioned by Sho Hashi to construct Ryutan Pond and Ankokuzan (a park area). Shurijo Castle became the symbol of the monarchy and the town of Shuri became a bustling castle town.
