Shō Tai
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 . 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.