Giwan Chōho

, also known more simply as , was a Ryukyuan government official and emissary; at the time of the Meiji Restoration in Japan, he was a member of the Sanshikan, the Council of Three top government ministers in the Ryūkyū Kingdom.

Giwan was the representative of the kingdom tasked, in 1872, with conveying to the king & his fellow ministers the imperial government's orders that the kingdom be abolished, and its territory annexed by Japan.

He is also known for his waka poetry.

Life and career Giwan was born in Shuri

He served many years in the bureaucracy, and was dispatched on missions to China and Japan on a number of occasions. He became a member of the Sanshikan in 1862,

The mission was also to serve to officially present congratulations from the kingdom on the occasion of the birth of the new Imperial Japanese government. while Giwan remained at Shuri.

For a brief time, it seemed that Ryukyu was to enjoy a newfound degree of self-rule, with Shō Tai serving as governor of the domain. Though the system of han, or feudal domains, had been abolished even before Ryukyu Domain was established, the system of prefectures had yet to be put into place. Thus, for this brief time, Shō Tai was Governor of Ryukyu, and not Lord or daimyō as the rulers of the han were up until then.

However, several years later, in 1875, Giwan, along with a number of other government ministers and royals, received a mission led by Matsuda Michiyuki, Chief Secretary of the Home Ministry. Matsuda oversaw the implementation of a number of wide-ranging political changes and other systematic changes concordant with the incorporation of Ryukyu into Japan, including the establishment of a permanent military garrison in the Ryukyus. Giwan came under attack, as did all officials who had negotiated with the Japanese or accepted their terms, and was forced to resign from public office.

He retired to the countryside, and died the following year.