Indian Antiquary Vol 52

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 444

16
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
( May, 1923
Yoshi-mitsu (1368-1394) succeeded in restoring intercourse by consenting that goods sent from Japan should be described as tribute and that he himself should receive investiture from the Emperor of China. In return, a number of commercial passports were issued (in 1404, see China Review, III, 60) to the Shogun, which he transferred to Ouchi, the feudal lord of Nagato, which had long been the chief port for this trade. As a matter of fact the tribute constituted only a small portion of the cargoes sent, the remainder being merchandise delivered to the depôts of the Japanese Government in China, where it was sold for copper cash (Brinkley, Japan, VI, 159).
54. In 1401 the Ruler of Japan arrested some thirty leaders of the pirates of Tui-ma and Tai-chi and sent them with his tribute to China, a custom which was repeated, when. ever tribute was sent, for some time, (Chin. Repos., XIX, Hai-kwoh Tu Chi, cap. X, pp. 1368). On the first occasion the pirates, when handed over to the Chinese, were thrown alive into caldrons of boiling water (China Review, III, 60). In 1408 Japanese pirates again troubled China (Murdock, I, 598).
55. In 1418 the Japanese pirates were severely defeated at Wang-hai-wo (Chin. Repos., XIX. 136-8), but in 1419 they again appeared on the Chinese coast, landing at Kiushau. 15 miles north of Shanghai, when they were again defeated by the Ohinese general How-Tuan on land and most of their ships were burnt (RAS., North China Branch Journal, N.S. VIII, 38). Still their piracy continued, and was the cause of constant complaints from the Chinese between 1428 and 1441 (Murdoch, I, 598), but possibly the latter were really due to the fact that the Japanese had ceased to pay tribute.
56. In the year 1419 the Japanese made a great piratical raid into Korea (Murdoch, I, 599).
57. Between 1459 and 1463, the Japanese, instigated by Chinese fugitives, made many raids into Taichau and Taiming. They came in the guise of traders. Sometimes they even pretended to be bringing tribute, but they were always well armed and on the watoh for opportunities to make raids. If they could do nothing else, they took occasion to form connections with the most crafty, daring and lawless of the inhabitants of the coasts, which might be of use on future occasions (Chin. Repos., XIX, 136-8).
58. In the 15th and 16th centuries such Japanese ships of war as were built in Japan flew the Bahan flag (Murdoch, I, 15-16). According to Mr. W. A. Woolley, on the sails of such ships were inscribed two characters, which the Chinese read as Bahan-sen i.e., Bahan or pirate ships, but the Japanese as Hachiman, the name of an Emperor of the 16th dynasty, who flourished about 1275 A.D. and whom the Japanese worshipped as the God of War (Hist. Notes on Nagasaki. As. Soc. of Japan, Trans., IX, 146). These Japanese pirates cruised as far as the Straits of Malacca, and, because of their ferocity, Japanese ships were excluded from all access to Portuguese India (see para. 211 below). Anjiro (Yajiro), the first Japanese convert to Christianity and St. Xavier's pilot in his Japanese expedition (1549, see para. 135 below) is said to have been killed in a piratical attack on the Chinese coast (Murdoch, I, 15-16).
Malays. 59. In 1374 Muhammadanism was introduced into Java (Temminick, I, 295). In 1377 the Javanese conquered Palembang, and a little later they took possession of the southern portion of the Malay Peninsula. Hence Malacca was probably founded, not in 1252 according to the Malay annals (see para. 38 above), but between 1377 and 1499 (Blagden in RAS. Straits Journal, 1909, LIII, 141).