The Ouchi Clan and their Smuggling (10)

     Then there came the Nimbo Incident in 1523.  This time, Yoshioki overpowered the Hosokawa Clan.  He got a new tally from Zhengde Emperor (1491-1521) of the Ming Dynasty, and monopolized the ownership of the 3 mission ships.  The Hosokawa Clan had an old tally issued by Hongzhi Emperor (1470-1505), Zhengde’s father, and had no way but to send out a false mission.

     The Nimbo Incident gave other Japanese Western warlords 2 lessons.  First, if you are lucky enough and have the know-how of treating Ming officers, including bribing them, well enough, you might be able to make an “official” mission even with an out-of-date tally.  Second, even if you are unlucky, Ming military or security forces are not invincible anymore, that is, you can smuggle in China as a Wokou.

     After the Ningbo Incident, in the mid-16th century, the Ouchi Clan monopolized the ownership of 2 missions to Ming: the 17th, which arrived at Beijing in 1540; and the 18th, in 1549.