The Ouchi Clan and their Smuggling (7)

     In 1479, Ouchi Masahiro (1446-1495) sent a mission to Joseon, and the mission members found out that other missions had been sent to Joseon during the past 10 years.  They instantly denied those missions’ legitimacy, although those missions might have been “officially” sent out by Noriyuki.  Anyway, after 1479, the Ouchi Clan sent missions to Joseon at 2-to-4-year intervals.

     Main exports from Japan were minerals such as sulfur, silver, and copper, lacquer ware, folding fans, folding screens, and swords.  Japanese copper was exported at a much higher price than sold in Japan.  China was chronically short of copper as its market economies were ever expanding.  In addition, Japanese copper included some silver, which Japanese refineries could not extract, but Ming refineries could.  As a result, Japanese copper was sold at a higher price than copper, and at a lower price than silver.

     The main imports were copper coins, raw silk, silk fabric, books, and ceramics.

     The Ouchi Clan devoted their energy to obtaining important exports in their domain.  They opened up the Iwami Silver Mine, the Sato Silver Mine, the Naganobori Copper Mine, and etc.  They introduced cupellation, a refining process new to them, from Joseon, and drastically increased their silver output.  The increase was so large that their silver output once accounted for the one-third of that in the world, and changed the commerce in East Asia dramatically.

     The Ouchi Clan also protected and promoted artisans such as lacquer painters, inkstone chisellers, sword guard engravers, and etc.  They also invited artists like Sesshu Toyo.  They welcomed aristocrats who were down and out in Kyoto, which was burned to the ground in the Onin War, and even an exiled ex-shogun, who might be considered as persons of culture.  The clan has been sometimes criticized for devoting themselves too much to culture, but their promotion of culture obviously improved and promoted their exports.  Their cultural policies should be evaluated as measures for the promotion of local industries and exports.  As the number of exports increased, they could import more.  They also promoted import substituting industrialization: silk fabric.  The craftsmanship developed there at the time had a major impact on Nishijin-ori, or Nishijin Weaving.  Nishi-jin literally and actually meant the Camp of the West (Force).