The Otomo Clan and their Smuggling (3)

     The mission to Ming in 1453, for example, had 9 ships.  Mission Ship No. 6 was managed by the Otomo Clan.  Although there is no official record left about the ship, Shoun Zuikin, a priest on Mission Ship No. 1, kept his diary, and he mentioned Mission Ship No. 6 several times.  The ship arrived at Ningbo Port on April the 23rd along with the other ships, and landed their tributes on June the 2nd.  When the mission sent out their delegation to Beijing, Shiryu Koto, who embarked on Mission Ship No. 6, was included.  The delegation arrived at Hang-zhou on August the 12th, at Beijing on October the 8th, and was finally presented to the Jingtai Emperor on October the 10th.

     Chikashige was wise enough to place stress on foreign trade, sent missions to Joseong and Ming actively, and made enormous profit.  Some of the false missions to Joseong during the 15th century might have included those by the Otomo Clan.