What Were Smuggled to Japan (6)

     In 1588, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) usurped Nagasaki from the Society of Jesus, put it under the direct control of his clan, and destroyed the fortress there.  The Fukahori Clan might have been “taxing” trading ships.  Fukahori Sumitaka (?-?) was accused of his piracy, had his estate confiscated, and had his castle demolished.  He moved to Kase Manor, Saga County, Hizen Province.  Later, in 1592, he became a vassal of the Nabeshima Clan, and his descendant family provided chief retainers for the clan during the Edo Period.

     At the same time, the Noshima Murakami Clan was accused of their piracy, and it was then that they presented, in vain, their silver and carpets as bribes to some chief vassals of Hideyoshi; such as Mashita Nagamori (1545-1615), Toda Katsutaka (?-1594), and Asano Nagamasa (1547-1611).  Nagamasa’s great-great-grandson was Asano Naganori (1667-1701), who drew his sword and attempted to kill Kira Yoshinaka (1641-1703) in the Corridor of the Pines at Edo Castle, which caused the Ako Vendetta, or the Revenge of the Forty-seven Ronin.  If Naganori had been disliked by Yoshinaka for his insufficient presents (bribes?) as some half-fictionalized stories tell us, it’s an irony of fate.