What Were Smuggled to Japan (8)

     Now, had the sea around Japan become pacific?  Not really.  On October the 3rd, 1589, Hideyoshi issued a letter to the Matsuura Clan, saying, “I have already ordered that not only all the provinces but also all the waters around Japan should be peaceful.  To answer China’s entreaty, we loaded presents to them on a ship.  When the ship left last spring, however, we heard that it was robbed by pirates whose leader called himself Zhiguai in your domain’s sea.  You should arrest Zhiguai and all the others on the pirate ship, and send them to us.”  In September, 1591, Hideyoshi issued copies of a letter to daimyo lords in Kyushu, pointing out, “As a Chinese captain built a ship, and was preparing to sail to China to trade, a Portuguese ship attacked it in Satsuma Province.”

     As Hideyoshi had conquered Japanese pirates, he now faced Chinese and Portuguese pirates.

     Hideyoshi had learned from Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) a lot.  Nobunaga was Hideyoshi’s predecessor as a ruler of Japan as well as Hideyoshi’s master until Nobunaga’s sudden death in the Honno-ji Incident at the hands of Akechi Mitsuhide (1528-1582).  Nobunaga put a high priority on commerce as well as on military affairs, and he instituted a free market system, built roads and secured waterways.  Nobunari Oda (1987- ), a famous figure skater, claims to be Nobunaga’s 17th generation descendant.