Hu Zongxian's letter to the Japanese King

     Emperor Yongle (1360-1424) pronounced Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408) to be the King of Japan in 1404. In return, the emperor ordered Yoshimitsu to crack down on Japanese pirates. After Yoshimitsu, the Ashikaga Shoguns were recognized as the kings of Japan from generation to generation, and regulated the Japanese pirates. Their regulations included employing pirates as guards. As far as the Ashikaga Shogunate was powerful enough, the regulation worked. After the Oin War (1467-1477), the shogunate weakened and thus piracy revived. Hu Zongxian (1512-1565), the Grand Coordinator of Zhejiang, tried to remind the King of Japan, Ashikaga Yoshiteru (1536-1565) at that time, about former kings' historical facts.

     I exceptionally dispatch Jiang Zhou as a messenger and Chen Keyuan as an assistant messenger to hand a written appeal. If you, the Japanese king, follow former kings' laws, owe the Ming Dynasty a debt of gratitude, and are indignant at your people's evil deeds, you should assign your officers severe crackdowns, forbidden your people to advance to the sea to invade China, restore the order in your remote areas by suppressing subversives, and enjoy the welfare of peace together, I will appeal to the Emperor for giving you an award for your service.