The Japanese Pirates and the Sino-Japanese Relationship from the Hongwu to Yongle Reign Periods in the Ming Dynasty
From the beginning of the Ming Dynasty,the problem of rampant Japanese pirates along its coast,which had extended from the end of the Yuan Dynasty,had not been effectively solved.In light of the severe political situation in the early Ming Dynasty,the Ming govern-ment hoped to solve the problem through diplomatic means,and to bring Japan into the tributary system.However,this vision which emerged during the Hongwu period,experienced several ups and downs,and was not realized until the middle of the Yongle period through exploration and trade.An examination of the evolution of Sino-Japanese diplomacy during this period can reveal the transformation of diplomatic strat-egies from the Hongwu to Yongle reigns,and the essence of Sino-Japanese diplomacy during this period was a"Japan-related"diplomacy centered around the issue of Japanese pirates.
Sino-Japan relationshipJapanese piratesTributary tradeExploration and trade