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The Japanese community in Ayutthaya got its start around the 1570s, as Japanese ronin, merchants, smugglers, adventurers, and the like began to settle there. As early as [[1593]], there were by some accounts as many as five hundred Japanese resident in the city.<ref>Polenghi, 25.</ref> Some came to be employed by the royal court, as bodyguards, or in other capacities, and by the 1620s, Japan was Ayutthaya's most major trade partner. The head of the ''Nihonmachi'', elected by the community and approved by the court, oversaw both the community and incoming & outgoing trade, and served as liaison or representative to the court.<ref name=pol23/>

The Japanese community in Ayutthaya got its start around the 1570s, as Japanese ronin, merchants, smugglers, adventurers, and the like began to settle there. As early as [[1593]], there were by some accounts as many as five hundred Japanese resident in the city.<ref>Polenghi, 25.</ref> Some came to be employed by the royal court, as bodyguards, or in other capacities, and by the 1620s, Japan was Ayutthaya's most major trade partner. The head of the ''Nihonmachi'', elected by the community and approved by the court, oversaw both the community and incoming & outgoing trade, and served as liaison or representative to the court.<ref name=pol23/>

Ayutthaya made a habit of having foreigners as royal guards, and the Japanese were preceded by the Portuguese, with whom the kingdom signed a treaty in [[1516]]; some 120 Portuguese were hired by the king in [[1534]] to serve as members of his guard. The Portuguese were followed by the Japanese, who were then followed in turn by Chams and Malays as the dominant group within the Siamese royal guard.<ref>Polenghi, 22.</ref> More than twenty Japanese merchant houses, along with some number of independent individual sailors, were active in trading between Ayutthaya and Nagasaki each year, and the kingdom enjoyed formal relations with the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] as well, beginning in [[1606]], and received arms and other supplies from the shogunate to aid in Ayutthaya's defense against periodic [[Burma|Burmese]] attacks.<ref>Khien Theeravit. “Japanese-Siamese Relations, 1606-1629” in Chaiwat Khamchoo and E. Bruce Reynolds (eds.) ''Thai-Japanese Relations in Historical Perspective''. Bangkok: Innomedia Co. Ltd. Press (1988), 22, 26-27.</ref> Following an unofficial mission which nevertheless was received in audience by the shogun in [[1612]], Ayutthaya sent official diplomatic missions to Japan in [[1616]], [[1621]], [[1623]], [[1625]], [[1626]], and [[1629]].<ref name=gunn222/> These missions followed a similar form to that which would later become standard for [[Ryukyuan embassy to Edo|Ryukyuan]] and [[Korean embassies to Edo]]. Some 70 Siamese officials traveled to Kyoto or Edo, where they were lodged at a Buddhist temple. They were received by the shogun in audience three times in short succession during their brief stay, and presented him with extensive gifts and a formal letter from their king, receiving gifts and a formal response in return. Letters from the Siamese king were written in Chinese, in a standard format in line with [[Ming Dynasty|Ming]] protocol, except with the notable exceptions of that they employed an invented [[Year dates|reign/era name]] rather than offend the Japanese by using the Ming reign name, and that they were written on sheets of gold, delivered in a holder carved from an elephant tusk.<ref>Polenghi, 41-43.</ref>

Ayutthaya made a habit of having foreigners as royal guards, and the Japanese were preceded by the Portuguese, with whom the kingdom signed a treaty in [[1516]]; some 120 Portuguese were hired by the king in [[1534]] to serve as members of his guard. The Portuguese were followed by the Japanese, who were then followed in turn by Chams and Malays as the dominant group within the Siamese royal guard.<ref>Polenghi, 22.</ref> More than twenty Japanese merchant houses, along with some number of independent individual sailors, were active in trading between Ayutthaya and Nagasaki each year, and the kingdom enjoyed formal relations with the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] as well, beginning in [[1606]], and received arms and other supplies from the shogunate to aid in Ayutthaya's defense against periodic [[Burma|Burmese]] attacks.<ref>Khien Theeravit. “Japanese-Siamese Relations, 1606-1629” in Chaiwat Khamchoo and E. Bruce Reynolds (eds.) ''Thai-Japanese Relations in Historical Perspective''. Bangkok: Innomedia Co. Ltd. Press (1988), 22, 26-27.</ref> Following an unofficial mission which nevertheless was received in audience by the shogun in [[1612]], Ayutthaya sent official diplomatic missions to Japan in [[1616]], [[1621]], [[1623]], [[1625]], [[1626]], and [[1629]].<ref name=gunn222/> These missions followed a similar form to that which would later become standard for [[Ryukyuan embassy to Edo|Ryukyuan]] and [[Korean embassies to Edo]]. Two Siamese envoys, accompanied by some 20 Siamese officials, and another 40 or so Japanese associates, for a total entourage of roughly 70 individuals, traveled to Kyoto or Edo, where they were lodged at a Buddhist temple. They were received by the shogun in audience three times in short succession during their brief stay, and presented him with extensive gifts and a formal letter from their king, receiving gifts and a formal response in return. Letters from the Siamese king were written in Chinese, in a standard format in line with [[Ming Dynasty|Ming]] protocol, except with the notable exceptions of that they employed the invented [[Year dates|reign/era name]] "Ten'un" (heavenly cloud) rather than offend the Japanese by using the Ming reign name, and that they were written on sheets of gold, rolled up inside a hollowed-out elephant tusk, which was in turn placed in a decorative box wrapped in [[damask]] cloth.<ref>Polenghi, 41-43.</ref>

 

In 1621, for example, the mission's entourage included the interpreter Itô Kyûdayû, ''[[Nagasaki bugyo|Nagasaki bugyô]]'' [[Hasegawa Gonroku]], and [[Sakai]] merchant Kiya Jazaemon. They were lodged at [[Seigan-ji]] temple in [[Edo]], and met with the shogun in [[Edo castle]] in at least one formal audience, at which they presented a series of gifts, as well as a formal letter from King [[Songtham]], two addressed to the ''[[roju|rôjû]]'' from Siamese officials, and one from [[Yamada Nagamasa]], head of Ayutthaya's [[Nihonmachi|Japanese community]], addressed to Hasegawa.<ref>Nagazumi Yoko. "Ayutthaya and Japan: Embassies and Trade in the Seventeenth Century." in Kennon Breazeale (ed.). ''From Japan to Arabia: Ayutthaya's Maritime Relations with Asia''. Bangkok: The Foundation for the Promotion of Social Sciences and Humanities Textbook Project (1999), 91.</ref>

In [[1610]], King [[Ekathotsarot]] was succeeded by [[Songtham]]; that same year, the kingdom suppressed a Laotian invasion and an uprising by Japanese merchants, and established a royal guard consisting of Japanese. This guard eventually came to be headed by the ronin adventurer [[Yamada Nagamasa]]. Other Nagasaki merchants were similarly rewarded for their service in helping defend the kingdom from Burmese invasions. [[Kiya Kyuzaemon|Kiya Kyûzaemon]] was appointed to succeed [[Arima Sugihiro]] as head of the ''Nihonmachi'', and Tsuda Matazaemon was permitted to marry a daughter of the king.<ref name=gunn222/><ref>Polenghi, 40.</ref>

In [[1610]], King [[Ekathotsarot]] was succeeded by [[Songtham]]; that same year, the kingdom suppressed a Laotian invasion and an uprising by Japanese merchants, and established a royal guard consisting of Japanese. This guard eventually came to be headed by the ronin adventurer [[Yamada Nagamasa]]. Other Nagasaki merchants were similarly rewarded for their service in helping defend the kingdom from Burmese invasions. [[Kiya Kyuzaemon|Kiya Kyûzaemon]] was appointed to succeed [[Arima Sugihiro]] as head of the ''Nihonmachi'', and Tsuda Matazaemon was permitted to marry a daughter of the king.<ref name=gunn222/><ref>Polenghi, 40.</ref>

The ''Nihonmachi'' revived following its destruction in 1630, though it would never again attain its former levels of activity. The imposition of policies of maritime restrictions by the Tokugawa shogunate in the late 1630s meant that Japanese could no longer return to Japan (and very few left Japan, either, after this time), severing the ''Nihonmachi'' from any infusion of new blood, and severely hampering its economic power. Further, the Tokugawa shogunate, seeing Prasat Thong as an illegitimate usurper, severed formal ties with the kingdom of Ayutthaya. Though several missions were later sent to Japan attempting to restore formal relations (including missions in [[1640]] and [[1644]] which were lost in storms), none were ever successful.<ref name=iwao28>Iwao, 28-29.</ref> Formal diplomatic relations between Siam and Japan would not take place again until [[1887]].<ref>Polenghi, 55.</ref>

The ''Nihonmachi'' revived following its destruction in 1630, though it would never again attain its former levels of activity. The imposition of policies of maritime restrictions by the Tokugawa shogunate in the late 1630s meant that Japanese could no longer return to Japan (and very few left Japan, either, after this time), severing the ''Nihonmachi'' from any infusion of new blood, and severely hampering its economic power. Further, the Tokugawa shogunate, seeing Prasat Thong as an illegitimate usurper, severed formal ties with the kingdom of Ayutthaya. Though several missions were later sent to Japan attempting to restore formal relations (including missions in [[1640]] and [[1644]] which were lost in storms), none were ever successful.<ref name=iwao28>Iwao, 28-29.</ref> Formal diplomatic relations between Siam and Japan would not take place again until [[1887]].<ref>Polenghi, 55.</ref>

Still, figures such as [[Kimura Hanzaemon]], who served as head of the community for nearly thirty years, from [[1642]] to [[1671]], remained prominent in local trade activities, including supplying the Dutch East India Company factory in Ayutthaya with deer skins.<ref name=lock241/> Another man by the same name, possibly the elder Hanzaemon's son, traveled widely across Southeast Asia in the 1680s.<ref>Nagazumi Yoko. "Ayutthaya and Japan: Embassies and Trade in the Seventeenth Century." in Kennon Breazeale (ed.). ''From Japan to Arabia: Ayutthaya's Maritime Relations with Asia''. Bangkok: The Foundation for the Promotion of Social Sciences and Humanities Textbook Project, 1999. pp100-101.</ref> Despite the decline of the Japanese community, Siamese trade with Japan (aboard Chinese, Dutch, and Siamese ships) in this period came to exceed even Siamese trade with China.<ref name=econ93>Shimada Ryuto. “Economic Links with Ayutthaya: Changes in Networks between Japan, China, and Siam in the Early Modern Period.” ''Itinerario'' 37, no. 03 (December 2013), 93.</ref>

Still, figures such as [[Kimura Hanzaemon]], who served as head of the community for nearly thirty years, from [[1642]] to [[1671]], remained prominent in local trade activities, including supplying the Dutch East India Company factory in Ayutthaya with deer skins.<ref name=lock241/> Another man by the same name, possibly the elder Hanzaemon's son, traveled widely across Southeast Asia in the 1680s.<ref>Nagazumi, 100-101.</ref> Despite the decline of the Japanese community, Siamese trade with Japan (aboard Chinese, Dutch, and Siamese ships) in this period came to exceed even Siamese trade with China.<ref name=econ93>Shimada Ryuto. “Economic Links with Ayutthaya: Changes in Networks between Japan, China, and Siam in the Early Modern Period.” ''Itinerario'' 37, no. 03 (December 2013), 93.</ref>

The Japanese community of Ayutthaya played some role in bringing King [[Narai]] to the throne in [[1657]], and official royal involvement in trade with Japan increased, even though it was not formally recognized as diplomatic court-to-court relations by the Tokugawa.<ref name=iwao28/> At least 41 Siamese ships traveled to Japan to trade between 1689-1723, and were received at Nagasaki as either "Chinese" or "Dutch" ships; some carried goods worth millions of [[silver dollar]]s.<ref>Kang, 69.</ref> Where Siamese goods entering Nagasaki previously did so chiefly on Chinese ships, royal investment now increased.<ref name=econ93/> Narai was perhaps among the most active of Southeast Asian rulers in engaging with the West. In [[1673]], he received formal diplomatic communications from both Louis XIV of France, and Pope Clement IX, and reciprocated them. Narai's relations with France led to his declaring war on the [[English East India Company]] in [[1687]]; the following year, [[French East India Company]] forces, ostensibly there to help combat the English, seized Bangkok and a number of other areas, before finally being convinced to quit their occupation and return these areas to Siamese control. Narai died that year, and was succeeded by [[Phra Phetracha]]. With Narai's death, the royal junk trade ended, and in the aftermath of the English-French conflict, all Europeans were ejected for several decades.<ref name=lock242/> Siam's volume of international trade declined somewhat as a result, and while trade with Japan remained central, trade with China began to grow, growing even more significant over the course of the 18th century.<ref>Shimada, 96.</ref> [[Rice]] remained Siam's chief export to China, while its exports to Japan shifted from a focus on deer hides and ray skins to a growing volume of trade in [[sappanwood]] and other aromatic woods.<ref name=shima102/>

The Japanese community of Ayutthaya played some role in bringing King [[Narai]] to the throne in [[1657]], and official royal involvement in trade with Japan increased, even though it was not formally recognized as diplomatic court-to-court relations by the Tokugawa.<ref name=iwao28/> At least 41 Siamese ships traveled to Japan to trade between 1689-1723, and were received at Nagasaki as either "Chinese" or "Dutch" ships; some carried goods worth millions of [[silver dollar]]s.<ref>Kang, 69.</ref> Where Siamese goods entering Nagasaki previously did so chiefly on Chinese ships, royal investment now increased.<ref name=econ93/> Narai was perhaps among the most active of Southeast Asian rulers in engaging with the West. In [[1673]], he received formal diplomatic communications from both Louis XIV of France, and Pope Clement IX, and reciprocated them. Narai's relations with France led to his declaring war on the [[English East India Company]] in [[1687]]; the following year, [[French East India Company]] forces, ostensibly there to help combat the English, seized Bangkok and a number of other areas, before finally being convinced to quit their occupation and return these areas to Siamese control. Narai died that year, and was succeeded by [[Phra Phetracha]]. With Narai's death, the royal junk trade ended, and in the aftermath of the English-French conflict, all Europeans were ejected for several decades.<ref name=lock242/> Siam's volume of international trade declined somewhat as a result, and while trade with Japan remained central, trade with China began to grow, growing even more significant over the course of the 18th century.<ref>Shimada, 96.</ref> [[Rice]] remained Siam's chief export to China, while its exports to Japan shifted from a focus on deer hides and ray skins to a growing volume of trade in [[sappanwood]] and other aromatic woods.<ref name=shima102/>