Yamada Nagamasa
Yamada Nagamasa was a leader of the Nihonmachi (Japantown) in early 17th century Ayutthaya (Siam), and of a Japanese contingent of the Siamese royal guard.
Nagamasa led some 700 men (roughly half the Japanese population of the city) in suppressing rebellions and defending the kingdom against Burmese invasions, and by 1630 enjoyed high court rank, among other privileges. He served as governor of two provinces, and held a monopoly on managing trade in deerskin and certain other commodities.[1] His prominence made him a target, however, for Prasat Thong, who saw Yamada as a threat, or obstacle, to his plans to seize the throne. In 1630, Prasat Thong assassinated Yamada with a dose of poison, and then burned down the Nihonmachi in order to eliminate any further Japanese threat to his rule.
References
- Cesare Polenghi, Samurai of Ayutthaya: Yamada Nagamasa, Japanese warrior and merchant in early seventeenth-century Siam. Bangkok: White Lotus Press, 2009.
- ↑ Wray, William. “The 17th Century Japanese Diaspora: Questions of Boundary and Policy.” Thirteenth International Economic History Congress, Buenos Aires 2002. Preconference: Corfu, Greece, 21-22 September 2001, 10.
