1609

Keichô 14 (慶長十四年)

Timeline of 1609

• 1609/3 The Kiyû Treaty, a trade treaty, is established between Tsushima han and Joseon Korea. Among the stipulations are that Japanese envoys do not travel deeper into Korea beyond Pusan.
• 1609/5/2 First Dutch ships enter Hirado.
• 1609/8/22 Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie factory is established in Hirado.
• 1609/9/29 The shogunate confiscates a number of large ships from daimyo in the western regions of the archipelago.

Invasion of Ryûkyû

• 1609/2/6 The senior Shimazu clan retainers meet and choose Kabayama Hisataka to lead the invasion. The invasion forces leave Kagoshima for Yamakawa.
• 1609/3/4 One hundred ships carrying 3000 warriors depart from Yamakawa harbor, near the southern tip of Kyushu, under the command of Kabayama Hisataka.
• 1609/3/5 The fleet reaches Kuchinoerabujima, one of the Ôsumi Islands.
• 1609/3/6 The fleet departs Kuchinoerabujima.
• 1609/3/7 Shimazu forces land at Kasari Bay on Amami-Ôshima.
• 1609/3/8 Kasari falls to the Shimazu.
• 1609/3/10 A Ryukyuan envoy is dispatched from Okinawa to Amami-Ôshima.
• 1609/3/12 Skirting the coast, the Shimazu forces continue to fight for control of Amami-Ôshima.
• 1609/3/16 Fighting for Amami-Ôshima ends in Shimazu victory.
• 1609/3/17 Shimazu forces land on Tokunoshima.
• 1609/3/22 Fighting for Tokunoshima ends in Shimazu victory.
• 1609/3/23 Shimazu forces fail to intercept a number of Ryukyuan boats heading in the direction of Amami-Ôshima as the latter pass Tokunoshima.
• 1609/3/24 Shimazu forces hit Wadomari, on the island of Okinoerabujima.
• 1609/3/25 Shimazu forces land on Kourijima, just off the coast of Nakijin, in preparation for their first assault upon Okinawa Island.
• 1609/3/26 Shimazu forces siege Nakijin gusuku.
• 1609/3/27 A Shimazu reconnaissance force led by Hirata Masamune and Ijuin Hisamoto, operating off of Kourijima, find Nakijin abandoned; the Shimazu seize control of Unten Harbor. Ryukyuan officials, led by Kyan ueekata, seek to negotiate a settlement but are refused.
• 1609/3/29 The Shimazu fleet lands at Yomitan and splits, one half traveling overland and the other attacking by sea.
• 1609/3/30 The Shimazu naval attack on the port of Naha is repulsed; the fleet withdraws to Makiminato.
• 1609/4/01 The Shimazu forces arrive at Naha Port again, and surround Shuri castle.
• 1609/4/05 King Shô Nei surrenders, and the invaders take Shuri castle.
• 1609/4/25 The Shimazu fleet returns to Kagoshima, with King Shô Nei and other royals and officials as prisoners.
• 1609/5/05 The last of the outlying Ryukyu Islands submits to Shimazu authority, the sanshikan having been dispatched to relay the news of Shuri's fall, thus sparing the Shimazu forces (and the Ryukyuans) any further fighting.
• 1609/5/15 The remainder of the Shimazu fleet departs Naha with a number of royal and aristocratic hostages.
• 1609/5 Shimazu Iehisa reports to Tokugawa Ieyasu at Sunpu on the success of the invasion.
• 1609/7/7 The Tokugawa shogunate officially recognizes the Shimazu as lords of Ryûkyû.

Other Events of 1609

• Arima Harunobu leads a reconnaissance mission to Taiwan.
• A brawl between Japanese and Portuguese in Champa leads to a diplomatic incident, and to the sinking of the Portuguese ship Madre de Dios in Nagasaki.
• The unruly behavior of the crew of a Japanese ship in Macao leads the Tokugawa shogunate to ban travel to Macao; effectively, this simply means Japanese authorities take no responsibility for the actions of those who do travel there.
• Spanish official Rodriguo de Vivero y Velasco (1564-1636) is shipwrecked in Japan.
• Suminokura Ryôi survives a shipwreck on his way back to Japan from Annam, and has his son Suminokura Soan take over overseas operations.
• Suminokura Ryôi oversees the completion of a riverboat connection between the port of Fushimi and the Kamogawa in Kyoto.
• Wang Qi and his son Wang Siyi complete their Sancai tuhui, an encyclopedia which serves as the basis for the later (1712-1714) Japanese encyclopedia Wakan sansai zue.

Births and Deaths of 1609

• 1609/3/28 Shô Kokushi, Warden of the North (Hokuzan Kanshi) and son of King Shô Nei, is killed.
• 1609/4/2 Satsuma samurai Umekita Shôzonbô and Komatsu Hikokurô are killed in action.
• 1609/5/3 Kyôgoku Takatsugu, daimyô of Obama han, dies (b. 1563).
• Hôjô Ujinaga, hatamoto and military scholar, is born (d. 1670).
• Kujô Michifusa is born (d. 1647).
• Yamada Arinobu, retainer of Shimazu clan, dies (b. 1544).

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1609

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