Changes

*''Japanese/Chinese'': 勘合貿易 ''(kangou boueki / kanhe maoyi)''

*''Japanese/Chinese'': 勘合貿易 ''(kangou boueki / kanhe maoyi)''

The ''kangô bôeki'' system, or tally trade, was a system under which [[Muromachi Period|Muromachi Japan]] and [[Ming Dynasty]] China engaged in official trade.

The ''kangô bôeki'' system, or tally trade, was a system under which [[Muromachi Period|Muromachi Japan]] and [[Ming Dynasty]] China engaged in official trade. Tallies (J: ''kangô'') held by Japanese merchants certified them to Chinese port officials as licensed merchants or as official Japanese [[tribute]] missions, distinguishing them, therefore, from smugglers or pirates.

(Origins, System of How it Worked, History)

The system came into use in [[1383]], in an effort to control foreign tribute trade. Each tally, or certificate, had the characters "Nihon" (C: ''Riben'', 日本) written on it, and was then divided in half, with the Chinese port office (''[[shibosi]]'') keeping one half, and a licensed foreign ship the other half. In theory, a merchant's half of the form would have to line up properly with the port officials' half in order to be regarded as genuine. These were often faked, however.

The system came into use in [[1383]], to control foreign [[tribute]] trade. Each tally, or certificate, was divided in half, with the Chinese port office (''[[shibosi]]'') keeping one half, and a licensed foreign ship the other half. These were often faked, however.

 

The first tally ship was sent from Japan in [[1404]], and the last in [[1547]]. Over the course of that period, a total of 84 Japanese trading vessels visited China on formal tally trade journeys, spread out across seventeen individual trips. The shogunate (and the Japanese merchants) may have wished to maximize the amount of trade, but China placed regulations on the number of ships, and how often they could visit. For a certain span in the latter half of this period of trade, Japanese vessels were officially limited to coming to China once every ten years, with no more than three ships, and no more than 300 men per ship. In practice, 150-200 of the men on each ship were merchants, with the crew comprising the remainder.

 

Originally, tally trade ships typically departed Japan from [[Hyogo|Hyôgo-no-tsu]] (modern-day [[Kobe]]). Rather than building new ships specifically for the tally trade, the shogunate commissioned ships from [[Inland Sea]] merchants, and hired captains, helmsmen, and sailors from among that same group. A typical pattern was for the ships to depart from Hyôgo, pick up various goods at various Inland Sea ports, make their way to [[Hakata]] where they would formally assemble as a fleet, and then reassemble at [[Hirado]] or the [[Goto Islands|Gotô Islands]] to wait for favorable winds to make the sea crossing. The crossing was typically made in spring, though sometimes autumn winds were employed; the ships made landfall near [[Ningbo]]. While the crews were set up with lodging at the Zhejiang ''shibosi'' (port office), their ships, cargoes, and documents were inspected. In the early portion of this period of tally trade, the chief envoy would then journey to Beijing, along with much of the gifts/goods, and samples of some of the larger bulk goods, such as sappanwood, copper, and pepper, which would then be sent along in their full amounts shortly afterwards. In the 15th century, those who traveled onward to Beijing were generally limited to around 300-350 people, but in the early 16th century, this was further reduced, and only about 50 people were permitted to enter the capital.

 

In later times, these goods would not be sent to Beijing, but instead the more nearby [[Nanjing]].

The system finally came to an end in [[1551]]. The Ming Court had been demanding for some years that "Japan" ([[Ouchi clan|Ôuchi]] imposter envoys dominated contact with China, so it was the Ôuchi and not the shogunate the Ming Court was actually in communication with) turn over the offenders in the [[1523]] [[Ningpo Incident]] (an incident in which Ôuchi and [[Hosokawa clan]] ships clashed in Ningpo harbor), and turn in all the tallies, but to no avail. Diplomatic discussion between the Ming Court, and the Ôuchi (pretending to represent the shogunate) then came to loggerheads for a time, until in 1551, [[Sue Harukata]] rose up against his lord and took control of the Ôuchi clan, marking the end of official relations between Ming China and Muromachi Japan.

The system finally came to an end in [[1551]]. The Ming Court had been demanding for some years that "Japan" ([[Ouchi clan|Ôuchi]] imposter envoys dominated contact with China, so it was the Ôuchi and not the shogunate the Ming Court was actually in communication with) turn over the offenders in the [[1523]] [[Ningpo Incident]] (an incident in which Ôuchi and [[Hosokawa clan]] ships clashed in Ningpo harbor), and turn in all the tallies, but to no avail. Diplomatic discussion between the Ming Court, and the Ôuchi (pretending to represent the shogunate) then came to loggerheads for a time, until in 1551, [[Sue Harukata]] rose up against his lord and took control of the Ôuchi clan, marking the end of official relations between Ming China and Muromachi Japan.

==References==

==References==

*Hashimoto Yû. "The Information Strategy of Imposter Envoys from Northern Kyushu to Choson Korea in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries." in Angela Schottenhammer (ed.) ''The East Asian Mediterranean: Maritime Crossroads of Culture, Commerce and Human Migration''. Harrassowitz Verlag, 2008. pp289-315.  

*Hashimoto Yû. "The Information Strategy of Imposter Envoys from Northern Kyushu to Choson Korea in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries." in Angela Schottenhammer (ed.) ''The East Asian Mediterranean: Maritime Crossroads of Culture, Commerce and Human Migration''. Harrassowitz Verlag, 2008. pp289-315.  

[[Category:Economics]]

[[Category:Economics]]

[[Category:Muromachi Period]]

[[Category:Muromachi Period]]