Changes

[[Image:So_mon.jpg|left|thumb|The Sô kamon.]]

[[Image:So_mon.jpg|left|thumb|The Sô kamon.]]

* ''Japanese'': [[宗]]家 ''(Sou-shi)''

* ''Japanese'': [[宗]]家 ''(Sou-ke)''

The Sô clan, based on [[Tsushima]] since the [[Kamakura period]], were the traditional intermediaries in Japan-Korea relations. A ''tozama'' clan under the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] with an official ''[[kokudaka]]'' of 100,000 ''[[koku]]'', they were also vassals of the Korean king,<ref>The matter of whether or not the Sô were vassals of the Koreans is a hot-button issue with contemporary nationalistic implications, and has long been debated, with many scholars of Japanese history denying it for a long time. However, Robert Hellyer, writing in 2009 and drawing upon the work of numerous Japanese and Westerner scholars, describes them as having been vassals. (Hellyer, 40 ''passim'')</ref> to whom they sent regular [[tribute]] missions, receiving 8,300 ''koku'' each year from the mid-17th century onwards, along with various Korean and Chinese goods, in exchange for tribute or gifts of Japanese and imported Southeast Asian goods.

The Sô clan, based on [[Tsushima]] since the [[Kamakura period]], were the traditional intermediaries in Japan-Korea relations. A ''tozama'' clan under the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] with an official ''[[kokudaka]]'' of 100,000 ''[[koku]]'', they were also vassals of the Korean king, to whom they sent regular [[tribute]] missions, receiving 8,300 ''koku'' each year from the mid-17th century onwards, along with various Korean and Chinese goods, in exchange for tribute or gifts of Japanese and imported Southeast Asian goods.

Their relationship with the royal court of [[Joseon Dynasty]] Korea dates back to [[1443]]. Joseon had already entered into various arrangements with other samurai clans, including the [[Ouchi clan|Ôuchi]], offering opportunities for engaging in officially authorized trade in exchange for the samurai taking action against the ''[[wako|wakô]]'' pirates harassing Korean shores. In 1443, Joseon entered into one such arrangement with the Sô, offering them authorization to send fifty trading ships to Korea each year and to levy certain maritime fees and cargo taxes, as well as an annual stipend of 200 ''[[koku]]'' of rice. In exchange, the Sô were to take a lead role in ensuring that all Japanese trading ships traveling to Korea were properly authorized, and in dealing with those which were not (namely, the ''wakô'').<ref name=hellyer31>Robert Hellyer, ''Defining Engagement'', Harvard University Press (2009), 31.</ref>  

Their relationship with the royal court of [[Joseon Dynasty]] Korea dates back to [[1443]]. Joseon had already entered into various arrangements with other samurai clans, including the [[Ouchi clan|Ôuchi]], offering opportunities for engaging in officially authorized trade in exchange for the samurai taking action against the ''[[wako|wakô]]'' pirates harassing Korean shores. In 1443, Joseon entered into one such arrangement with the Sô, offering them authorization to send fifty trading ships to Korea each year and to levy certain maritime fees and cargo taxes, as well as an annual stipend of 200 ''[[koku]]'' of rice. In exchange, the Sô were to take a lead role in ensuring that all Japanese trading ships traveling to Korea were properly authorized, and in dealing with those which were not (namely, the ''wakô'').<ref name=hellyer31>Robert Hellyer, ''Defining Engagement'', Harvard University Press (2009), 31.</ref>