江海の賊から蘇松の寇へ : ある「嘉靖倭寇前史」によせて

Abstract

It is well known that the "Japanese pirates" during Ming dynasty, the Wokou 倭寇, included not only Japanese, but even larger numbers of Chinese, who resided along the southeast coast of China. It is also widely believed in Japan as well as in China that the piracy represented a righteous protest against the prohibition against overseas trade, haijin 海禁. However, the violent plunder and massacres should not be explained as the principled stand of sea-traders, most of whom were only interested in the profits to be gained through smuggling, which was possible through cooperation with local Chinese governments rather than waging devastating campaigns against them. The origins of "Japanese Piracy of the Jiajing period" (Jiajing Wokou) must be sought in local traditions of collective violence. The Jiajing Gazetteer of Taicang, Taicang zhouzhi 太倉州志 contains detailed information regarding the frequent occurrence of banditry and armed conflicts in the Yangzi River estuary region; these accounts provide clear evidence for a well-established pattern of bloody feuds and fights involving fishermen, salt-brokers, gangsters and government officials before the Wokou Campaign. In the Yangzi River estuary region, imperial Ming government's rule was deeply compromised by the collusion of local and provincial officials with autonomous sea-nomads, who eventually joined in the Wokou rebellions and comprised a sizeable proportion of the "Japanese Pirates."