洪武初年の海外貿易―朝貢・海禁体制前史

This article discusses the development of maritime trade during the early reign of Emperor Hongwu 洪武, spanning the firm establishment of the Ming Empire in 1368 and the abolition of the Maritime Trade Supervisorates (shibosi 市舶司) in 1374, by examining the Chinese, Korean and Japanese primary sources. Emperor Hongwu repeatedly issued maritime restriction edicts and strictly prohibited private maritime voyages shortly after his enthronement, probably in response to the revolts of maritime bandits of Lanxiushan 蘭秀山 in the Zhoushan Islands. In late 1371, Hongwu again issued a maritime restriction edict to protect the imperial fleet carrying provisions for the military campaign in Liaodong 遼東. Thereafter, he ordered strict maritime restrictions along the Zhejiang 浙江 coast, not allowing even fishing boats to sail the high seas. On the other hand, Hongwu proactively dispatched envoys to neighboring countries immediately after his enthronement, in order to persuade them to conduct tribute trade with his court. In addition, he established Maritime Trade Supervisorates in all the main trading ports, entrusting to them the regulation of private trading ships and the collection of custom duties. He also encouraged private sector maritime trade, such as accepting “contributions” from the merchants in Quanzhou 泉州. Among its neighbors, the Goryeo 高麗 Kingdom was particularly active in promoting the tribute trade; and Hongwu reciprocated by recognizing duty exemptions for Goryeo envoys and the private traders accompanying their tribute ships, resulting the bulk of commodities brought from Goryeo being carried in private bottoms. On the other hand, disputes over the tribute trade with Japan could not be settled despite Hongwu’s efforts to negotiate a settlement with the Muromachi Shogunate. This did not prevent many Japanese, especially Zen monks, from traveling to China on the trading ships that did sail between the two countries. Among the countries of Southeast Asia, the Kingdom of Ayutthaya vigorously promoted the tribute trade, given the close relations between the Thai royal house and Chinese immigrants. Furthermore, the fact that Hongwu ordered the voluminous amount of pepper imported from the Sanfoqi 三佛齊 (Strait of Malay region) to be allotted for purchasing provisions for Chinese garrisons along the northwest border reveals the huge scale of the Southseas (Nanhai 南海) trade being conducted by tribute and other trading ships at that time. Since no records of private maritime trade between the Ming Dynasty and its neighbors can be found after the abolition of the three Maritime Trade Supervisorates on late 1374, it is highly probable that the consolidation of the Tribute Trade and the Maritime Restrictions system came about at that moment, exacerbated by rising diplomatic and military tensions along the inland and maritime borders of the Ming Empire. Then in 1376, Hongwu also prohibited foreign trade along the northwestern border, resulting in the greater part of both maritime and inland foreign commerce being subsumed under the tribute trade system.