Database: A Triangular Trade Network

Among the Chinese dynasties, while the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) accepted private trading ships, the Ming (1368–1644) only allowed exchanges and trade related to diplomatic relations with the kings of neighboring countries. The only direct trade in the 15th century was therefore with ships sent by the shōguns of the Muromachi period, recognized as the king of Japan. The lack of commercial outlets with China made triangular trade, with the Ryukyu Kingdom in Okinawa as the mediator, an important route for importing Chinese goods. In the case of monarchs of Joseon (dynasty of Korea), in addition to accepting emissaries from political powers such as shōguns and feudal lords, it also allowed trade with warriors from the west coast of Japan to prevent acts of piracy. In exchanges with the Ming and Joseon, it was the merchants, particularly those from Hakata in northern Kyushu, who were actually involved in commercial transactions.

Hakata was the largest Japanese trading port in the Middle Ages due to its proximity to the Ming and Joseon, and that is why the Seto Inland Sea (Seto-nai kai), which connected Hakata to the capital, was the main distribution route. It was during the Ōnin War (1467–1477), when the shogunate found itself unable to use this hostile route, that Sakai began to develop as an international trading port. As for the Sea of Japan, Korean products entered directly into the western area, but in much smaller quantities than in Hakata. In the 16th century, smuggling by Chinese or Japanese merchants and pirates, called wakō, developed, replacing the diplomatic network of East Asian maritime trade. Merchants who later arrived on Portuguese ships quickly integrated into this large illegal smuggling network.