Today's Thailand was called Siam in ancient times. On June 24, 1939, Siam changed its name to "Thailand", which means "the country of freedom". In 1945, it was renamed "Siam", and in 1949 it was renamed "Thailand", which is still in use today. Some of Siam's ancestors were Chinese who lived in Yunnan, and when the Mongols rose, they migrated to the Indochina Peninsula to escape the massacre of the Mongols, and some settled in Siam.
Siam is deeply influenced by both Chinese culture and Indian culture, and the whole people believe in Buddhism. In 1238 AD, the kingdom of Sukhothai was established. In the mid-14th century, the kingdom of Sukhothai was annexed by the Thai leader King Utong to establish the Ayutthaya Dynasty (Ayutthaya Dynasty). The Ayutthaya dynasty continued to expand its territory outwards to the periphery, and gradually became stronger internally through a series of reforms.
The Ayutthaya Dynasty also developed trade with countries around the world, but foreign trade was almost monopolized by the royal family, and the king had a large fleet of ships, which was responsible for transporting Siamese souvenirs to exchange with various countries, according to Chinese historical records:
Between 1370 and 1643, his envoys visited and traded in China 102 times, and the envoys of the Ming Dynasty also visited China 19 times. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the "Hong Kong Bank" was established in Guangzhou to handle trade and taxation matters with Siam. Ayutthaya also had frequent business contacts with Western countries, especially the Netherlands and Portugal, and it was famous in the Western world for its name "Charlie Brain" (meaning new city). ”
In the middle of the 16th century, the Ayutthaya dynasty and Burma were plunged into protracted wars, with frequent wars in the border areas, an increasingly corrupt internal ruling class, fierce royal struggles, and the decline of the dynasty by vassals, foreign relatives, and royalty.
In April 1767, Kyoto was captured by the Burmese army, property was looted, the population was plundered, and the royal family, monasteries, houses, and classics were all burned down, and it was at this time that the Western powers began to invade Siam.
During the Ayutthaya dynasty in Siam, China was during the ming and qing dynasties, and Japan was in the Muromachi shogunate and Tokugawa shogunate. These feudal dynasties basically pursued a closed-door policy, but each had its own characteristics, the Ming Dynasty's closed-door policy was no longer repeated, the imperial court laws were very strict, but there were still many Chinese who went overseas to do business and make a living, and even monopolized the foreign trade of some southeast Asian countries.
The sea ban system of the Siamese Ayutthaya Dynasty was very strict, much stricter than the Ming Dynasty's "no plate to go to the sea" sea ban, the Ayutthaya Dynasty's foreign trade bureau was divided into two yamen in the east and west, which were in charge of the trade between the East and the West, and the Eastern Yamen were held by Chinese before Yamada Nagamasa (Japanese) and had great power.
The Chinese held the official position of Toyo Yamun, which had jurisdiction over all Chinese and Japanese merchants in Ayutthaya, and was also responsible for the siamese royal family's full representation in trade with China, Annam, Japan, and Ryukyu.
After the Japanese Yamada Nagamasa arrived in Siam, why was it possible to break the situation of the Chinese "hereditary" to the head of the Toyo Yamen? Today, I would like to tell you the story of the Japanese samurai Nagamasa Yamada.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, The "pirates" of the Japanese not only harassed the coastal areas of China, but also had their footprints in Southeast Asian countries. We call them wokou and foreigners call them "pirates" or "mercenaries." These Japanese attacked Portuguese, Spaniards and Dutch. More famous examples are the Notre Dame incident, in which the Japanese clashed with the Portuguese and burned a Carrick.
Southeast Asian countries were so fond of hiring Japanese samurai, Portuguese, and Spaniards that the Southeast Asians even bet on them in some decisive battles. Thailand also filmed a film in 2010, "Yamada Nagamasa: Samurai Ayutthaya", which featured Yamada Nagamasa, the most famous Japanese mercenary leader in Southeast Asia.
Compared to the other Wokou Lang people, Yamada Nagamasa was a samurai of the Eight Classics, subordinate to the lord of the Numazu Domain, Okubo Tadasa (one of the Sixteen Divine Generals of Tokugawa), who was born in 1590 in the town of Maba in Suruga Domain (now part of Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture), whose father Yamada Nagato was a vassal of Honda Masanobu, and Yamada Nagamasa began to participate in the Zhuyin ship trade at a young age. It is said that in 1605, Yamada Nagamasa followed the "Juyin Ship" sent by the Tokugawa family to China as a guard, and then traveled alone to Siam (Thailand).
Due to the dissatisfaction of the water and soil, he contracted a fever while traveling to Ayutthaya (present-day Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand), so he had to stay and recuperate, planning to continue his travels after his illness was cured, and then return to Japan. Unexpectedly, there was a war in Siam, and by chance, Yamada Nagamasa and more than 1,000 Japanese samurai were involved in the company war, and never returned until he died in Siam.
Siam in 1605 was not peaceful and the domestic political situation was unstable. At that time, outside the Capital of Siam, Ayutoya, a Japanese settlement had been formed, The Town of Japanese (similar to Chinatown, a Chinese-populated area in the United States). The new king of Siam (Narisuan's brother) King Egadosar has just ascended the throne, and it is said that the Japanese mercenary army in Siam was founded by King Egata Salad.
In his later years, King Egatasar made his eldest son Suda the heir to the throne, but the chancellor Panai framed Suda for rebellion. King Eda Salad listened to the rumors and deposed Suda and installed his second son, King Songtan, as his heir. After King Song tan succeeded to the throne, he killed Pa Nai Wei and avenged his brother. The 500 samurai in the Japanese mercenary corps who were closely related to The Panai rebelled, suddenly entered the imperial palace, forced King Songzun to write a blood letter, made a covenant in favor of the Japanese, tortured and killed 4 court ministers and monk leaders who opposed the Japanese, and after plundering the city of Ayutaye, retreated to Pychaburi to divide the territory.
The Japanese rebelled and stirred up the political situation in Siam. Paongsa, the king of Luang Prabang, who coveted the throne, entered Huafuli under the banner of "expelling the Japanese captives" and threatened the capital. King Song Tan was not idle, he called on the whole country to serve the king, and the Japanese mercenary corps also responded to the call and sent troops to serve the king.
King Songzun, with the support of most of the country's army, first defeated the Japanese samurai who had divided Pacchaburi, and on April 5, 1612, defeated the army of King Luang Prabang, and the throne was consolidated. Since then, the Japanese mercenary corps has officially entered the historical stage of Siam, and whether Yamada Nagamasa participated in this war is impossible to investigate due to the lack of historical evidence.
It is certain that the main purpose of Yamada Nagamasa from Japan to China and then to Siam was to do foreign trade, and when he first came to Siam, he was also engaged in career activities, according to the "Siamese State Customs and Lands Military Record" and other sources:
"In the early days of His arrival in Siam, Yamada Nagamasa was mainly engaged in the Japanese-Siamese trade, dealing in goods such as deerskin, mackerel, and sumu, and even monopolized for a time, and later 'was valued by Siamese officials.'"
Yamada Nagamasa was also influenced by the Siamese royal family because of "commercial success", not military talent. During Yamada Nagamasa's illness and detention in Ayutthaya, 1,000 Japanese samurai exiled in Ayutō (who believed in The Chechidan religion) elected Yamada Nagamasa as the leader. Yamada Nagamasa selected elite men from a thousand samurai to form an army, and purchased a large number of Western-style guns from Macau, Manila and Batavia (Jakarta) to equip the army, making the unit strong and became the darling of the Siamese rulers.
In 1622, the king of the then Siamese vassal state of Cambodia died, and after being succeeded by the Cambodian prince Qishi, who had been a hostage to Siam, he refused to pay tribute to Siam. Enraged, King Song tan personally commanded a large army to fight, and before sending out the army, King Song Tan wrote a letter to Tokugawa Hidetada, the ruler of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan:
"Those who are worried about the merchants in your country, who are in the autumn of the dry country, mistakenly help each other, and are inevitably injured, afraid that it is not the original intention of reconciliation, and hope to stop it, and will continue to sell after allowing things to be peaceful."
What does that mean? King Song tan hoped that the Japanese (mercenaries) in Cambodia would not participate in the war, so as not to hurt the peace. In the end, King Songzu was defeated, and Yamada Nagamasa also led his troops to participate in this vicious battle, and the combat effectiveness of the Cambodian Japanese mercenary army caused deep psychological damage to the Siamese army. Later, the mercenaries led by Yamada Nagamasa defeated the Burmese army several times larger than themselves in border wars, so the Siamese rulers relied more heavily on Yamada Nagamasa's Japanese mercenaries and gave them high treatment.
In 1628, King Songtan fell seriously ill and, according to the Siamese system, was the rightful heir of Sri Shin, the brother of the vice-king at the time. However, King Songtan, with the support of Phaya Murivoroon and others, made his eldest son Tseta the heir. On December 22 of that year, the 15-year-old Cedra succeeded to the throne, and Phaya Muliwo Luo Ong proclaimed himself the Phaya Galo Feng, similar to the regent of the Qing Dynasty, and held real power.
Phaya Sriworoon was an ambitious man who actively plotted to usurp power and seize the throne. The first target he purged was Sri Lankan, who was already a monk. Phaya Sri woroong sent Yamada Nagamasa to carry out the plan to "lure the snake out of the hole". When Yamada met with Muroshi Nobu, he told him that the Japanese mercenary corps could help him regain the throne.
When Sri believed it, he left the temple and prepared to seize the throne, and was convicted of "conspiracy to rebel". Phaya Sri woroong justifiably arrested Sri Shinshi, sentenced him to death, and sent him to Phabjeburi and locked him in a pit of earth, where he starved to death. After Being rescued by his subordinates, Sri Lankan gathered the old ministry and launched an armed rebellion, lianke several cities.
King Tseda sent troops to quell the rebellion, Yamada Nagamasa led the Japanese mercenary army to participate in the battle, and Murinho shin was defeated and killed. After Sri Nobushi's death, Yamada Nagamasa became a major obstacle to the usurpation of the throne by Phaya Galoho, as Yamada Nagamasa had always been loyal to King Songtan and King Tseta. While constantly seducing King Cedra and slacking off the government, Phaya Galoh tried to win over, test, and eliminate Yamada Nagamasa.
At the end of 1628, Yamada Nagamasa was ordered to send an envoy to Japan, and Phaya Galo Feng wanted to establish himself as king, and when Yamada Nagamasa heard the news, he quickly rushed back to Siam to stop it, and finally, Phaya Galo Feng had to establish Adiyah, the son of Tseta, as king. Phaya Garo Feng resented this, and the semi-independent province of Southern Siam, Liu Kun (Nakhon is Greedy Morat), rebelled too much, and Phaya Galo Feng sent Yamada Nagamasa as commander to quell the rebellion, a move with a sinister intention: whether successful or not, it could weaken Yamada Nagamasa's power and then destroy it in one fell swoop.
Phaya Galo Feng promised Yamada Nagamasa: "The counter-rebellion is successful, and Yamada Nagamasa is sealed as the Six Kun Taishou." "On this expedition, the Siamese State Customs and Lands Military Record records:
"The army is more than 20,000 soldiers of the King of Siam, and more than 500 soldiers of the Renzuo Weimen ... Gerrit Broeckmans, a former commercial officer of the Dutch East India Company, recorded before January 4, 1630: "During this time, yamada Nagamasa, the leader of the Japanese in Siam, led three hundred Japanese and three or four thousand Siamese to land and occupy Songkhla, conquer Liukun, capture his king and send him to Siam." ”
During Yamada Nagamasa's suppression of the rebellion, Phaya Galoh successfully usurped the throne and became known as King Basitong. After Yamada Nagamasa succeeded in suppressing the rebellion, Phaya Galo Feng's heart was full of mixed feelings, Yamada Nagamasa heard that Phaya Galo Feng had usurped power and claimed the throne, and also cut off the claimed xiong in Liukun, and Phaya Galo Feng, in order to win over Yamada Nagamasa, presented beauty to Yamada Nagamasa.
However, Liukun had just been pacified, and queen Pattani raised an army to invade the Buddha's Head Corridor and continued north, and Yamada Nagamasa led an army to fight with the Pattani army at Liukun, and was wounded in the foot during the battle. Luan Moli, the brother of the former Rokukun Taishou, who aspired to avenge his brother, was then a subordinate of Yamada Nagamasa and mixed poison into the medicine. There is also a saying that Yamada Nagamasa returned to Ayutthaya for medical treatment after being injured. Phaya GaloFeng sent the imperial physician to Ayutthaya to heal Changzheng's wounds, but Changzheng instead fell seriously ill and died a few days later. Rumor has it that Phaya Garo feng, jealous of ChangZheng's control of Siam's foreign trade, ordered the imperial doctor to smear poison on the bandage to assassinate Changzheng.
Whatever the saying goes, Yamada Nagamasa died in 1630, and there was no blessing to enjoy the beauty, nor the blessing to enjoy the country laid down. After Yamada Nagamasa cried out for his life, the Japanese in Siam should have suffered. Because King Bassethorn did not want to be threatened by the Japanese again, he decided to attack the Japanese in Siam.
After the death of Yamada Nagamasa, the Japanese who did not know whether to retreat or retreat supported Yamada Nagamasa's 18-year-old son to succeed Himokun Taishou, wanting to occupy Rokukun for generations, the name was not justified, the aborigines of Rokukun and the soldiers of the Siamese court rose up against it, and Yamada Nagamasa's mercenary army was only a few hundred people, most of which were bloodily slaughtered. The embattled Japanese burned Liu Kun in a fire and fled to Siam's rival states of Cambodia and Burma.
King Basseton felt that the Japanese were always a hidden danger, and it was better to kill them all to avoid the consequences. On the night of October 26, 1630, King Basseton sent hundreds of boats and 4,000 soldiers to quietly surround the Japanese town near the capital, and a frenzied massacre began, and the few surviving Japanese fled to Cambodia. Later, King Bassethorn expelled all the Japanese in Siam, and the Japanese were forced into exile in Manila.
The tokugawa shogun of the tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Iemitsu, was furious and ordered the severance of all trade with Siam. In 1633, the Japanese town of Siam was rebuilt, and the exiled Japanese returned to Siam. However, the glory of the Siamese Japanese like Yamada Nagamasa was never staged again.
The Tokugawa shogunate's closed-door policy stipulated that Japanese were not allowed to go to sea, japanese people from overseas could not return to China, and there was no new immigrant supplement in The Japanese town in Nanyang, and gradually assimilated by the local natives, and the history of Japanese colonization of Southeast Asia came to an end.