In ancient history, the relationship between Japan, a former vassal state, and the mainland was quite complicated. Japan, as an island nation, had in-depth exchanges with China a long time ago in the name of the Wa Kingdom. This history began during the Han and Han dynasties, when Japan was called "Wa", which means obedience.
The earliest Chinese historical record of Japan can be found in the Book of Han, which states:
"There are Japanese people in the sea of Lelang, divided into more than 100 countries, and they come to see the clouds when they are young. ”
This account marks the beginning of relations between the two countries.
In 57 AD, Japan sent envoys to the Han Dynasty for the first time to express its respect and submission to the Han Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty bestowed the golden seal of "King of Han and Slaves", symbolizing the subordinate status of the Wa Kingdom.
This gold seal, which is now housed in a museum in Fukuoka, Japan, bears witness to the early exchanges between the two countries. However, what embarrassed Japanese netizens was their tributary tribute.
According to the Qing book "Yuding Yuan Jianzhi Letter", during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, most of the tributes of the Wa Kingdom were Qilin brocade, which showed the achievements of the Wa people in textile technology. But in addition to this, there was also a special tribute - "shengkou", that is, living slaves.
In the record of the Book of Han, the Wa Kingdom once gave more than 160 people "Shengkou" as a tribute, showing a reality in international relations at that time.
During the Three Kingdoms period, tributary activities were still active in the Wa Kingdom. In the second year of the early Jing dynasty, the queen of the Wa Kingdom sent an envoy to visit the Wei State, bringing tribute that also included slaves. Emperor Wei Ming was satisfied with this and gave him a rich reward, including various colored fabrics, precious stones, gold and silver, etc., which was undoubtedly a great encouragement for the Wa Kingdom.
The ascension to the throne of the Wa Kingdom was not without its challenges. There was chaos within the Wa Kingdom, and various forces were fighting endlessly. She relied on the means of gods and demons to intimidate everyone before she was able to ascend to the throne. However, in the face of years of war and political turmoil in the country, the queen pinned her hopes on tribute, exchanging beautiful women and young slaves for stability and wealth.
The reward brought back by the rice was even more inspiring to the greed of the Wa state, and the tribute became a way for them to obtain wealth. Because every successful tribute was exchanged for gold, silk, cloth, and other materials that were urgently needed in Japan. Japan relied on tribute to make a profit and gradually embarked on the road of economic take-off.
Until the Ming Dynasty, Japan continued to pay tribute to China. It's just that more medicinal herbs, handicrafts, etc. are gradually added to the tribute, and the proportion of slaves is smaller. However, this history has mixed repercussions in Japanese society today.
For the ancient Japanese tribute to China, especially the use of living slaves as tribute, many Japanese netizens expressed unacceptability. Some netizens sighed:
"Why does the mainland send women to China",
"Why were our ancestors so poor that they traded women for supplies?"
"Isn't that a stain on Japan's history?"