A Study In The Tribute Trade Between The Ming Dynasty And Ashikaga Shogunate

The tribute trade between China and Japan in the Ming Dynasty was a significant event in the history of Chinese relation to Japan, which is also an important problem in the field of the history of Chinese relation to overseas. Studying the trade deeply will demonstrate merits and faults of the foreign policy of the Ming Dynasty. This tribute trade was a production of the foreign policy which is based on the development in politics and economy both of China and Japan. The tribute trade was the most prosperous during the period of Yong Le, and from that time on it began to decline. The two counties kept their contact and trade until A. D. 1547.Keeping friendship with external countries made fat profits to the Ming Dynasty at that time. The Ming Dynasty held the tribute in order to defend attack from Japanese and forbid secret trade. However, oppositely, the policy did not achieve. The attack from Japanese became more and more, and secret trade did not be forbidden, instead the official tribute trade was abolished at last.