The tally checked at the port

Yoshimitsu’s mission and the tributary framework

Yoshimitsu’s mission in 1401 developed official relations with Ming alongside Hakata merchants’ interests. It did not begin all contact with China. Existing maritime connections differed from the question of accepting an authorised shogunal mission.

Formal exchange operated within a tribute framework. Sulphur, swords and fans travelled outward, while copper cash and silk were among incoming goods. Commercial purposes coexisted with a diplomatic status distinct from unrestricted market entry.

Checking credentials after arrival

From 1404, characters divided between a tally and its matching register were compared to authenticate an authorised mission. The tally did not guarantee a cargo’s price: it established the capacity in which a ship came. Crossing the sea with goods did not by itself secure access to official tribute trade.

Sailing, handling cargo, writing and official authentication required different participants. Possessing goods did not by itself establish eligibility for formal exchange. Mission movement combined logistics with diplomatic procedures.

A lost document known through a diary drawing

The original tallies do not survive, but a monk’s record of the 1468 mission includes a drawing. It documents the mechanism without being the physical credential. Observation preserved knowledge of an otherwise lost administrative object.

Missions continued into the mid-sixteenth century without a fixed annual pattern of participants. The tally’s importance lies in its place among missions, merchants, goods and officials. It joined movement of products with credentials and diplomatic form.

Before and after

1. 1401

   Yoshimitsu sends a mission to Ming.

2. 1404

   Authorised tally trade begins.

3. By the mid-sixteenth century

   The period when Muromachi missions to Ming cease.

Key terms

Tally

A token authenticated against a register.

Register

The register used to check a tally.

Tribute mission

A diplomatic form involving offerings and return gifts.

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