Ashikaga Tadayoshi opens trade missions to Yuan China

1338

Despite the formal break with the Yuan court, Japanese 'tally ships' began carrying copper, swords, and lacquerware to Ningbo, returning with silver, porcelain, and Buddhist scrolls. The trade enriched Kyushu warlords and seeded a maritime culture that would survive into the Sengoku century. Zen temples served as intermediaries, their monks doubling as diplomats and interpreters between the two courts.