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Redalyc.A Great Merchant in Nagasaki in 17Th Century. Suetsugu Heizô II

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Redalyc.A Great Merchant in Nagasaki in 17Th Century. Suetsugu Heizô II Bulletin of Portuguese - Japanese Studies ISSN: 0874-8438 [email protected] Universidade Nova de Lisboa Portugal Mihoko, Oka A great merchant in Nagasaki in 17th century. Suetsugu Heizô II and the System of Respondência Bulletin of Portuguese - Japanese Studies, núm. 2, june, 2001, pp. 37-56 Universidade Nova de Lisboa Lisboa, Portugal Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=36100203 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative BPJS, 2001, 2, 37 - 56 A GREAT MERCHANT IN NAGASAKI IN 17TH CENTURY Suetsugu Heizô II and the System of Respondência Oka Mihoko Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Kyoto University Introduction In the last few decades, many articles have been devoted to the study of the Nagasaki merchants and their relationship with ports all over the world. But only few attempts1 have so far been made for other commercial cities in Japan involved in overseas trade, for example Sakai and especially Hakata. Hakata is located on the northern top of Kyûshû Island and flourished as an important port for overseas trade with China and Korea from ancient times. In the Middle Ages, a group known as Nengyôji, consisting of some elected citizen including great merchants, had an autonomous power in town politics. In other words, Hakata had been “the city of commerce” in Japan. However, in the missionary documents and letters of 16th century and 17th century, the name of Hakata or Facata do not appear as frequently as Nagasaki or Nangasaque, as they were often written then. The first reason is that Hakata did not accept Christianity as much as Nagasaki2, and fewer Christians were living there than in other parts of Kyûshû. However, as mer- chants, people in Hakata must have been interested in the communication with people who were coming from Europe because they knew that it bore a large amount of money. In order to understand the way the merchants in Hakata involved themselves trade with the Portuguese, it is worth examing the life of a merchant in Nagasaki, Suetsugu Heizô, and his strategy of management. 1 See, for example, Okamoto Yoshitomo, Nichiô Kôtsushi no Kenkyû (Tokyo, Hara Shobô, 1974), João Paulo Oliveira e Costa, Hino Hiroshi (trans.), Portugal to Nippon – Nanban no Seiki – (Lisbon, INCM, 1993). 2 See Takeno Yôko, Hakata no Gôshô (Fukuoka, Ashi Shobô, 1980), pp. 48 – 49. 38 Oka Mihoko The story of Suetsugu Heizô is one of personal politics in 17th century Japan. Heizô II served as the governor of Nagasaki and was directly involved in mediating trade between Japan and the Portuguese. He capitalized on is position in politics to improve his financial wealth, proving himself to be a shrewd businessman. His personal motives were clear when he switched alle- giances to the Dutch when the economic system of loans to the Portuguese col- lapsed under the weight of respondência or high interests on loans. In spite of the perception of 17th century Japan as a state controlled country, individuals involved in economics and politics still had power to nudge events in their favor. The impact of specific personalities in the history of Japanese foreign trading partners becomes clear. After exploring Heizô II’s identity and rise to power, I will introduce the concept of respondência or high interest loans. Following this, I will explore Heizô II’s investments in Macao as well as the devasting effect the respondência eventually enacted in foreign trade between Japan, Portugal, China and Netherlands, I will provide a pic- ture of Heizô immediate involvement in the affairs of the time and the per- sonal gains from this. 1. The identity of Heizô II The name of Suetsugu Heizô is known rather as that of the Nagasaki governor (Daikan3) than that of a great merchant. I should emphasize from the beginning that the name “Heizô Suetsugu” is attributed to four men, Suetsugu Heizô Masanao (I), Suetsugu or Shigefusa Heizô Shigesada (II), Suetsugu or Shigesada Heizô Shigefusa (III), and Suetsugu Heizô Shigetomo (IV). That is, “Suetsugu Heizô” stands for four governors in Nagasaki who were direct descents and this name was taken by them as a hereditary one. Heizô Masanao is known as the usurper of the position of the Nagasaki Daikan from António Tôan (Murayama Tôan4) who was a Christian. Heizô Masanao himself was also a Christian having the baptismal name João5, but he re-converted to buddhism around 1620 and became a persecutor of Christianity which he lead in Nagasaki. Though he abandoned his interests in Christianity he kept intense contacts with Portuguese merchants. Heizô I had 3 Toyotomi Hideyoshi setted this position in 1588, Murayama Tôan was appointed the first as non samurai. The Bakufu followed this system, and the main role was levying land tax. 4 He seemed to be a clerk in the house of Suetsugu Kôzen (Masanao’s father). After his independence, he made a fortune in Nagasaki and was appointed to Nagasaki Daikan. For further details of the dis- pute between Tôan and Heizô II, see C. R. Boxer, The Christian Century in Japan, 1549 – 1650 (Manchester, Carcanet Press, 1993, first printed 1951), pp. 333 – 334. 5 On this subject, seem RAM, 9 – 2679, f. 27. Suetsugu Heizô II and the System of Respondência 39 great influence on this trade and his wealth might have been decisive for a smooth ongoing of the commerce between Macao and Nagasaki. He had a strong relationship with Hakata because his father, Suetsugu Kôzen, was from Hakata and Heizô I’s brother Suetsugu Sôtoku was one of the most influential merchants in this city. Without this background, he would not have been successful in Nagasaki. After Heizô I died in 1630, his son succeeded the heritage and started to employ his power in the management of trade. However, when researchers tried to analyze the activities of Heizô II, they were confronted with the pro- blem, “who would be this Heizô II”. The reason why it is so important to make the figure of Heizô II identified is that he worked in the Macao- Nagasaki trade as one of the most important persons. In several local and historical descriptions, such as Nagasaki Zushi6 and Nagasaki Nenpyô Furoku Jûi7, Heizô II appears as Shigefusa8. However, Kawashima Motojirô9 has revealed that according to the record (kakochô) of Shuntokuji Temple10 Heizô II must have been Shigesada. Kawashima’s research can be summarized in the following way. (1) The post mortem name characters of Shigesada (oku- rina) were carved into the bell of Shuntokuji Temple in 1650; (2) Shigesada’s death is inscribed as 1647 in kakochô and on his gravestone at the above named temple; (3) the bell of Suwa Shrine11 was made in 1651 by the contri- bution of Shigesada. Judging from the above points, it is very clear that Shigesada must have been dead before 1650, and in 1651 Shigefusa held the top position at Suetsugu house in Nagasaki. In addition to the arguments shown by Kawashima, the rebuilding of Shuntokuji Temple in 1643 is a good example that illustrates that Heizô II was Shigesada. The articles about this event appear in several historical and local notes such as Nagasaki Zushi12, Nagasaki Jitsuroku Taisei13 and Nagasaki Nenpyô14. In these notes, Shigesada Heizô contributed a part of his wealth to rebuilt the tem- ple. It should be therefore concluded, that Heizô II must be Shigesada. 6 JTN eds. Nagasaki Zushi reprinted edition, Nagasaki, JNT, 1991, p. 154. 7 The author has not seen. 8 About the books supporting this explanation, see Yamamoto Hirofumi Quan – ei Jidai (Tokyo, Yoshikawa Kôbunkan, 1989), p. 49, p. 55. Idem. Sakoku to Kaikin no Jidai (Tokyo, Azekura Shobô, 1995), p. 61. 9 Shuinsen Bôekishi (Osaka, Naigai Shuppan, 1921), pp. 560 – 561. 10 This temple was reconstructed with the money of a contribution by Suetsugu. Suetsugu had been a representative of supporting members of this temple. 11 Heizô III contributed to construct main building in this shrine. 12 JTN eds. Nagasaki Zushi (reprinted edition, JTN, 1991, pp. 124 – 125. 13 Kyoto University Library, 5 – 15 // na // 23, Vol. 12. 14 Kanai Toshiyuki eds., Nagasaki Nenpyô (Ibun Kaisha, 1988), p. 14. 40 Oka Mihoko 2. The bonds of Respondência and Heizô Kume Kunitake has collected several maritime financial bonds from the house of descendants of Suetsugu and Shimai in Hakata and assembled them in one library of the Univ. of Tokyo15. These bonds show that the families of Suetsugu and Shimai16 lent out a large quantity of silver to red-seal Ships (licensed ships of early Tokugawa days), junks from China and “the great ships from Macao”. In the Suetsugu Documents, six of these bonds show the debit and credit between Japanese merchants and the Portuguese, and they are written in Portuguese, besides Chinese characters. A letter from a Portuguese to Suetsugu Heizô is also included in this collection. Space constraints pre- clude a discussion of the Shimai Documents, so I would like to concentrate on the Suetsugu Documents (from here, S.D.). An important point to note is these documents had been handed down in the family of Suetsugu in Hakata. In the time of Heizô IV, Shigetomo, the Suetsugu family was destroyed, because of his involvement in smuggling for Cambodia in 1676. The property was taken away and a part of the family which was involved in this illegal trade was exiled to tiny islands. As this time, a large quantity of documents and bonds were supposed to have been burned or been lost17.
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