Sino-Japanese kango trade

Timeline

1. 1451–1460Harima Port (Hyōgo) · KansaiThe Muromachi shogunate sent kango envoys to the Ming in the shogun's name; the fleets carried kango documents issued by the Ming and carried tribute envoys, monks, and merchants to China. Although no large-scale embassy is recorded in the 1450s, the shogunate maintained the framework of the trade system, and provincial daimyō also participated in China trade through shogunate channels.
2. 1451–1460Ningbo · ZhejiangKango ships traded under the supervision of the Ningbo Maritime Trade Office; Japanese tribute goods included swords, fans, and sulfur, while the Ming returned silk, porcelain, copper coins, and books. The scale of trade was limited by Ming maritime prohibition policies and kango quotas, but it remained the most important legal channel for Japan to obtain Chinese goods.
3. 1451–1460Kyoto · KansaiProfits from kango trade were shared between the shogunate and participating daimyō, some of it used to support the Kyoto court's expenses and the shogun's authority. In the 1450s the shogunate's finances were strained, and income from China trade grew ever more important, but it also sparked contention among shugo daimyō over trade rights, deepening political tensions.