Wakō-style Sea Raids in East Asia (1140s)

Timeline

1. 1140–1145Quanzhou and Guangzhou coasts · Southeast coastDuring the Shaoxing era (1131–1162), pirates and smugglers were active on the Southern Song southeast coast. The History of Song records Zhu Cong raiding Guangzhou in Shaoxing 5 and later Quanzhou, and Chen Gan raiding Leizhou in Shaoxing 8, among others. Amid the Song-Jin standoff the court still had to detach forces for maritime patrols, making port security a court concern.
2. 1141–1149Korean Peninsula west coast · GoryeoGoryeo maintained patrols of its west coast under Kings Injong and Uijong, countering maritime raids from western Japanese islands such as Tsushima and Iki. Although the History of Goryeo's large-scale invasions specifically termed wakō began in 1223, coastal defense and Japan diplomacy were already routine national security issues by the mid-12th century.
3. 1143–1149Tsushima and Iki · Western JapanSea peoples of Japan's western islands have long engaged in fishing and cross-sea trade; from the late Heian to early Kamakura periods, local samurai power was fragmented and some sea peoples turned to raiding for a living. Changes in East Asian trade and defense in the 1140s provided the socioeconomic conditions for organized wakō raids on the Korean Peninsula and the Chinese mainland from the 13th century.