Wako Piracy Along the East Asian Coast

Timeline

1. 1351–1353Kyushu and the Seto Inland Sea, Japan · KyushuWarfare during Japan's Nanboku-chō period left samurai displaced and maritime restrictions lax; samurai, merchants, and unemployed farmers in Kyushu and the Seto Inland Sea turned to sea raiding. Yuan coastal defenses were weakened by the Red Turban Rebellion, and Goryeo, having just thrown off Yuan control, left its coasts thinly defended.
2. 1354–1357Western coast of the Korean Peninsula · Korean PeninsulaWako fleets repeatedly landed on the Chungcheong and Jeolla coasts of Goryeo, plundering villages and carrying off captives. King Gongmin was forced to strengthen coastal garrisons, repair beacon towers, and send envoys to negotiate, but political turmoil across Japan, China, and Korea kept the raids from being suppressed.
3. 1355–1360Jiangzhe coast · JiangzheWako forces expanded northward to the coasts of Taizhou, Wenzhou, and Mingzhou, plundering merchant ships and raiding ports. Yuan coastal defenses had fallen into disrepair, and local troops could not effectively suppress them; the wako menace intertwined with the Red Turban uprisings, plunging the southeastern maritime frontier into prolonged turmoil.