This paper is intended as an investigation of foreign affairs in the late medieval time, and how Zen monks of Gozan temples (五山僧), particularly To- fukuji, came to be involved in this matter. There have been prolific researches about foreign affairs in the late medieval time even before the Second World War. They showed that foreign affairs at this time were conducted not only by the Shogunate but also by feudal lords in local areas. Zen monks of Gozan temples took the roles of a head or sub-head of delegations and those of advisors, by selecting members of delegations, researching the previous attempts and preparing diplomatic documents including electing writers for these papers. Diplomatic documents were called sho 疏 and had to be rewrit ten each time when a delegation was to be dispatched, stating the reasons for their mission and listing desired objects of trade. Formulating such documents required detailed knowledge and skillful penmanship. The writers of those documents, such as ZuikeishUho 瑞渓周鳳, must have possessed exceptional linguistic abilities even among renowned Gozan priests. Would it be possible to further our understanding of feudal lords' foreign policy on diplomatic affairs? Although there was research referring to Zen monks who had been sent as delegates of feudal lords, those documents mainly emphasized the clarification of facts of negotiation, yet the matter of prenegotiation such as making documents has not been throughly examined so far. In this paper I considered the points mentioned above and examined the foreign affairs conducted by Lord Ouchi 大内氏, who monopolized the Japan-Ming affairs 日明交渉. The domination in the Japan-Ming affairs by Lord Ouchi means that he must have managed all transactions related to sending delegations by himself. But even Lord Ouchi, who sent a private delegation to Korea, could not manage all of the affairs, and had to rely on a group who had this kind of knowledge. Meanwhile, Tofukuji, one of the Gozan temples but not involved with foreign affairs, owned some land within the Ouchi family's domain. After the temple's head priest Ryoankeigo 了庵桂悟 had gone down to Suo 周防 (Yama -guchi prefecture), Tofukuji succeeded in approaching Lord Ouchi. Finally the temple took on the important role of executing foreign affairs for Ouchi family. |