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04 — HIRADO & KOXINGA
Hirado and Koxinga
Before Nagasaki opened as a port, European ships headed for Hirado. In 1624, in this port town where the Dutch and the English kept trading posts, a boy was born. He would later drive the Dutch out of Taiwan and become known as Koxinga — Zheng Chenggong.
Labels: Factdocumented Likelysupported by most sources Legendoral tradition Urban legendlocal lore and rumour
The "world's port" before Dejima
FactHirado, in the north of Nagasaki Prefecture, is a port town that had prospered from maritime trade since medieval times. In 1550 a Portuguese ship entered its harbour, beginning the nanban trade. The Dutch opened a trading post in Hirado in 1609, and the English followed in 1613.
The English post closed in 1623, and the Dutch post was moved to Dejima in Nagasaki in 1641. Before the age of Dejima, there was the age of Hirado. Today, the Dutch trading post's warehouse, built in 1639, has been restored in Hirado and conveys how the harbour once looked.
Koxinga — a hero of Taiwan born in Hirado
FactZheng Chenggong was born in Hirado in 1624. His father was Zheng Zhilong, a maritime merchant who wielded great power in the East China Sea; his mother was Tagawa Matsu of Hirado. As a small child he was called "Fukumatsu," and at around the age of seven he crossed to China, where his father was.
In China, the Ming dynasty was collapsing. Because a Ming prince granted him "Zhu," the imperial surname, Zheng Chenggong came to be called "Koxinga" (Kokusenya, "Lord of the Imperial Surname"). Fighting on against the Qing, he crossed to Taiwan in 1661, attacked Fort Zeelandia of the Dutch East India Company, which then ruled Taiwan, and in 1662 drove the Dutch out of Taiwan.
One man who links Japan and Taiwan
In Taiwan, Koxinga is still widely revered as the man who expelled the Dutch and laid the foundations of Taiwan's development, honoured with titles such as "Kaitai Shengwang" (Sage King who Opened Taiwan). In Tainan stands the Yanping Junwang Ci, a shrine dedicated to him. Hirado and Tainan are joined by a single person.
Look here: the Chigoishi and the Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall
On the shore at Kawachi-cho in Hirado is the "Chigoishi" (Birth Stone), where tradition says his mother Matsu went into labour while gathering shells and gave birth to Zheng ChenggongLegend. The nearby Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall introduces his early life in Hirado. Hirado has also held festivals celebrating his birth.
An Edo blockbuster: "The Battles of Coxinga"
FactKoxinga's story was a great sensation in Japan too. In 1715, Chikamatsu Monzaemon wrote the puppet play Kokusen'ya Kassen (The Battles of Coxinga), which is said to have enjoyed an extraordinary 17-month run. The tale of a hero with a Japanese mother winning glory on the continent captured the hearts of the people of Edo.
An Englishman who rests in Hirado
FactWilliam Adams (Miura Anjin), the English navigator who served Tokugawa Ieyasu, was involved with the English trading post at Hirado and died there in 1620. A site said to be his grave remains in Hirado.
Main sources: Hirado City, "Hirado Dutch Trading Post" / Hirado City, "Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall" / Tainan City, visitor information for Yanping Junwang Ci