Ko Soken

A politician of the Ming Dynasty in China. A native of Jixi County, Anhui Province. His courtesy name was Ruzhen and his pen name was Meilin. He was a Jinshi in 1538. He allied with the powerful minister Yan Song and his trusted minister Zhao Wenhua, and in June 55, he was promoted from Zhejiang Censor to Zhejiang Governor, where he took measures against the Wako. At this time, he accepted the advice of Ningbo Prefecture official Jiang Zhou, and sent Jiang Zhou and Chen Keyan to Japan to convey the imperial edict and have the Wako banned. His true aim was to persuade the Japanese pirate (maritime merchant) Wang Zhi, whose base was in Goto and Hirado, to surrender. In February of the following year, 56, he became Governor-General of Zhejiang, and isolated and subdued the pirates Xu Hai, Chen Dong, and Ye Ma through a scheme to separate them, forcing Wang Zhi to surrender to his forces. For this achievement, he was made Crown Prince and Grand Proprietor, but after the downfall of Yan Song and his son, he was also impeached and died in prison.

[Shigeo Sakuma]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、明(みん)代の政治家。安徽(あんき)省績渓(せきけい)県の人。字(あざな)は汝貞(じょてい)、号は梅林。1538年の進士。権臣厳嵩(げんすう)、その腹臣趙文華(ちょうぶんか)と結んで、55年6月に浙江巡按御史(せっこうじゅんあんぎょし)から浙江巡撫(じゅんぶ)に抜擢(ばってき)され、倭寇(わこう)対策を講じた。このとき、寧波(ニンポー)府生員蒋洲(しょうしゅう)の献策をいれ、蒋洲、陳可願を日本に派遣し、勅諭を伝達して倭寇を禁止させようとした。その真のねらいは、日本の五島、平戸を本拠とする海寇（海商）王直(おうちょく)を説得して帰順させることにあった。翌56年2月には浙直総督に上り、海寇の徐海、陳東、葉麻らを分離工作により孤立させて鎮定し、王直をその軍門に降伏させた。その功績で太子太保となったが、厳嵩父子の失脚後に彼も弾劾され、獄死した。

［佐久間重男］

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