Zheng Chenggong

A retainer of the Ming Dynasty in China. His father was Zheng Zhilong and his mother was the daughter of a Japanese woman, Tagawa, and he was born in Hirado (Nagasaki Prefecture) in Japan. His childhood name was Fukumatsu. At the age of seven, he went alone to his father's home in Anping Town, Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China, changed his name to Mori, and studied at a university in Nanjing. In 1645, he returned to Fujian, and was allowed to use the Ming emperor's surname "Zhu" by the Tang King Longwu Emperor, who was supported by his father Zhilong and other retainers of the Ming Dynasty, and changed his name to Chenggong and was given the title of Zhongxiao Count. Chenggong is called "Guoxiao Ye" because he was given the Ming surname Zhu, but he never called himself Zhu Chenggong. In 1646, his father Zhilong surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, and his mother committed suicide in Anping City. Chenggong did not abandon his ideals of resisting the Qing and restoring the Ming Dynasty, and fled by sea after his father captured Fuzhou and captured Emperor Longwu. In 1548, he sent an envoy to Japan requesting reinforcements, but the Edo Shogunate ignored his request.

In 1649, Cheng was made Marquis of Weiyuan and then Duke of Zhang by the Yongli Emperor, King of Gui. In 1650, he established bases in Xiamen and Kinmen. Over the next 10 years, he controlled the coasts of Fujian, Guangdong, and Zhejiang, and further traded with Japan, Luzon, Kochi (northern Vietnam), Siam (Thailand), and the South Seas, building up his influence. Almost every year, the so-called Guoxingya ships entered Nagasaki, Japan. In 1653, he defeated the Qing army at Haicheng, Fujian Province, and was made Prince of Yanping. In 1658, he led an army of 105,000 men to launch a northern expedition, but was thwarted by storms and setbacks. In the following year, 59, he again organized a northern expeditionary force, captured Guazhou and Zhenjiang, and laid siege to Nanjing. However, due to internal betrayals and surprise attacks, he temporarily based himself on Chongming Island (an island at the mouth of the Yangtze River), but soon retreated to Xiamen. In 61, the Qing Dynasty implemented an evacuation order for five coastal provinces, including Fujian and Guangdong, and moved coastal people inland to prevent them from contacting the Zheng family. At this time, more than 20,000 defeated soldiers from the mainland had traveled to Taiwan, and Cheng Yi decided to capture Taiwan and make it his base. In the same year, he went to Taiwan with 25,000 soldiers, took Fort Zeelandia, where the Dutch were based, and occupied Taiwan, taking charge of its management. Cheng Yi also planned to invite people to Luzon, but was unable to accomplish this, and died of an illness in Taiwan on May 8, 62 (June 23, solar calendar). Chikamatsu Monzaemon's "Kokusenya Kassen" is a joruri piece based on a successful deed.

[Tanaka Takeo]

“Kokushoji” by Michihiro Ishihara (1959, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、明(みん)の遺臣。父は鄭芝龍(ていしりょう)、母は日本人田川氏の娘で、日本の平戸（長崎県）で生まれた。幼名は福松。7歳のとき、中国福建省泉州安平鎮にいた父のところに単身で赴き、名を森(しん)と改め、ついで南京(ナンキン)の大学で学んだ。1645年に福建に帰り、父芝龍ら明の遺臣に擁立された唐王隆武帝から、明の皇帝の姓である「朱」を称することを許されて成功と改名し、忠孝伯に封ぜられた。成功が「国姓爺(こくせんや)」とよばれるのは、明の国姓である朱姓を与えられたからであるが、彼は自ら朱成功と称することはなかった。46年に父芝龍は清(しん)に降伏し、母は安平城で自殺した。成功は抗清復明の理想を捨てず、福州が父たちに落とされて隆武帝が捕らえられると海上に逃れた。48年には日本に援兵を請う使者を送ったが、江戸幕府はこれを黙殺した。

　成功は1649年に桂(けい)王永暦帝(えいりゃくてい)から威遠侯、ついで漳(しょう)国公に封ぜられ、50年には厦門(アモイ)、金門の両島に根拠を置いた。こののち10年間にわたり、福建、広東(カントン)、浙江(せっこう)の沿海を経略し、さらに日本、ルソン、交趾(こうち)（ベトナム北部）、シャム（タイ）や南洋方面と貿易して勢力を蓄えた。日本の長崎には毎年のように、いわゆる国姓爺船が入港した。53年には福建省海澄で清軍を破って延平郡王に封ぜられた。58年10万5000の兵をもって北伐の軍をおこしたが、暴風雨に妨げられて挫折(ざせつ)した。翌59年に再度北伐軍を編成して瓜(か)州、鎮江を攻略し、南京城を包囲した。しかし、内応と奇襲にあって、一時崇明(すうめい)島（揚子江(ようすこう)河口の島）に拠(よ)ったが、まもなく厦門に退いた。61年、清は福建、広東など沿海の五省に遷界令(せんかいれい)を実施し、沿海の人民を内陸へ移して鄭氏と接触することができないようにした。このころ大陸の敗兵で台湾に渡った者は2万人を超え、成功は台湾を攻略して基地にすることを決意した。同年2万5000の兵で台湾に行き、オランダ人が拠っていたゼーランディア城を落とし、台湾を占領してその経営にあたった。成功はさらにルソン島招諭の計画をたてたが果たすことなく、62年5月8日（陽暦6月23日）台湾で病死した。近松門左衛門の『国性爺(こくせんや)合戦』は、成功の事績を題材にした浄瑠璃(じょうるり)である。

［田中健夫］

『石原道博著『国姓爺』（1959・吉川弘文館）』

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