郑和下东洋考

Research on Zheng He’s Expedition to Japan

郑和七下西洋是早已被中国人所熟知的事件,然后却鲜有人知道在郑和首次下西洋的前一年,郑和曾受明成祖的派遣出使过日本,将当时的室町幕府纳入明朝的朝贡体系之内,并签订了明日《勘合贸易条约》,开启了长达一个半世纪的明日勘合贸易,但有关这方面的研究成果不多。郑和下东洋对当时明朝的海外政策意义重大,虽然史学界对于这一历史事件仍存在争议,但从现有资料来看郑和确实到达过日本,并对中日乃至整个东北亚外交体系都产生了一定影响。

Zheng He’s Expedition to the western oceans has been known to Chinese people, but few people know that in the previous year before Zheng He’s first Expedition to the western oceans. Zheng He has been sent on a diplomatic mission to Japan by Emperor Chengzu of Ming Dynasty, bringing the Muromachi shogunate into the tributary system of Ming Dynasty, signed The Tributary Trade Treaty, opening up the tributary trade between China and Japan, but about this problem, historical circle’s research is less. Zheng He’s Expedition to Japan has great significance on the overseas policy of Ming Dynasty. Although this historical event is still controversial in historical circle, but judging from available information, Zheng He did go to Japan, produced certain effect on the entire Northeast Asia diplomatic system.