* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Sō Yoshitoshi
宗義智
Lord of Tsushima Who Handled Korean Diplomacy and the Restoration of Japan–Korea Relations
Description
Sō Yoshitoshi was the head of the Sō clan, lords of Tsushima, and as lord of the Tsushima domain he handled diplomacy with Korea. He was born in 1568 and died in 1615.
Handling Korean Diplomacy
On Hideyoshi's orders, Yoshitoshi handled diplomacy with Korea together with Konishi Yukinaga.
The Bunroku and Keichō Campaigns
Yoshitoshi fought alongside Konishi Yukinaga in various places during the Bunroku and Keichō campaigns, and also worked on peace negotiations.
Revised Korean Documents and the Restoration of Relations
The Tsushima domain carried out negotiations, revising the wording of the Korean royal letter, and a Korean envoy came to Japan in 1607. In 1609, the Kiyū Treaty reopened exchanges with Korea.
Sekigahara and Afterward
At the Battle of Sekigahara he sided with the Western army, but Ieyasu, wanting to restore relations with Korea quickly, did not punish him and confirmed his domain.
Surviving Documents
The Sō family documents of Tsushima include forged Korean royal seals made to restore relations, and are regarded as first-class sources on early modern Japan–Korea relations.
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