Other Piece of Evidence on Senkakus
In 1616 when the Tokugawa samurai regime of Japan was not yet to close the country, the samurai leaders in Edo (presently Tokyo) decided to check if they could take any part of Taiwan. Receiving an order, samurai governor Murayama, stationed in Nagasaki, sailed out, leading 13 ships where 4000 samurai soldiers were on board.
However a typhoon attacked the fleet to disperse them. Only three ships reached Taiwan but samurai troops faced strong resistance by Taiwan natives. Samurais eventually retreated from Taiwan.
On the other hand, other seven ships of this fleet arrived at Fujian Province, a region on the Chinese continent facing Taiwan over the East China Sea. However as a few decades before the then samurai king of Japan Hideyoshi made a war against the Ming dynasty (the Chinese empire at the time) twice mainly on the Korean Peninsula, Ming fleets commanded by Chin Yo Yu (in Japanese, 沈有容) did not welcome the Japanese ships but fought them. One Japanese ship was sunken.
But during this naval battle, other Japanese ship got to a Chinese island 40 km off the Chinese continent, which was called To-waku Island (in Japanese, 東湧島). Then the Ming military sent a reconnaissance officer in the disguise of a fisherman. So, Chinese officer To Haku Ki (in Japanese, 董伯起) was arrested by samurais to be brought to Japan. However governor in Nagasaki Murayama decided to send back To Haku Ki to China in order to establish trading relations with Ming. Governor Murayama appointed a samurai named Doyu Aakashi to the commander for this mission.
The commander Akashi reached the Huangqi Peninsula of Fujian Province where he delivered To Haku Ki to the Ming authorities. Then Ming naval general Chin Yo Yu and vice governor of the sea region of the Ming government Kan Chu Yo (in Japanese, 韓仲雍) interrogated Aakashi and other samurais. On this occasion, those high-ranking Ming officers made clear to the Japanese samurais the extent of the sea territory of the Ming dynasty from the Chinese continent into the East China Sea. It was recorded in Ming Jitsu Roku (in Japanese, 明実録), the Authentic Record of the Ming Dynasty.
Ming Jitsu Roku (in Japanese, 明実録), the Authentic Record of the Ming Dynasty
Specifically, contents of this interrogation and discussions can be found in Vol. 560 of Shin-syu-ken-kotei-jitsuroku (in Japanese, 神宗顕皇帝実録) or the Authentic Record of the Holy, Manifest Emperor, the Authentic Record of the Ming Dynasty.
In it the Chinese officials said, "The territory of Fujian is surrounded by the Tai-san (in Japanese, 台山) islands, the Sou-san (in Japanese, 礵山) islands, To-waku Island (in Japanese, 東湧島) which is currently To-in Island (in Japanese, 東引島), U-ki Island (in Japanese, 烏坵嶼), and the Penghu qundao islands of Taiwan."
The original Chinese sentence is: 迤南而為臺山、為礵山、為東湧、為烏坵、為彭湖，皆我閩門庭之內，豈容汝涉一跡，此外溟渤，華夷所共
These islands were all situated close the Chinese continent except the Penghu qundao islands of Taiwan. The most distant islands were To-waku Island (in Japanese, 東湧島) which is currently To-in Island (in Japanese, 東引島), 40 km from the Fujian land. Accordingly it is apparent that the Ming Dynasty did not think that the Senkaku Islands 330 km east of the Chinese continent belonged to China.
From Chinese Continent to To-waku Island (東湧島) and Uotsuri-jima (魚釣島) of the Senkaku Islands
So, the current claim by China that the Senkaku Islands were subject to China from the era of the Ming Dynasty 600 years ago is groundless.
Officials of the Ming government, in the early 17th century, clearly stated to Japanese samurai officers that Chinese power did not cover the sea out of 40-km zones from the Chinese continent while Uotsuri-jima, Taisho-to, and other islands of the Senkaku Islands are situated more than 330 km far from the continent.
This description in the authentic old Chinese history book was recently found by Professor Ishii of Nagasaki Junshin Catholic University. So, we have obtained other piece of evidence for the Japanese assertion that the Senkaku Islands belong to Japan, since Okinawa people have sailed around the islands for 2000 years.
Also refer to the other posting related to the Senkaku Islands:
http://eereporter.blogspot.jp/2010/10/yesterday-two-miracles-however-you.html
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Mar 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.