Letter from a Vietnamese marquis to Japanese merchants

This letter was, written by Van Ly, the Marquis of Annam (present-day Vietnam). It was addressed to Ichirō Hekizan Hakuto and other Japanese merchants who had been shipwrecked as they were returning from a trip to Annam on a red-seal ship in 1609. The merchants had docked in Nghe An on the 1st day of the fifth lunar month. After spending about a month trading locally, they departed on the 11th day of the sixth lunar month, only to be shipwrecked off the coast of the straits of Dan Nhai soon after. When the crew of 105 was rescued, Marquis Van Ly, along with the Duke of Thu County and Marquis Quang Phu, supplied them with provisions.

They also successfully petitioned the king of Annam for food, clothing, and a large ship. The letter includes all of the above information. Historical documents related to this letter can be found in the Ikoku nikki, a diary on foreign nations, Gaihan tsūsho, or correspondence with foreign domains, and Tsūkō ichiran, the passage list. Marquis Van Ly, who may have been a retainer of the Hanoi-based Trinh clan, appeared in those as well.

— Museum description: Kyushu National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.