Sakugen Shūryō

Sakugen Shūryō (策彦 周良, April 19, 1501 – July 23, 1579) was a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk, a poet and diplomat in the Muromachi period.

He was the chief envoy of a 1547 mission sent by the Ashikaga shogunate to the court of the Jiajing Emperor in Beijing.

The trade negotiations proceeded smoothly, and in the leisurely months of his stay, Sakugen spent his time sightseeing, visiting Chinese poets and studying Chinese styles of composition.

[2] In China, Sakugen bought or received as gifts 17 books which were later copied and distributed in Japan.

Only those with this formal proof of Imperial permission represented by the document were officially allowed to travel and trade within the boundaries of China; and only those diplomatic missions presenting authentic tallies were received as legitimate ambassadors.