Wokou

The Wokou were primarily Japanese and Chinese pirates who marauded the Sea of Japan and the East Sea from the 1300s to the early 1600s.

Piracy in East Asia existed since at least the 400s, but were not very significant for a long time. The Chinese and Japanese were devastated following the Mongol invasions, especially western Japanese outlying islands like Tsushima, Izu, and Gotō; the Wokou quickly gained power and looted towns in these regions, as well as in Korea and northern China. The Korean and Japanese governments worked together to quell the threat, but were not able to do so completely.

The Wokou grew bolder and conducted raids further and further north into Korea. In 1419, the Koreans launched Ōei Invasion which, while not completely eradicating the Wokou, heavily reduced their activity. In 1443, the Treaty of Gyahae was signed, Wokou activity practically ended.

However, this was not permanent. The Wokou evolved from being primarily composed of Japanese to Chinese, and raids resumed by the 1500s, this time in eastern and southern China. Some were even able to attack the Philippines, but failed after expulsion by the Spanish. By the 1600s, the Wokou were eradicated in their current form, though piracy continued on a smaller scale.