The
1582 Cagayan battles were a series of clashes between the
Spanish colonizers of the
Philippines led by Captain
Juan Pablo de Carrión, and
Wokou (possibly Japanese pirates) headed by Tay Fusa. These battles, which took place in the vicinity of the
Cagayan River, finally resulted in a Spanish victory.
This event was the only recorded battle between European regular soldiers against
samurai warriors. This unique event pitted
musketeers,
pikemen and Spanish
rodeleros against
Japanese and
Chinese merchants (both legitimate and smugglers), fishermen,
rōnin, and soldiers.
[1] Spanish sources record the name of their leader as Tay Fusa, Tayfusu or Tayfuzu. This does not correspond to a Japanese name, but could refer to a medieval chieftain (大夫), called Dàfū in Chinese or Taifu in Japanese.
[2] The pirates had 18 Sampans which are flat bottomed Chinese fishing wooden boat. The word "sampan" comes from the original
Hokkien term for the boats, 三板 (
sam pan), literally meaning "three planks" in their Chinese dialects.
[3]
History[edit]
Japanese sampan-like river boat. Dating from before 1886 are relatively flat bottomed Chinese wooden boat.
Ronin, or masterless Samurai
Around 1573, the Japanese began to exchange
gold for silver on the Philippine island of
Luzon, especially in the provinces of
Cagayan,
Metro Manila and
Pangasinan, specifically the Lingayen area. In 1580 however, a ragtag group of pirates forced the natives of Cagayan into submission. These raiders were called
Wokou.
In response to the piracy, the
Governor-General Gonzalo Ronquillo commissioned
Juan Pablo de Carrión,
hidalgo and Navy captain of the
Spanish navy.
The general governor of the Philippines wrote to the king Philip II on 16 June 1582.
[4]
"Los japoneses son la gente más belicosa que hay por acá. Traen artillería y mucha arcabucería y piquería. Usan armas defensivas para el cuerpo. Lo cual todo lo tienen por industria de portugeses, que se lo han mostrado para daño de sus ánimas.
The Japanese are the most belligerent people here. They bring artillery, many arquebusiers and pikemen. Body armor. All provided from the portuguese industry, showed to them for the bad of their souls (sic) ..."
Carrión took the initiative by utilizing the technological superiority of Western ships, and shelled a Wokou ship in the
South China Sea, removing it from action. A retaliation came from the pirate leader Tay Fusa, who sailed toward the
Philippine archipelago with 10 ships. To counter this, captain Carrión gathered forty soldiers and seven boats: five small support vessels, a light ship (
San Yusepe) and a galley (
La Capitana).[
citation needed]
As they passed the Bogueador cape, the Spanish fleet encountered a Wokou
Sampan. It had recently arrived at the coast and its sailors were abusing the native population. The Spanish Captain, although outnumbered by the Wokou, engaged in naval battle with the
Sampan, eventually boarding it. The Spanish
rodeleros then faced armored Japanese
ronin who were wielding katanas. The Wokou also had
muskets, which had been provided by the Portuguese. The deck of the
sampan became a battlefield, with Spanish pikemen at front, and
arquebusiers as well as musketeers at the rear. Eventually the Spanish troops defeated the Wokou, thanks to the improvised parapet and the superior quality of Spanish armor and weaponry. The Spanish soldiers were also much more experienced with firearms than the pirates.[
citation needed]The low accuracy of Japanese muskets was also reported to a Korean king during the
Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98) and in the early 1580s when wokou pirates had raided ships from Korea, China and Philippines.
[5]
The
flotilla continued down the
Cagayán River, finding a fleet of eighteen
sampans. The Spanish flotilla forced their way through using artillery, and disembarked onto the shore. They dug in, erecting the
artillery unloaded from the galley in the trenches, and continually bombarded the pirates. The Wokou decided to negotiate a surrender and Carrión ordered them to leave
Luzon. Pirates asked gold in compensation for the losses they would suffer if they left, which was outright denied by Carrión.[
citation needed]
Afterwards the Wokou decided to attack by land with a force of soldiers six hundred strong. The Spanish trenches endured that first assault, then another. In response to Spanish pikes being seized by the Wokou soldiers, the Spanish oiled the shafts of their pikes in order to make them difficult to grasp. The thirty remaining Spanish were running low on gun powder after the third attack, which had almost breached the trenches. They left the trenches and attacked, routing the remaining Wokou. The Spanish plundered the Wokou's weapons that were left on the battlefield, which included katanas and armor, and kept them as trophies.[
citation needed]
With the region pacified, and the arrival of reinforcements, Carrión founded the city of Nueva Segovia (now Lal-lo).
Pirate activity was sparse afterwards. The commercial activity was focused in
Lingayen Bay, in Pangasinan, on the port of
Agoo and consisted principally of deerskin trade.[
citation needed]
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