Ruson Sukezaemon (呂宋助左衛門)
Sukezaemon RUSON (1565? - year of death unknown) was a trader in Sakai City, Izumi Province during the Sengoku Period (Period of Warring States [in Japan]). Also known as Sukezaemon NAYA. His father was Saisuke NAYA, a trader in Sakai.
According to books including "Taikoki" (Chronicle of Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI), he crossed the sea to Luzon island in the Azuchi-Momoyama period and accumulated enormous wealth as a trader. On September 4, 1594, he presented Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI, who had become the ruler of Japan, succeeding to Nobunaga ODA, rare goods of candles, musk, Matsubo pots (unpatterned Luzon pots), Luzon pots, oil-paper umbrellas, perfume, and so on, to be flourished as a wealthy merchant in Japan as well under Hideyoshi's protection.
In 1598, his all-too-lavish lifestyle brought the slanders of a civilian party including Mitsunari ISHIDA by which Hideyoshi confiscated his mansion that was said to be too luxury for his position and rank; but Sukezaemon, knowing it in advance, donated the grand mansion and belongings to his ancestral Daian-ji Temple before escaping to Luson with a Japanese quarter. One theory is that he provoked Hideyoshi's wrath when it became known that the Luzon pots which he had presented to him were not of great value but were in fact commonly available.
In 1607, he crossed the sea from Luzon to Cambodia after Spain intervened in Cambodia, and won the confidence of the Cambodian King to become a successful merchant once again.
He attained public notoriety with "Ogon no Hibi" (The Golden Days), based on the novel by Saburo SHIROYAMA and dramatized in 1978 as one of the series of Taiga Drama (NHK's annual year-long historical dramas), but the historical truth about his life is unclear. He was depicted in the drama as a Shuin-sen trader (who traded with ships licensed by the bakufu [Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun]); however, considering his time, he would have used junk (unlicensed) ships. There are statues of him in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture and Manila. Also, Daian-ji Temple in the same Sakai City has a grave that is said to be that of Sukezaemon.