The 1582 Cagayan battles were a series of clashes between the forces of the

Spanish Philippines Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

led by Captain Juan Pablo de Carrión and

wokou ''Wokou'' (; Japanese: ''Wakō''; Korean: 왜구 ''Waegu''), which literally translates to "Japanese pirates" or "dwarf pirates", were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century to the 16th century.

(possibly led by Japanese pirates) headed by Tay Fusa. These battles, which took place in the vicinity of the

Cagayan River The Cagayan River, also known as the Río Grande de Cagayán, is the longest river and the largest river by discharge volume of water in the Philippines. It has a total length of approximately and a drainage basin covering . It is located in t ...

, finally resulted in a Spanish victory.
General Archive of the Indies, Council of the Indies, 339,L.1,F.286V-287R. Order to send men to the Philippines from Mexico, 14 June 1583 This event is a recorded battle between European soldiers and sailors against Japanese pirates, which followed similar events like the battles of Battle of Manila (1574), Manila and Fukuda Bay. The clash pitted

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

musketeers A musketeer (french: mousquetaire) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare particularly in Europe as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a pr ...

pikemen A pike is a very long thrusting spear formerly used in European warfare from the Late Middle Ages and most of the Early Modern Period, and were wielded by foot soldiers deployed in pike square formation, until it was largely replaced by bayon ...

rodeleros ''Rodeleros'' ("shield bearers"), also called ''espadachines'' ("swordsmen") and colloquially known as "Sword and Buckler Men", were Spanish troops in the early 16th (and again briefly in the 17th) century, equipped with steel shields known as ''r ...

and sailors assisted by allied native warriors against a larger group of

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, Chinese, and likely native Filipino pirates made up of

rōnin A ''rōnin'' ( ; ja, 浪人, , meaning 'drifter' or 'wanderer') was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period of Japan (1185–1868). A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master' ...

, soldiers, fishermen, and merchants (

smuggler Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

s and legitimate). The pirates had a large junk, and 18

sampans A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed Chinese and Malay wooden boat. Some sampans include a small shelter on board and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. The design closely resembles Western hard chine boats like t ...

which are flat bottomed, wooden fishing boats.

Prelude

Ronin, or masterless Samurai, lunging forward

Around 1573, the Japanese began to exchange

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

for silver on the Philippine island of

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

, especially in the provinces of

Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, coverin ...

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...

, and

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its cap ...

, specifically the Lingayen area. In 1580, however, a ragtag group of pirates forced the natives of Cagayan into submission. These raiders were called

Wokou ''Wokou'' (; Japanese: ''Wakō''; Korean: 왜구 ''Waegu''), which literally translates to "Japanese pirates" or "dwarf pirates", were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century to the 16th century.

, and had been previously fought by the Chinese

Jiajing Emperor The Jiajing Emperor (; 16September 150723January 1567) was the 12th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin. His father, Zhu Youyuan (1476–1519), Prince of Xing, w ...

. In response, the

Governor-General of the Philippines The Governor-General of the Philippines (Spanish: ''Gobernador y Capitán General de Filipinas''; Filipino: ''Gobernador-Heneral ng Pilipinas/Kapitan Heneral ng Pilipinas''; Japanese: ) was the title of the government executive during the colo ...

Gonzalo Ronquillo commissioned Juan Pablo de Carrión,

hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

and a captain of the

Spanish navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

, to deal with the piracy. Ronquillo wrote to King Philip II on 16 June 1582:General Archive of the Indies, Philippines, file 6, bunch 2, number 56. Letter from Gonzalo Ronquillo, Governor of the Philippines to the King of Spain, 16th of June 1582 Carrión took the initiative and shelled a Wokou ship, possibly of Chinese manufacture, in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...

, removing it from action. A retaliation came from Tay Fusa, who sailed toward the

Philippine archipelago The islands of the Philippines, also known as the Philippine Archipelago, comprises about 7,641 islands, of which only about 2,000 are inhabited.

Opposing forces

The Wokou fleet was composed of one junk and 18 sampans. Although their numbers were composed of Japanese, Chinese, and Philippine raiders, the name of their leader suggests the Japanese led their fleet. Spanish sources record it as Tay Fusa, which does not correspond to a

Japanese name in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name, in that order. Nevertheless, when a Japanese name is written in the Roman alphabet, ever since the Meiji era, the official policy has been to cater to Western expec ...

but could be a transliteration of ''Taifu-sama'', with ''taifu'' (大夫) being a word for a Japanese medieval chieftain, also pronounced as ''tāi-hu'' in

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

Chinese, or ''dàfū'' in Mandarin

Standard Chinese Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern standa ...

. They carried not only bladed weapons, but also muskets, which had been provided by the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

. To counter this, Carrión gathered forty soldiers and seven boats: five small support vessels, a light ship (''San Yusepe''), and a galleon (''La Capitana''), with their respective crews.Borao, José Eugenio (2005), p.2 Though lesser in numbers, the Spanish were advantaged by their greater experience with firearms than the pirates, as well as the superior quality of their armor and weaponry.Del Rey, Canales, 2012 Some Chinese sources claim that the Japanese pirates were not very good at firing their muskets, which is believed to be due to a shortage of good powder. However, during the

Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98) Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, the Japanese musketeers had significant superiority in accuracy and range against Korean archers.

Battle

As they passed the

Cape Bojeador Cape Bojeador ( fil, Cabo Bojeador) is the northwestern tip of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is a headland on the South China Sea coast of the municipality of Burgos, Ilocos Norte some north of Laoag. The cape is best known for its ...

, the Spanish

flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same clas ...

encountered a heavy Wokou

sampan A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed Chinese and Malay wooden boat. Some sampans include a small shelter on board and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. The design closely resembles Western hard chine boats like ...

. It had recently arrived at the coast and its sailors were abusing the native population. Carrión, although outnumbered by the Wokou, engaged in naval battle with the

, eventually boarding it. The Spanish

then encountered armored Japanese

wielding swords. Though initially successful, the Spanish soldiers were repelled back to their own ship, whose deck became a battlefield. Eventually the Spanish turned the battle again in their favor by improvising a parapet with Spanish pikemen at front and arquebusiers and musketeers at the rear, thanks to the well-timed reinforcement of the rest of the fleet. The Wokou abandoned the ships and swam away, with some of them drowning due to the weight of their armor. The Spanish had suffered their first casualties, among them the galley's captain Pedro Lucas. The flotilla continued down the Cagayán River, finding a fleet of eighteen

and a Wokou

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

erected inland. The Spanish fleet forced their way through using artillery and disembarked onshore. They dug in, assembling the

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...

unloaded from the galleon in the trenches, and continually bombarded the pirates. The Wokou decided to negotiate a surrender and Carrión ordered them to leave

. The pirates asked for gold in compensation for the losses they would suffer if they left, which was denied outright by Carrión. After this, the Wokou decided to attack by land with a force of some six hundred strong. The Spanish trenches, manned by both soldiers and sailors, endured a first assault, then another. In response to their pikes being seized by the Wokou soldiers, the Spanish oiled the shafts of their pikes in order to make them difficult to grasp. The Spanish were running low on gun powder by the third attack, which became a close-quarters fight that almost breached the trenches. Finally, with the Wokou assaults diminishing, the Spanish emerged from the trenches and attacked, routing the remaining Wokou. They then plundered the Wokou weapons left on the battlefield, which included katanas and armor, and kept them as trophies.

Aftermath

With the region pacified, and the arrival of reinforcements, Carrión founded the city of Nueva Segovia (now

Lal-lo Lal-lo, officially the Municipality of Lal-Lo ( ibg, Ili nat Lal-lo; ilo, Ili ti Lal-lo; tl, Bayan ng Lal-lo), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 48,733 peop ...

). Pirate activity was sparse afterwards, although the impression left by the fierceness of the battle led the local Spanish viceroy to request more troops. The commercial activity near Cagayan was focused in

Lingayen Lingayen, officially the Municipality of Lingayen ( pag, Baley na Lingayen; ilo, Ili ti Lingayen; tgl, Bayan ng Lingayen), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, province of Pangasi ...

Bay, in Pangasinan, on the port of

Agoo Agoo, officially the Municipality of Agoo ( ilo, Ili ti Agoo; pag, Baley na Agoo; fil, Bayan ng Agoo), is a 1st class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 66,028 people. Ago ...

and consisted principally of deerskin trade.General Archive of the Indies, Philippines, file 18, bunch 7, number 154. Letter from the Governor of the Philippines to the King of Spain, 12th of July, 1599

Notes

:A. Carta de Juan Bautista Román, factor y veedor de la Real Hacienda de Filipinas, al virrey de Nueva España dando cuenta de la expedición del capitán Juan Pablo de Carrión a Cagayán para expulsar a los japoneses que estaban allí poblados. Fue con una pequeña armada, por el camino peleó con un corsario chino al que rindió, y al doblar el cabo Bojeador topó con un navío japonés, con quienes se entabló una batalla hasta que los españoles consiguieron rendirlos. Carrión subió por el río Cagayán, hallando a la entrada un fuerte con navíos japoneses. Los españoles anduvieron por el río desperdigados y Carrión se hizo fuerte en un estero, resistiendo allí ataques de los japoneses. Juan Bautista Román expone la necesidad que tienen de socorro. (Cat. 2814) :B. Real Cédula al conde de Coruña, virrey de Nueva España, comunicándole que, según informa el capitán Gabriel de Rivera que vino de Filipinas, en una jornada que hizo el gobernador Gonzalo Ronquillo al río de Cagayan se perdieron algunos españoles, y que para reparar esta falta y poblar esas islas convenía se llevasen a ellas hasta doscientos hombres. Se encarga al virrey que atienda esta petición y los envíe desde Nueva España, además de otros doscientos que se le encargaron desde Lisboa. (Cat. 2999) Nota: Corresponde a imagen nº 600-601

References

Bibliography

* Antony, Robert J.: ''Elusive Pirates, Pervasive Smugglers: Violence and Clandestine Trade in the Greater China Seas'', pp. 82-83 * Borao, José Eugenio (2005).
La colonia de japoneses en Manila en el marco de las relaciones de Filipinas y Japón en los siglos XVI y XVII
�. Cuadernos Canela (Tokio: Confederación Académica Nipona, Española y Latinoaméricana) (17): 25-53. ISSN 1344-9109 (Spanish) * * Sola, Emilio (1999). ''Historia de un desencuentro: España y Japón, 1580-1614''. Fugaz Ediciones. p. 24. . {{Pirates 1582 in the Spanish Empire History of the Philippines (1565–1898) History of Cagayan Naval battles involving Spain Naval battles involving pirates Naval battles involving Japan