Wang Zhi (pirate)

Wang Zhi
王直
Born
Died(1560-01-22)22 January 1560
Cause of deathBeheaded
Piratical career
NicknameCaptain Wufeng
(五峰船主)
Years active1540–1560
Base of operationsSouth and East China Seas
Battles/warsJiajing wokou raids
Wang Zhi
Chinese name
Chinese王直
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWáng Zhí
Wade–GilesWang Chih
IPA[wǎŋ ʈʂɨ̌]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationWòhng Jihk
IPA[wɔŋ˩ tsɪk̚˨]
Japanese name
Kanji王直
Transcriptions
RomanizationŌchoku

Wang Zhi (Chinese: 王直 or 汪直), art name Wufeng (五峰), was a Chinese pirate lord of the 16th century, one of the main figures among the wokou pirates prevalent during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor. Originally a salt merchant, Wang Zhi turned to smuggling during the Ming dynasty's period of maritime prohibitions banning all private overseas trade, and eventually became the head of a pirate syndicate stretching across the East and South China Seas, from Japan to Thailand. Through his clandestine trade, he is credited for spreading European firearms throughout East Asia, and for his role in leading the first Europeans (the Portuguese) to reach Japan in 1543.

On the other hand, the Ming government blamed Wang Zhi for the ravages of the Jiajing wokou raids, for which they executed Wang Zhi in 1560 when he was ashore in China trying to negotiate a relaxation of its maritime prohibitions.