The Silk Road in Northeast Asia Courtly gift-giving, 668-1449

Chapter 17 traces the development of trade relations between China, Korea, Japan, and Ryukyu from the seventh to the fifteenth centuries. It focuses on courtly gift-giving: the presents that visitors (such as diplomats) gave to the host monarch upon arrival. The types of goods that they gave slowly evolved over time. Early on, the gifts were largely determined by protocol. By the twelfth century, the luxury market had asserted more influence. In the fifteenth century, despite efforts to reassert court protocol, the luxury market further strengthened its hold. Overall, gift-giving practices show a growing demand for exotic goods in Northeast Asia, the most distant destinations of the maritime Silk Road from West Asia via Southeast Asia.