Yamada Nagamasa

Who was Yamada Nagamasa?

Yamada Nagamasa was a Japanese adventurer who gained considerable influence in the Ayutthaya Kingdom at the beginning of the 17th century and became the governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, which is located on the Malay Peninsula in present-day southern Thailand.

Yamada Nagamasa was born in Numazu, Shizuoka in 1590. He is said to have been a palanquin bearer of the lord of Numazu. He became involved in Japanese trade activities with Southeast Asia during the period of the Red seal ships and settled in the Ayutthaya Kingdom around 1612.