14th century Ming invasion of Japan

I came across a reference to Hongwu, the first Emperor of the Ming dynasty, sending letters threatening to invade Japan in 1374, 1376, 1380 and 1381, probably due to piracy. Meanwhile, in that final year 1381, the Ming sent an army of 300 000 to invade Yunnan, which capitulated in a year.

What if he had decided to invade Japan instead? Hongwu was a bit temperamental, and a number of things could push him to decide to slap the Japanese around a bit.

How would such an invasion proceed? Would Hongwu attempt an invasion via Korea, as Kublai Khan had tried? How would the Joseon react?

Meanwhile, what of the Japanese response? This is the Nanbuko-cho period, with two imperial courts, the northern under the domination of the Ashikaga shoguns and the southern under more independent-minded emperors. OTL saw the centralization of authority under shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, but perhaps the southern court might ally with the invading Ming, and be brought into the Chinese tributary system as a vassal kingdom in exchange.

Meanwhile, Yunnan might hold out as a Yuan loyalist state for a bit longer, though it will probably be reconquered by China at some point (unless the invasions of Japan go really, really badly, of course).
 
This sounds interesting (Japan divided into Chinese provinces?), but unfortunately I don't know many details about ancient Chinese history so I can't say too much.
 
I think that Japan is more likely to be turned into a tributary kingdom like the Joseon than divided into Chinese provinces. This would likely mean that cultural flows from China and Korea to Japan would happen earlier. An earlier united Japan (under the Southern Court, enforced by the Ming) with earlier introduction of Confucian ideas might be very interesting. The rise of powerful samurai families could very well be butterflied completely, and Japan could develop into a centralised state like Joseon Korea and avoid a Sengoku period. If they follow the Joseon model, they would end up with a class of non-working, non-fighting gentlemen in charge of things.

The question is then, what happens when the Portugeuse arrive? A unified Japanese state may rebuff their attempts at trade earlier. That said, if there are loyalists for the Northern Court still around, they might try to trade for guns in an attempt to overthrow the Ming-supported vassal court at Kyoto.
 

Typo

Banned
What if the Ming manages to hold on to Japan despite pressures from the west, and when the mainland gets overran by rebels and/or the Manchus, the Ming escapes there?
 
What if the Ming manages to hold on to Japan despite pressures from the west, and when the mainland gets overran by rebels and/or the Manchus, the Ming escapes there?

Not likely, the Manchus took Beijing quickly and the Ming Emperor killed himself rather than flee. So obviously he could have escaped, but chose not to. To quote Falstaff 'What is honour? Can he bind a wound?'

Anyway, it's an interestign idea. I'd imagine, though, that the Ming wouldn't go through Korea, it would probably be easier to take the army down the Grand Canal and then from Shanghai to Japan and land around Kobe, near Kyoto which could then be incorporated into the tributary system.
 
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