Page 184 - A History of Siam

A HISTORT OF SIAM
176
Palace. He was the first monarch since the foundation
of Ayut'ia, with the single exception of K'unWorawongsa,
who must frankly be called a usurper, for he had no kind
of hereditary claim to the throne. 1
The at the of his
usurper's position, beginning reign>
was none too secure. He was at war with Portugal, and
one of his first acts was to clap every Portuguese in the
Kingdom into gaol, where they remained for three years.
Nak'on Srit'ammarat was in a disturbed condition.
Yamada had been poisoned shortly after becoming Gover-

nor, and his son, Oin Yamada, was engaged in hostilities
with the of the ex-Governor. After vicis-
party many
he and most of his retired to Cambodia.
situdes, Japanese
Thence returned to
they shortly Ayut'ia, accompanied
a number of who had been
by large Japanese expelled
from the capital in 1629. The usurper did not at all
of the of all these
approve presence Japanese, rightly
that those who had to him on the
thinking helped put
throne might as easily put him down again. 8 He
therefore made up his mind to be rid of the turbulent
Japanese once for all. The Japanese quarter of Ayut'ia
was suddenly attacked by night, during the flood season
of 1632. Many of the Japanese were ruthlessly butchered,
but a number of them boat.
large escaped by They
were pursued by the Siamese, and a sharp fight was kept
up from Ayut'ia down to the sea, with heavy losses on
both sides. The of the made
majority Japanese good
their escape to Cambodia.
The resentment the was
usurper's against Japanese
further inflamed the fact that the of
perhaps by Shogun
Japan had refused to recognise him, and had declined

1
Unless we accept the story that he was a natural son of King Ekat'otsarot.
"
1
Van VUet says that the Japanese were not afraid to declare that they would
seize the King on his throne.