This episode takes a look at the first Europeans to reach the island of Japan in 1543. The two men – António Mota and Francisco Zeimoto – were Portuguese merchants.
Their visit would transform Japanese society with the introduction of the arquebus – an early musket.
Episodes
The Opening of Japan
Two Portuguese merchants – António Mota and Francisco Zeimoto – become the first Europeans to reached the fabled island of Japan.
Download this episode or listen online.
Maps
Resources
There is not a lot about our Portuguese merchants, but here are a few sources for this podcast.
- Giving up the Gun: Japan’s Reversion to the Sword, 1543-1879 – by Noel Perrin. Discusses the arrival of the Portuguese in 1543, and the implications of that event. Read for free online.
- Tanegashima: The Arrival of Europe in Japan – by Olaf G. Liddin. Scholarly publication focusing on the arrival of Europeans in Japan – and the introduction of firearms. Very details and very well done.
Wikipedia links
- António Mota
- Tanegashima (Japanese matchlock firearm)
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