Tanegashima: The Arrival of Europe in Japan

The year 1543 marked the beginning of a new global consciousness in Japan with the arrival of storm-blown Portuguese merchants on Tanegashima Island in southern Japan. As other Portuguese rapidly followed, Japan soon became aware of a world beyond India. While this is not a new story, it is the first time that Japanese, Portuguese, and other European accounts have been brought together and presented in English. The arrival of the Portuguese was recorded in the Tanegashima Kafu, the Teppoki, and the Kunitomo teppoki, which are translated and presented together with European reports.

• Olaf G. Lidin, Author