The History of~The Sengoku Jidai (Page 3: The Foreigners arrive)

The history of Japan is soaked in the blood of some of the most toughest and most daring warriors during it's over 100,000 year history, and that history is known as the "Sengoku Jidai" (period of Warring States).

This is Part 3 of this 6-part wiki page series about the Sengoku Jidai. In this page, we talk about the first Europeans that arrived in Japan as well as what they brought with them, and what effect it had on Japan.

## The Foreigners arrive

Prior to 1543, Europeans had almost no knowledge of Japan, except from what they might have heard or have read, especially from the famous published diary of famous explorer Marco Polo called "Marvels of the World". To Europe, Japan was known as "Cipangu" (according to Polo's journal) and many mysteries surrounded this land. Some say it was a land of riches as another famous explorer Christopher Columbus hoped to find on his many adventures across the Atlantic.

Several Merchants and some Christian Jesuit missionaries from Portugal arrived in Japan by accident (literally) as they were shipwrecked on an island 20 miles south of Kyushu called Tanegashima.

The Portuguese greeted themselves to the local daimyo, and even said that they come in peace. They also had the intention to sell what they brought with them. Between the 2 sets of these group of people, there was equal mysteries and admiration as their likes were nothing like they have seen before, from both sides.

What the Portuguese brought with them would also have a huge effect on Japan which was already in a state of civil war.

## The "Goodies"

### Weapons

One of the things the Portuguese brought with them was weapons the likes the Japanese never seen before; firearms. One of which was the Arquebus (which is a Matchlock rifle) as well as canons and other weapons.

The Portuguese even tested the power of the Arquebus by taking the local Daimyo on a small duck hunting trip. The Portuguese used their Arquebuses with a high level of success, so the island's local swordsmith went to work to make copies of the gun, and soon as the gun made it to other places in Japan some different variants of the gun were also made, called the "Tanegashima" after the island they were made from.

As time went on however, more and more Tanegashimas were put in the hands of the Samurai, and Japanese warfare at the time changed dramatically, making it more violent, and more deadly.

### Time Measurement Devices

The Portuguese also brought with them devices and funny gadgets that can measure time. This page is talking about, clocks, and calendars. Though only some Japanese people used it. There are some Portuguese people to stayed in Japan (namely the Jesuit Missionaries) and they used clocks and calendars during their stay.

### Christianity

This is probably the most important thing that the Portuguese brought to Japan that is the most important to the History of the Sengoku Jidai. Along with the Portuguese merchants and traders, there were Jesuit Missionaries that were of the Christian faith. By the time the Portuguese arrived in Japan in 1543, Christianity was the dominant religion in Europe, and missionaries from Portugal and other nations in Europe were successful in converting other places that either Portugal, Spain, Great Britain, France, and other European nations have conquered and colonized. Places in Central and South America, Africa, and some nations in Asia.

What about Japan? Well, Christianity had a mixed success. The Portuguese missionaries were successful in converting Japanese people (including some daimyo) to this religion that was unheard of before the arrival of the Portuguese. Some Japanese liked this new religion and converted, others on the other hand were cautious of this new religion. The impact that Christianity had would escalate the turmoil caused by the Sengoku Jidai.

That is because some daimyo (such as Nobunaga Oda) liked the stuff that the Portuguese brought with them, especially the new weapons which he will eventually use on a scale never before seen in Japan. Others (like Hideyoshi Toyotomi) was not a fan of the western stuff, and urged his followers to stick to and improve on the traditional Japanese warfare and encouraged a greater reliance on Buddhism and the Japanese melee weapons (such as the Katana).

Despite this however, the Portuguese were successful in establishing a trade agreement with Japan, and in 1571, the trading town of Nagasaki was founded to cement that trade agreement.

In the next page (click here to continue) we talk about the great unifiers, first with Nobunaga Oda as he'll kick off the long journey to end this terrible civil war and unify the nation. Until Next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.