The Portuguese Discovery of Japan: Nanban Trade and Cultural Clash

The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History · Jun 20, 2026 · 6m · transcript

In the mid-16th century, Portuguese traders and missionaries landed at Tanegashima, introducing firearms to a war-torn Japan. This episode follows the Nanban trade—a lucrative exchange of silk, silver, and souls—and the cultural collision that reshaped both empires. We explore the role of daimyo like Omura Sumitada, who converted to Christianity to secure trade, and the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, whose efforts sparked a century of Kirishitan growth. We also trace the rise of Nagasaki as a Portuguese stronghold, the shifting policies of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the…