Database: The Portuguese

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach Japan, and the Japanese referred to them as Nanbanjin, meaning "southern barbarians." In 1543, a ship wrecked on the island of Tanegashima, south of Kyushu, and the Portuguese on board presented the local lord with an arquebus, marking the first introduction of firearms to Japan. Later, in 1549, Francis Xavier began preaching Christianity. Portuguese ships started arriving annually at the archipelago's ports: Hirado in 1550, Yokose-ura in 1561, and Nagasaki in 1570.

The Portuguese then developed intermediary trade between Japan and Ming China through their trading post in Macau. Their ships were more efficient than the local junks, being faster, capable of carrying larger cargoes, and more reliable. Japan primarily imported raw silk or silk fabrics from China, which were exchanged for silver (extracted from the Iwami mines). Portuguese ships generated substantial profits, ranging from 30% to 60%. They also sold firearms, which the warlords needed, as Japanese production did not yet meet all the demands.

However, the reunification of the country and the takeover of international trade by Tokugawa Ieyasu, along with the ban on Christianity starting in 1614, dealt a fatal blow to Japanese-Portuguese trade relations, which quickly declined. The Portuguese were restricted from entering the archipelago's ports. By 1636, they could only access Japan through the artificial island of Deshima in Nagasaki Bay, from which they were soon expelled in 1641 in favor of the Dutch.

Despite numerous attempts to restore ties with the shogunate, the Portuguese had to give up. Only the Dutch were henceforth allowed to trade with Japan.