Asia

Malacca Town during the Portuguese Era

Malacca Town during the Portuguese Era

Outside of the fortified town center lie the three suburbs of Malacca. The suburb of Upe (Upih), generally known as Tranqueira (modern day Tengkera) from the rampart of the fortress. The other two suburb were Yler (Hilir) or Tanjonpacer (Tanjung Pasir) and the suburb of Sabba. Tranqueira Tranqueira was the most important suburb of Malacca. […]

Macao and the ‘Great Ship to Japon’

Macao and the ‘Great Ship to Japon’

The monopoly of eastern trade by the Portuguese was not absolute even in theory; apart from the fact that illicit dealings by officials and others soon crept in, Asian as well as Portuguese merchants were licensed to trade, except in spices and a few other commodities, in the areas under Lusian dominance. Except for de […]

The Nau do Trato, The Portuguese Black Ships

The Nau do Trato, The Portuguese Black Ships

The Black Ships (in Japanese, kurofune, Edo Period term) was the name given to Western vessels arriving in Japan in the 16th and 19th centuries.   In 1543 Portuguese initiated the first contacts, establishing a trade route linking Goa to Nagasaki. The large carracks engaged in this trade had the hull painted black with pitch, […]

Nagazaki City, Founded 1570 by Portuguese

Nagazaki City, Founded 1570 by Portuguese

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became a center of Portuguese and other European influence in the 16th through 19th centuries, and the Churches and Christian Sites in Nagasaki have been proposed for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Part of […]

Tanegashima Arquebus

Tanegashima Arquebus

Tanegashima, also hinawajū, was a type of matchlock or arquebus firearm introduced to Japan through the Portuguese in 1543. Tanegashima were used by the samurai class and their foot soldiers (ashigaru) and within a few years the introduction of the tanegashima in battle changed the way war was fought in Japan forever.   Origins The tanegashima seems to […]

Japan, Portuguese trade in Japanese slaves

Japan, Portuguese trade in Japanese slaves

After the Portuguese first made contact with Japan in 1543, a large scale slave trade developed in which Portuguese purchased Japanese as slaves in Japan and sold them to various locations overseas, including Portugal itself, throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Many documents mention the large slave trade along with protests against the enslavement of Japanese. […]

Japan, Portuguese trade in the 16th century

Japan, Portuguese trade in the 16th century

Soon after the first contacts in 1543, Portuguese ships started to arrive in Japan. At that time, there were already trade exchanges between Portugal and Goa (since around 1515), consisting of 3 to 4 carracks leaving Lisbon withsilver to purchase cotton and spices in India. Out of these, only one carrack went on to China […]

The Portuguese Cultural Imprint on Sri Lanka

The Portuguese Cultural Imprint on Sri Lanka

The Portuguese era marked the end of medieval Sri Lanka and the beginning of modern Sri Lanka. It changed the island’s orientation away from India and gave it a unique identity moulded by almost 450 years of Western influence due to the presence of three successive European powers : the Portuguese (1505-1658), the Dutch (1658-1796) […]