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This is a fascinating story of the arrival of the West in Japan. Written in a highly accessible manner, it begins in 1543 with the arrival of a storm-damaged Chinese junk off the coast of Tanegashima Island in southern Japan. On board were Portuguese merchants who brought with them the musket. This was quickly copied and soon spread throughout Japan, changing Japanese warfare and influencing the country's unification process. After merchants had opened the way, the first missionary, Francis Xavier, arrived in 1549 and the Christian century began. While the story is not new, 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 Tepptôki and the Kunitomo teppôki which are translated and presented together with European reports, especially the Peregrinaçam of Fernão Mendes Pinto. Contents include 1: The Arrival of the Portuguese. 2: The Record of the Musket. 3: Translation of the Tanegashima kafu. 4: The Tanegashima Family and Tanegashima kafu. 5: The Teppôki, Tanegashima kafu, and Historical Setting. 6: Fernão Mendes Pinto and His Four Visits to Japan. 7: Translation of the Kunitomo teppôki. 8: A Discussion of the Kunitomo teppôki. 9: Teppô production at Sakai. 10: Teppiô Production at Negoro. 11: The Teppô on Kyushu. 12: Francis Xavier in Japan. Appendices. Glossary. Bibliography. Index |
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