The Namban Trade

Winner of the prize "Fundação Oriente – Embaixador João de Deus Ramos" of the Academia de Marinha 2021 This book attempts to depict certain aspects of the Portuguese trade in East Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries by analyzing the activities of the merchants and Christian missionaries involved. It also discusses the response of the Japanese regime in handling the systemic changes that took place in the Asian seas. Consequently, it explains how Jesuit missionaries forged close ties with local merchants from the start of their activities in East Asian waters, and there is no doubt that the propagation of Christianity in Japan was a result of their cooperation. The author of this book attempted to combine the essence of previous studies by Japanese and western scholars and added several new findings from analyses of original Japanese and European language documents.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. Rethinking the ways global history is envisioned and conceptualized in diverse countries such as China, Japan, Mexico or Spain, this collections considers how global issues are connected with our local and national communities. It examines how the discipline had evolved in various historiographies, from Anglo Saxon to southern European, and its emergence in Asia with the rapid development of the Chinese economy motivation to legitimate the current uniqueness of the history and economy of the nation. It contributes to the revitalization of the field of global history in Chinese historiography, which have been dominated by national narratives and promotes a debate to open new venues in which important features such as scholarly mobility, diversity and internationalization are firmly rooted, putting aside national specificities. Dealing with new approaches on the use of empirical data by framing the proper questions and hypotheses and connecting western and eastern sources, this text opens a new forum of discussion on how global history has penetrated in western and eastern historiographies, moving the pivotal axis of analysis from national perspectives to open new venues of global history.

Seminar paper from the year 2018 in the subject World History - Modern History, grade: 2, University of Salzburg, language: English, abstract: This paper is going to find its main focus in the trade with one of these peoples form the other side of the world, the Spanish and Portuguese mostly, and their major involvement in the trade with Japanese Silver and other commodities, both across the Pacific and within the region. Of course, that does not mean, that other facets are going to be excluded, quite on the contrary, they play important roles in the beginning and the end of this trading network, but the main focus is going to be with the Spanish. One has to note, though, that although the main focus will be the Spanish ventures in this region of the world, that this will entail more then what we would today call Spain, but also Portugal and the colonial possessions of either of the two. Also, we will mostly operate in the time between 1543, the landing of the first Portuguese in Japan, and 1636, the closure of Japan to Foreigners for over two centuries (with a few exceptions, but we'll come to that). That will of course not mean, that we will exclude anything before and after, for important foundations were laid before, which would be used by many of the merchants, travellers and pirates of that time.

In World Trade Systems of the East and West, Geoffrey C. Gunn profiles Nagasaki's historic role in mediating the Japanese bullion trade, especially silver exchanged against Chinese and Vietnamese silk. Founded in 1571 as the terminal port of the Portuguese Macau ships, Nagasaki served as Japan's window to the world over long time and with the East-West trade carried on by the Dutch and, with even more vigor, by the Chinese junk trade. While the final expulsion of the Portuguese in 1646 characteristically defines the “closed” period of early modern Japanese history, the real trade seclusion policy, this work argues, only came into place one century later when the Shogunate firmly grasped the true impact of the bullion trade upon the national economy.

At a time when other sources on Southeast Asia were relatively scarce, a remarkable set of reports were compiled in Nagasaki from the evidence of Chinese junk captains arriving from Southern ports. Hundreds of these reports have been preserved in Japan covering the period 1674–1723. Though published in Japanese, they have never been available in any other language to Southeast Asianists, and thus have usually been ignored in histories of the region. They reveal a great deal about not only the East Asia trade of Siam, Cambodia, the Malayan Peninsula and Java, but also the internal conflicts and political systems of the area. The book serves to provide researchers with data that was previously inaccessible.

Japan is considered the third-largest economy in the world and a highly developed free-market economy. From the European contact in the 16th century to the Abenomics age, Japan has experienced fluctuations from rapid economic growth to the economic bubble crisis in the 20th century. Under Shinzo Abe administration, the government is keen to bring out a forward and positive outlook for the Japanese people and economy. Japan can achieve this only by reforming the country’s economic system, accomplishing substantial domestic-led growth and opening up Japan’s markets further. While the Heisei era was a turbulent period for the country’s economy, the Reiwa era that began in 2019 promises a new economic dawn to overcome decades of economic stagnation.

This book consists of two titles: 1 - Age of Discovery: The epoch often referred to as The Age of Discovery, alternatively known as The Age of Exploration, characterizes a pivotal era spanning the transition from the 15th century to the 18th century in European history. It was a time brimming with maritime expeditions led by intrepid European sailors, venturing into uncharted territories across the globe. Foremost among these adventurers were the Portuguese and Spanish, whose expansive voyages overseas left an indelible mark on European culture. Notably, their encounters with and subsequent colonization of the Americas signified a profound shift in global dynamics. This era also witnessed the ascendancy of colonialism as a prevailing governmental doctrine in various European realms, earning it the moniker of the inaugural wave of European colonization. The dawn of European exploration can be traced back to Portugal's ventures beyond the confines of the Mediterranean, with their pioneering expeditions to the Canary Islands in 1336 marking a significant turning point. 2 - The New World: Castile, the Iberian rival of Portugal, commenced its dominance over the Canary Islands in 1402, situated off the west African coast. However, its attention was divided by internal Iberian politics and the defense against Islamic invasions and raids throughout the 15th century. With the consolidation of the Castilian and Aragonese crowns towards the end of the century, a nascent modern Spain became singularly focused on exploring new trade routes beyond its borders. The Crown of Aragon wielded significant maritime influence in the Mediterranean, boasting territories in eastern Spain, southwestern France, key islands like Sicily and Malta, and control over the Kingdoms of Naples and Sardinia, extending its reach as far as Greece. In 1492, the joint monarchs achieved the conquest of Granada, a Moorish kingdom that had long provided Castile with African goods in exchange for tribute. Subsequently, they decided to sponsor Christopher Columbus' voyage, aiming to bypass Portugal's monopoly on west African sea routes and reach the fabled "Indies" (comprising east and south Asia) by sailing westward. Columbus had previously proposed the idea to King John II of Portugal twice, in 1485 and 1488, both times facing rejection.

*Winner of two Gourmand World Cookbook Awards* “What a deep dive this is into the world of spice. . . . And then the recipes! Recipes which allow the reader to travel from Asia to the Middle East along the spice route, taking in so much flavor and so much context on the way.” —Yotam Ottolenghi Through 80 spice-infused recipes, spectacular images, and a mouthwatering culinary journey along the ancient spice trail, award-winning author Eleanor Ford’s luscious new volume reveals how centuries of spice trading and cultural diffusion changed the world’s cuisine and how to best stock and enjoy spices in your own home. From humankind’s earliest travels, people have followed and sought out the spice routes. These maritime trading trails acted as the central nervous system of the world, enabling the flow of goods and ideas. In this richly illustrated volume, Eleanor Ford uses recipes as maps as she takes readers on a culinary journey that weaves through history and around the world. She explores both the flavor profiles and the spread of spices—from cardamom to cinnamon, ginger to sumac—and provides fascinating insights such as how nutmeg unites the spice blends Indian garam masala, Lebanese seven spice, French quatre epices, Moroccan ras el hanout, and Middle Eastern baharat, lending its bittersweet, fragrant warmth to them all. This unparalleled volume provides 80 flavorful recipes for entrees, appetizers, sides dishes, and more, enabling you to make a divine garlic clove vegetable curry, jasmine tea-smoked chicken, Indonesian seafood gulai, as well as staple spice pastes and mixtures to have on-hand. The result will enable you to stock up and to have a home kitchen rich in international flavor and fragrance.