Arrival of a Portuguese ship, one of a pair

In 1543, three Portuguese travelers aboard a Chinese ship drifted ashore on Tanegashima, a small island near Japan’s southern island, Kyushu. They were the first Europeans to visit Japan. In 1548, Francis Xavier, a Jesuit, arrived from Goa to introduce Christianity to the Japanese. Thereafter a stream of Portuguese traders and Jesuit missionaries came to Japan. The Japanese called them nanban (southern barbarians) because they sailed to Japan from the south.

The Japanese were fascinated by the Portuguese because of their enormous ships, physical characteristics, costumes, and the luxury items they brought from abroad. This pair of screens, one of approximately ninety surviving examples of this theme, portrays the arrival of a Portuguese ship at the port of Nagasaki. On the left are the captain and his crew, who have just landed; some cargo is still being unloaded. On the right, they are proceeding to a Christian church. At its entrance, Jesuit priests welcome the party. Some Japanese townsfolk are observing them curiously.

In addition to strange garments like capes and balloon-like trousers, the artist distinguishes the foreigners through facial features such as large rounded eyes and long noses. He also emphasizes the hierarchies among these foreigners by making the captain taller than his attendants, who include a dark-skinned servant from India holding a parasol above his head. Accoutrements like the parasol and precious goods, including imported animals, paint a picture of riches to be envied.