Japan voyage

[1] This lucrative annual trip was carried out under monopoly of the Portuguese crown, and was in charge of a Captain general.

The charge of Captain general of the Japan trip was officially attributed by the governor of Portuguese India as a reward for services rendered.

Upon arriving in Japan in 1543, Portuguese merchants and adventurers engaged in a profitable trade on the island of Kyushu, on their own ships and Chinese reeds, without a stable port.

The right to carry on the "Japan voyage" was donated by the local Crown entities such as the city of Macau, Kochi, Malacca.

After several attempts to create an intermediate stop in China, in 1554 Leonel de Sousa, the chief captain of Japan's voyage, reached an agreement with Canton authorities to legalize the Portuguese trade, on condition of paying specially stipulated customs duties.

Japan Voyage, Portuguese trade route linking Goa to Nagasaki (blue) and Spanish routes (white)
A Portuguese Black Ship in Nagasaki . Japanese Nanban art screen, XVII century