Nagasaki, on the northwest coast of Japan’s Kyushu Island, was an important Portuguese trading base from c. 1571 to 1639, and the most eastern outpost of the Portuguese empire. The Portuguese presence transformed Nagasaki from a small fishing village into one of the great trade centres of Japan and East Asia.
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Definition
Timeline
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1543Three Portuguese mariners accidentally land in Japan, the first Europeans to do so.
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1571 - 1639The Portuguese control the port of Nagasaki in Japan.
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c. 1571The Japanese daimyo Omura Sumitada grants the Portuguese control of Nagasaki.
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Dec 1637 - Apr 1638The Shimabara Rebellion in Japan, which the shogunate blames on Christians, leading to an expulsion of all Europeans.
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1640A Portuguese embassy to negotiate a reopening of trade with Japan is unsuccessful and its members are executed.
