In 1557 the Portuguese were allowed by the Chinese authorities to establish a commercial settlement in Macao. The Portuguese trade with Japan was carried on from that port and the ships, leaving it in the end of Julie or early in July, reached Nagasaki usually in about 20 days. In leaving Japan they had to sail by the north east monsoon, which continued to blow from October to March, so that although these ships used to sail in October, dieLhad to stay in port for two or three months. This was the busiest season there. The chief articles of import were raw silk, cotton goods, silk and woolen stuffs from Europe, India and China, leather and glass wares of Europe, and spices of the Southern Islands. In return, the merchants carried gold, silver and iron, rice, flour, ham and died fish; lacquer wares, screens and arms were also exported. The trade was very lucrative and Macao owed its prosperity almost entirely to Japanese commerce.
In the meantime, misaianaries were making steady progress. Many princes of Kyushu em braced Christianity and under the 'patronage of Noknnaga, Chritifia_a got strong foothold in central japan. In L.W the Christian Princes of Bungs, Arum and Omura at the suggeetion of Father Valignani sent an embassy to Spain and Rome. Before this the Prince of Bungo sent an envoy to the viceroy of India in the vessel by which Xavier returned to Goa, and after ward courtesies were exchanged between them The Prince of Hired° also entered into corn nianication with the Viceroy. But this was the first embassy to Europe. 'The embassy con sisted of two young men of about 16 years of age, relatives of the Princes, and two Samurais, a little older, with some Japanese and foreign Jesuits. They left Nagasaki in February 1582, acrd stopping on the way at Macao and Goa, ar rived at Lisbon in August 1584. Thence the embassy went to Madrid and were received in audience by Philip II 'November 1584. They then crossed the Mediterranean from Alicante to Leghorn and went to Rome via Pisa and Flor ence. On 23 March 1585, they made a public entry into the city and were received in a pub lic consistory by Gregory XIII. The Pope died shortly after, so that the embassy had to wait for the dispatches till Sixtus V was elected Pope. They left Rome in the beginning of June, and after visiting Bologna, Ferrara, Mantova, Milan and Genoa, where they were very cordially received by the princes and the doges, crossed the sea to Barcelona and thence went through Spain and Portugal to Lisa bon. `They set sail from the latter port in April 1586, and arrived at Nagasaki in July 1590.* In Europe the embassy was a great success; the work of the Jesuits in Japan was highly appreciated and among other things they got the exclusive right of evangelizing the country. But on arriving in Japan they were greatly dis appointed. The Prince of Bungo was already dead, and his successor was neither so powerful nor so zealous for the interest of Christianity, The Prince of Omura was also dead. Father Valignani, who accompanied the embassy front Goa as the viceroy's ambassador, was granted an audience by Hideyoshi, but with the express condition that there would be no talk on re ligion and in his answer to the viceroy Hide yoshi stated his reasons for expelling the Jesuits and prohibiting Christianity. The edict, how ever, was not strictly enforced. In 1592 there were altogether 125 Jesuits —40 fathers and 85 brothers — and 166 native catechists in 20 houses and residences, one college and one seminary. The number of the Christians steadily increased by the combined efforts p these workers.
By this time there were many missionaries well versed in the Japanese language. Many of these devoted themselves to the translation of religious works. As Valignani brought a cuantity of European type with him many of these, like (Doutrina Crtsta) (Amakusa 1592), (Contemptus Mundi) (Amakusa 1596), etc., were printed in Romanized Japanese. They also printed Latino-Lusitanicum ac Japonicuml (Amakusa 1595), da Lingoa de Japao' (Nagasaki 1603), and 'An te da Lingoa de Japao,) by Father Joao Rod riguez (Nagasaki 1604). All these rendered great service to foreign preachers. Many religious works were also published in Japanese which must be given further facilities to the mission work.
In the 16th century the Philippine Islands were frequented by Japanese pirates, of whom mention has already been made. In 1574, only four years after Legaspi took the city, a Japanese corsair attacked Manila at the head of 600 men and was about to take it, when relief arrived and obliged him to re: tire. Being re-enforced by the pirate Litnahon, to whose famous band he belonged, the corsair returned to the attack some days later, but was again repulsed, and finally left the islands. In
1581 another band of Japanese pirates was driven out of Cagayan after a bloody fight with the Spaniards.. But it was in 1584 that we first find mention of the coming of the Spaniards to Japan. In August of that year a ship from Manila bound for Macao entered the port of Hirado by the captain's almost in credible ignorance of the seas. The Prince of Hirado seized the opportunity to send a letter to the ,governor, asking him to send a ship with missionaries every year. The vessel left for Macao in October, and the desire of the Prince was also made known to the Spanish government, but we hear no more of the affair. In the spring of 1592, Hideyoshi sent an envoy to the-governor of the Islands de manding of •him that he recognize the soY breignty of Japan, and threatening him with an invasion in case he hesitated to do so at once. The embassy with Harada-Magosichiro at its head arrived at Manila 29 May. Magosichiro was well known in the city which he had previ ously visited as a merchant. At that time the number of the Spanish.soldiers in Manila was small and wholly inadequate to defend the place. As it was rumored that the warlike preparations for the invasion of Korea then in progress in Japan were realty intended for the islands, the hilippine government thought it better to dis simulate and gain time. Pretending that the low birth of the envoy made the embassy sus picious, and that they could not understand the letter as there was no one to interpret it,* the governor, Gomez Perez das Marinas, sent Fray Juan Cobos with a letter and some presents to Hideyoshi. At the same time be wrote urgent letters to Mexico and Spain informing the king and the viceroy of the situation, and ask ing for an immediate re-enforcement. Father Cobos arrived in safety at Nagasaki, and saw Hideyoshi at his headquarters at Nagoya in the province of Hizen. He left with a letter of Hideyoshi confirming the first, but his ship was wrecked off Formosa, and only the ship of the second Japanese envoy, Harada-Kiyemon, reached Manila in the end of May 1593. Mak ing the loss of Hideyoshi's letter another pre text the governor sent a second embassy. Fray Pedro Baptista saw Hideyoshi at Nagoya and sent his answer to Manila by one of his suite, he himself remaining as hostage with other Franciscans of the embassy. A council of chief officials at Manila which met on re ceiving this letter, 24 April 1594, was of the opinion that a downright refusal to submit would only serve to irritate Hide yoshi and precipitate his invasion, and decided to send a letter expressing their willingness to continue friendly relations with Japan and promising to answer more particularly on re ceiving instructions from Madrid. By this time Hideyoshi must have become aware of the du plicity of the Philippine government, but he was then. so deeply engaged in the Korean war that: the Idea of invading -the islands, if be ever really entertained it, had to be given up for the moment. In 1596 a richly laden Spanish galleon called San Felipe encountered a violent storm on her way from Cavite to Acapulco and took refuge in a port of Tosa. Hideyoshi declared the ship forfeited with all its goods. It is said that the captain, wishing to impress the Japanese with the greatness of Spain, pointed out on a map of ,the world all the Spanish possessions, and when asked how all those territories were obtained, explained that it was by sending missionaries first, and then soldiers to co-operate with the converts in subduing them. This alarmed the authorities, confirming them in the suspicions they already entertained. Hideyoshi immediately ordered Father Baptista with five Franciscans and 29 Japanese Christians to be put to death on the charge of having preachedChristianity con trary to his edict. The new governor, Don Francisco Tello, demanded restitution of the forfeited goods and satisfaction for the execu tion of the ambassador and his suite 1597. Hideyoshi answered by simply stating that a ship wrecked on the Japanese coast belonged by right to him, and that the priests were exe cuted because they disregarded the laws of the country and were laying plans to get possession of Japan. Don Francisco did not make any further protest. The commerce with Japan to which the Spanish settlement owed its supply of provisions, iron, nails and other material for shipbuilding, was so important that the Philip pine government was ready to overlook any slight rather than lose it.