The Galleon in Japan

When Governor Don Francisco Tello took office in 1596, 2 ships were despatched:

1. The San Geronymo

This was the ship that Don Fernando de Castro and his wife Doña Ysabel Barreto used to return to Nueva España. It was now set for the port of Cabite.

This sailed last, it made the voyage, reaching Nueva Españia at the end of 1596.

2. The galleon San Felipe

This was laden with Filipinas goods bound for Nueva España.

This was a large ship and heavily laden with merchandise and passengers. Its commander and general was Don Mathia de Landecho.

They encountered many storms on the voyage. At one time, it became necessary to throw considerable cargo overboard.

They lost their rudder while in 37 degrees latitude, 600 leguas from the Filipinas, and 150 from Xapon.

They could not continue their voyage, so they decided to return to the Filipinas.

They changed their course but experienced even more difficulties.

• The vessel had no rudder
• The rigging and few sails were carried away and blown into shreds.

They could not hold the vessel to its course. It went so often to windward that they lost all hope of reaching the Filipinas.

Japon was the nearest place. But they did not know how the Japanese would receive them.

The people, especially some religious in the ship, chose to go to Japan.

After 6 days, they saw the coast of Xapon, at a province called Toça. [83]

Many funeas [84] came to the ship from a port called Hurando.

Their king persuaded the Spaniards of harbor, tackle, and repairs. So they entered the port, after having sounded and examined the entrance, and whether the water was deep enough.

The Japanese were faithless and did this with evil intent. They towed the ship into the port and grounded it for the lack of water.

The Spaniards were obliged to unload the ship and take all the cargo ashore close to the town, to a stockade given them for that purpose.

The Japanese gave the Spaniards a good reception. But the repair of the ship and departure needed permission from Taicosama, the sovereign of Japon.

Taicosama had his court in Miaco, 100 leguas from that port.

General Don Matia de Landecho sent their ambassadors to court with a valuable gift from the ship’s cargo for Taicosama, to beg him to order their departure:

• Christoval de Mercado
• 3 other Spaniards
• Fray Juan Pobre, of the Franciscan order
• Fray Juan Tamayo, of the Augustinian order

They were to confer concerning this affair with Taico in Miaco, and were to avail themselves of the Franciscan fathers who were in Miaco.

The latter had gone as ambassadors from the Filipinas to settle matters between Xapon and Manila.

They were residing at court in a permanent house and hospital, with Taico’s sufferance.

There they were making a few converts, although with considerable opposition from the Society of Jesus established in Japan.

The latter asserted other religious to be forbidden by apostolic briefs and royal decrees to undertake or engage in the conversion of Japon.

The king of Hurando seemed friendly and kind to the Spaniards in his port. He took great care to keep them and their merchandise secure.

He immediately sent word to court that that ship of foreigners called Nambajies [85] had been wrecked there, and that the Spaniards had brought great riches.

This kindled Taicosama’s greed, who, in order to get possession of them, sent Ximonojo, one of his favorites and a member of his council, to Hurando.

Ximonojo took possession of all the merchandise, and imprisoned the Spaniards within a well-guarded palisade.

Having exercised great rigor therein, he returned to court, after granting permission to the general and others of his suite to go to Miaco.

The ambassadors who had been sent before to Miaco with the present, were unable to see Taico, although the present was accepted; nor did they succeed in making any profitable arrangement, although father Fray Pedro Baptista, superior of the Franciscan religious residing there, employed many methods for the purpose of remedying the grievance of the Spaniards.

These attempts only served to intensify the evil. The favorites were infidels and hated the religious for making converts at court.

They saw Taico so bent on the ship’s riches and so unwilling to listen to any restitution. So they set Taicosama against the Spaniards, telling him that the religious and the men from the ship were all subjects of one sovereign, and conquerors of others’ kingdoms.

Our pilot, Francisco de Sanda, had shown Ximonojo the sea-chart of all the countries discovered, and España and the other kingdoms possessed by his Majesty, among which were Piru and Nueva España.

Ximonojo asked the pilot how those distant kingdoms were gained. The pilot replied that the religious had entered first and preached their religion. Then the soldiers had followed and subdued them.

So Ximonojo told Taicosama that:

• the Spaniards conquered by:
  • first sending their religious to the kingdoms
  • then entering after with their arms
• they would do this with Xapon