# Portuguese traders reach Tanegashima (1543)

URL: https://history-japan.com/timeline/1543-portuguese-traders-reach-tanegashima
Location: Japan
Categories: main-event

Portuguese traders arrived at Tanegashima, where firearms were acquired and soon copied by Japanese craftsmen. Matchlock production and use spread among competing lords. The encounter opened a new phase of maritime trade linking Japan with wider Asian and European networks.

Ruler at the time: [Sengoku period](https://history-japan.com/rulers/sengoku-period)

## Sources
- [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanban_trade)