← Explore on the interactive map

Hasekura Tsunenaga

Type Figure Region Japan Time 1571–1622 Also known as Hasekura Rokurōemon、Tsunenaga

Hasekura Tsunenaga (1571–1622) was a retainer of the Sendai domain in early Edo-period Japan.…

Timeline

  1. 1590–1613Sendai · Miyagi PrefectureHasekura Tsunenaga was a retainer of Date Masamune of the Sendai domain. In the early 1610s he held diplomatic-related posts within the domain, and in 1613 was selected as chief envoy of the embassy to Europe.
  2. 1613–1620Europe · EuropeBetween 1613 and 1620 he crossed the Pacific to Mexico aboard the San Juan Bautista, then traveled to Spain and Rome to meet the king and the pope. He was baptized in 1614 and returned home between 1616 and 1620, completing Japan's first official diplomatic mission to Europe.
  3. 1620–1622Sendai · Miyagi PrefectureAfter returning to Japan in 1620 he reported the diplomatic results to the shogunate. He died in Sendai in 1622, and his account of the European journey became an important historical source for early Japan–Europe exchange.

Sources