Sebastián Vizcaíno

Sebastián Vizcaíno (1548 - 1615) was a Spanish captain and was ambassador in Japan.

Biography

Of 1580 with 1583 it directs a unit of cavalry in the reconquest of the Portugal by the Spaniards before leaving for the News-Spain in 1586, then for Manila, with the Filipino , before turning over to found a family with Mexico City in 1589. It directs in 1596 a forwarding since Acapulco towards the Gulf of California, during which it names the port of La Paz (currently in Low-California of the South)

In 1601, the viceroy from Spain to Mexico City, gives him the order to chart the coast of California and to find there a port sure where the Spanish galleons could make stopover while returning from Philippines. Forwarding leaves on May 5th, 1602, and it reaches on November 10th of the same year bay of San Diego, that it named thus. He was not the first European to reach this place: the first European discoverer of the area was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1542, a Portuguese navigator working on behalf of Spain, and Sir Francis Drake made halt around what today is San Francisco.

In 1611, it goes to the Japan since the News-Spain as an ambassador, accompanying back the Japanese who had accompanied Luis Sotelo in Mexico.

According to the book Samurai William of Gilles Milton, his mission is mainly to obtain the expulsion of the Protestant Dutchmen present at Japan like that of William Adams, but also to establish the cartography of the coasts of Japan. when it presents this last request, the Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa gives its approval, but is quickly insult by the arrogance of Vizcaíno which refuses to kneel in front of him, pretexting that the king of Spain is the largest sovereign of the world. When he asks the free access to Japan for the catholic missionaries , the shogun lets burst its anger and returns it.

During its stay in Japan, Sebastián Vizcaíno also meets Masamune Date.

It leaves then the country to accompany a mission with research fabulous " islands of gold and argent" , that one then supposes to exist in the east of Japan. Its ship, the San Francisco , is taken in the bad weather and forced to return in Uraga.

The following year, Vizcaíno leaves for Mexico on a boat built for him by the Bakufu, but is again forced to return in Uraga by the bad weather.

Because of these two failures, it is then decided that Masamune Date, Daimyō of Sendai would build a more resistant ship to him. This ship is the San Juan Bautista , a Galion of 500 barrels, which is consequently used occasion to send a Japanese embassy to Mexico, then in Europe, directed by Tsunenaga Hasekura. Sebastián Vizcaíno with contributed to the construction of the vessel and the success of the mission by its knowledge of the naval construction and its talents of navigator.

Sebastián Vizcaíno writes later a report/ratio entitled Récit of the research of the money and gold islands, in which he tells his adventures in Japan.

See too

Farallon Islands

External bonds

http://www.inn-california.com/Articles/biographic/vizcainobio.html

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