Tanaka Shōsuke

Who is Tanaka Shōsuke?

Tanaka Shōsuke was an important Japanese technician and trader in metals from Kyoto during the beginning of the 17th century.

According to Japanese archives he was a representative of the great Osaka merchant Gotō Shōsaburō. He is the first recorded Japanese to have travelled to the Americas in 1610. Returning to Japan in 1611, he again went to North America in 1613, with the embassy of Hasekura Tsunenaga. In total, he accomplished two roundtrips between Japan and North America and helped establish trade and diplomatic relations between Japan and the Spanish Empire.