ABSTRACT
Nagasaki is situated on the extreme west coast of Kyūshū, on one of the steeply sloped inlets of Nagasaki Bay. Until the late twelfth century A.D., the area was a fishing village, Fukae-no-ura, ruled over by a daimyō (feudal lord) Nagasaki Kotaro, who gave his name to the city. The city has been an important trading port since 1571, when the local daimyō Ōmura Sumitada opened it up to European vessels involved in the East Indian trade. Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese trading posts were set up, and Nagasaki harbor became Japan's first gateway to the Western world, a role that was to prove significant during the following centuries.
