San Juan Bautista (ship)
The San Juan Bautista ( " Saint John the Baptist" ) ( originally Date Maru ,伊达 丸) was one of the first to be built in Japan to western style sailing warships. 1614 crossed the Pacific. It belonged to the type of the Spanish galleon in Japan as Nanbansen (南蛮 船, literally " ships of the southern barbarians " ) was known.
It transported a Japanese embassy of 180 men under the direction of Hasekura Tsunenaga and accompanied by the Spanish friar Luis Sotelo to Mexico. The ship then returned to Japan.
The three-master had a displacement of 500 tons, an overall length of 55.35 m, a width of 11.25 m and 3.8 m depth. She was armed with 16 cannons.
Construction
The San Juan Bautista was in 1613 on the orders of Date Masamune, the daimyo of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan today, more precisely in the port Tsuki -no- Ura ( Ishinomaki ) built. The shipbuilding project had the support of the Bakufu, the military government of the shogun in Edo.
The shogun already possessed two smaller ships with 80 and 120 tons, the English navigator William Adams had built, of which, however, the larger one that was left San Buena Ventura, shipwrecked Spanish sailors for their return to Mexico. The Shogun also issued numerous permits for so-called Rotsiegelschiffe who were active in trade with Asia and seized many design features of Western ships.
The San Juan Bautista to have been completed by technical experts from the Bakufu, 800 shipwrights, 700 smiths and carpenters in 3000 only 45 days. Also, two Spaniards to have been involved in the project: the monk Luis Sotelo and the Captain Sebastian Vizcaino.
These activities have been seen by the Spanish government in Manila with displeasure and Los Rios Coronel suggested that Luis Sotelo should not travel again to Japan. ( C. R. Boxer ).
Two Pacific Tours
After its completion, the ship left on 28 October 1613 to Acapulco in Mexico. On board were about 180 people, including 10 of the Samurai Shogun ( under the leadership of Minister of the Navy Mukai Shōgen ), 12 samurai from Sendai, 120 Japanese merchants, sailors and servants, and about 40 Spanish and Portuguese. The ship reached after a journey of three months on January 25, 1614 Acapulco.
After a year's stay in Acapulco the ship returns in April 1615 back to Japan, while Hasekura traveled on to Europe. There are indications that were invited on this occasion about 50 mining and Silberhütte specialists to Japan to help in the development of mining in Sendai.
In September 1616, the San Juan Batista drove again at the request of Luis Sotelo to Acapulco. The journey under Yokozawa Shogen was not very successful and 100 sailors died. Sotelo and Hasekura met in Mexico for the return journey. In April 1618 the ship reached the Philippines, where she was sold to the Spanish Government for the defense against the Dutch. Hasekura returned in 1620 on another ship back to Japan.
Replica of San Juan Bautista
A replica of the original scale was built in 1993 on the basis of the obtained records of the house date. Although there were no exact plans more accurate records exist on the dimensions of the vessel, which allowed its reconstruction. The ship is displayed in a theme park in Ishinomaki in northern Japan, near the place of construction of the original.