Before the imposition of Sakoku, did any Japanese people travel to Africa, the Middle East or Europe?
score:11
Yes.
The most famous example is an embassy to Rome sent by several Christian daimyo from Western Japan. Consisting of four teenage envoys and a number of attachΓ©s, the group departed from Nagasaki on 20 February 1582 and reached Lisbon on 10 August 1584. In addition to meeting Pope Gregory XIII, the Japanese toured Spain and visited several Northern Italian city states including Tuscany, Florence, Milan, Venice and Verona.
(Path taken by the TenshΕ Embassy during their time in Europe)
During their return trip however, Toyotomi Hideyoshi - now master of Japan - issued the Bateren Expulsion Edict which effectively banned Christianity. This stranded the embassy in Goa for several years until they were allowed into Nagasaki on 29 July 1590. Upon their return, the embassy introduced Gutenberg's press to Japan, and later performed Western music to Hideyoshi.
This seems to be the earliest instance of Japanese visiting Europe in recorded history, though several similar expeditions followed in the succeeding decades. However, the edict of Sakoku was issued soon thereafter, putting an end to such projects. The last such expedition until the Meiji Restoration was another embassy sent by the Date clan of Sendai.
In this case, the Japanese went east and reached Europe by crossing the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This was the first recorded instance of a Japanese reaching the Americas. Notably, the envoy Hasekura Tsunenaga compiled a collection of documents on his experience. These have now been designated a national treasure, and included on the UNESCO Memory of the World registrar.
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Source: stackoverflow.com
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