Fernão+Mendes+Pinto

Introduction – Fernao Mendes Pinto The likelihood of a Portuguese Explorer to stand up against all odds and reach as far as Japan was out of the ordinary. It also would have brought an eternity of honour and also a chance to better understand and exchange ideas with a country from the east. Fernao Mendes Pinto (1509-1583) was the individual that reached further than ever thought of. Pinto was the first European to endeavour numerous voyages and to reach countries that were uncharted by any European navigator before him. These countries included Japan, China, India and several other regions within what we today call Asia. The further expanding knowledge of the Far East couldn’t have been achieved without Mendes’ discoveries. He introduced Japan to Europe.

Early Life – The Journey Before The Voyage

Born into cultural rich Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal in 1509, young Fernao was determined to bring honour and reputation to himself and his country. Aged 10 Mendes was taken to Portugal’s capital Lisbon by his uncle. There he was placed in a house with rich nobleman and remained there for about 18 months. The reason of his departure from his home is believed to be because of he was frightened, his life was in jeopardy and the only way out of it was to travel to the Alfama section of Lisbon where he caught a ship bound for southern Portugal. All was fine, the ship was on route to its destination, but it was captured by French pirates about 20km away from the ports. Mendes Pinto was eventually put ashore on the coast of Spain and made his way to the Portuguese city of Setubal. Once at Setubul Mendes thought of the only sensible thing to do so he entered the employment of a nobleman and stayed there for 18 months. Pinto’s strength of mind is what led him to seek his fortune elsewhere, he knew that the only way of following his dreams was to sail to India. So then the day came, on March 11, 1537 Pinto sailed from Portugal unavoidable headed for the East Indies. During his twenty-one year travels on seas within the Far East Pinto encountered a vast amount of experiences that have changed his life forever. His book informs navigators of his adventurous spirit that didn’t always bring pleasure. He remained shipwrecked, taken prisoner frequently and at one stage sold as a slave. Like all adventures Pinto’s had to end, so then in 1558 Mendes became weary of his exploration and travels in the Far East and returned to Portugal. On his arrival he was swift to marry and settle down in the town of Almada a city near Lisbon. Tragically twenty-three years after his arrival in Almada, Fernao Mendes Pinto died on July 8th, 1583. Today we know of his adventures because of his collection of letters which were published in Venice in 1565. His greatest work was his own “Pereginacao” which appeared in Lisbon in 1614.

VOYAGES INDIA On March 11th 1509, Mendes Pinto set sail from Lisbon, Portugal with India in his sights. Mendes Pinto and his fleet sailed around the Cape of Good Hope approximately four months after setting sail determined for fortune elsewhere. The voyage came to a small stop in Mozambique (east Africa) and then arrived in Diu, India a small island south of Bombay on the 5th of September 1537. The island was ruled by the Portuguese and was under threat by the local Indian people who claimed that the land owned to them. So Mendes Pinto and his fleet and retained the island of Diu and then proceeded to the Red Sea and then to Ethiopia another Portuguese fortress. Although Mendes Pinto returned to India for one of his most important journeys, when he established complete control of the spice trade at the Portuguese naval base. This meant spices that could only be transported over the water and not by land. This was vital as the spices wouldn’t be stolen from the Ottoman Turks.

Mendes Pinto returned to India for the second time and this became his most significant journey. Mendes Pinto boarded a spice/ cargo ship en-route to Goa, India. When in Goa the Portuguese colony and Mendes Pinto signed an agreement so that the Portuguese had complete control of the spice trade throughout Europe and most importantly keep the spices away from the Ottoman Turks. This meant that the spices would no longer be transported by land and then stolen by the Ottoman Turks. Also the transportation by sea was quick and further away from thieves.

China In 1540, Mendes Pinto and his fleet were trading around Indo-China now known today South China Sea. His ship became shipwrecked and Mendes Pinto and his crew members were sold as slaves to work at the Great Wall of China. Apparently Mendes Pinto was shipwrecked 16-17 times and therefore had to work as a slave along with his crew on the Great Wall of China 16-17 times. Overall he spent around 1 year as a ‘Prisoner of China’ and continued his journey around the south-west of Indo-China know today as Cambodia and Vietnam. Along his journeys it said that Mendes Pinto may have come in confrontation with the Dali Lama, an unknown Pope figure to the Europeans. The slow progress of the trip led them further north and then were caught in a storm which led Mendes Pinto north-east to Japan unheard of to the Europeans.

In 1542, Mendes Pinto sought out on a journey with other Portuguese sailors to Japan, to introduce a form of firearm which had a massive influence on the Japanese Civil War. Pinto assisted with setting up a trade route between Portugal and Japan as well as introducing another trade route between Japan and Portuguese merchants in China. When Fernao Pinto entered Japan in 1543 which was when he met with a feudal lord who was the first to receive the Portuguese firearm. He founded his first settlement in 1548, Yokohama. In 1549, Pinto left Kagoshima, with a Japanese fugitive, who introduced him to Francis Xavier. Xavier and Pinto, together introduced Catholicism to Japan. In 1554, Fernao Mendes Pinto decided to return to Portugal, however before his return, he donated majority of his wealth to the Society of Jesus and became a brother himself. Pinto and Xavier left Japan and left a successor for the good work they have done. He returned to Japan one last time where he donated money to help built the first Catholic Church in Japan.

** Conclusion ** Fernao Mendes Pinto helped shape what Christianity is like in Japan for the future. Although Christians are the minority of people in Japan, it is possible that it could be even more insignificant if Pinto didn’t assist with the introduction with Francis Xavier. He also claimed to have been forced to work on the Great Wall of China as a slave. Mendes Pinto had a very versatile life and to his credit, is one of the finest geographer’s the Renaissance saw. Pinto currently features on some editions of the 2 EURO. In conclusion, Pinto was one of the greatest explorers and adventurers that Renaissance Europe saw and his discoveries have had a massive impact on the world today.