They Were Well Received In One
Of These Islands, Of Which They Had The Honour To Be The First
Discoverers, Though Accidentally.
These islands of Japan are far to the
eastward of all India, being even beyond China, and lie between the
latitudes of 30 deg.
And 40 deg. N[360]. These islands are numerous, the
principal and largest island being that peculiarly called Niphon,
Nifon, Nipongi, or Japan, which gives name to the group, and in
which is the city of Meaco the imperial residence. According to the
natives this principal island is 366 leagues in length, but by our
computation only 266[361]. The chief islands around the large one, are
Cikoko, Toksosi, Sando, Sisime Bacasa, Vuoki, Taquixima, or
Takishima, and Firando[362]. Fernan Mendez Pinto in his travels
assumes the merit of this discovery to himself; pretending that he came
to the island of Tanixima, by which I suppose he meant Taquixima,
not by stress of weather, but by design, in the service of a pirate who
had relieved him and his companions when cast away, naming Christopher
Borallo and Diego Zeymoto as those who accompanied him. In both
relations three names are mentioned as the discoverers of Japan, one
only, Zeymoto, being the same in both, and both agree in the date of
the discovery being in 1542. According to Pinto, the prince of the
island of Tanixima was named Nautaquim who stood amazed on seeing
the three Portuguese strangers, and uttered the following mysterious
words:
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