Namban Screen: The Arrival of the Portuguese
Kanō Naizen · 1600
Why it's great
A huge Portuguese trading ship sails into a golden Japanese harbor, with people in strange foreign clothes. These folding screens, called Namban, or 'southern barbarian' screens, showed how Japanese people saw the first Europeans, who arrived in 1543. Kanō Naizen painted this one around 1600.
🏛️ Part of history
Columbus & the Age of Discovery (1492–1600) — A huge Portuguese trading ship sails into a golden Japanese harbor, with people in strange foreign clothes.
Where to see it
📍 Location not recordedWe couldn't confirm where it hangs today. Museums sometimes move or lend paintings, so check the museum's website before you travel.
Hang it on your wall
Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
These links open search results on each shop's own website; we don't sell anything or earn a commission, and print quality varies by seller. Ask a grown-up before you buy anything.
Kanō Naizen was a Japanese painter born in 1570 who belonged to the Kanō school, the main painting school of the Japanese military rulers. He lived in Kyoto and is known for his colorful folding screens of the Portuguese traders who arrived in Japan. He died in Kyoto in 1616.
