African Slaves in 16th to 17th Century Nanban Art

Abel Martinez

-Black individuals depicted in Nanban art arrived with Portuguese expeditions as slaves.  -Main Argument: The status of these enslaved Africans was different from those who arrived in the Americas. The African slaves that arrived in Japan often held intellectual occupations (clerics, translators, clerks, guides) and some were proficient in multiple Asian and European languages (Swordglint, 2012, 1.) 

-The Japanese viewed Africans with a great deal of respect and intrigue.  -Africans were often depicted as working alongside Portuguese explorers rather than as subordinates, and although many were technically slaves, they can be viewed as having acquired a great deal of knowledge and skill based on observation of the screen panels.  -The analysis of Nanban art sharply contradicts the mainstream narrative constructed by the Atlantic slave trade. Although Africans on Southern expeditions were taken unwillingly, they used their surroundings to make something of themselves, and should be revered as voyagers who made lasting impacts during the Age of Discovery. 

-This artwork displays the arrival of a Portuguese ship at the port of Nagasaki. There are several black individuals stationed at shore near a Jesuit church, which may be indicative of their possible clerical occupations (Khan Academy 2016, 1). -Analysis: As priests, African slaves may have been able to gain manumission through the clergy and were most likely proficient in multiple languages to spread Christianity throughout the Japanese Archipelago. -Source: Arrival of a Portuguese ship, one of a pair (Nanban screens), Six panel folding screen, 1620–1640. Japan. Ink, colors, and gold on paper. H. 68 1/4 in x W. 131 in, H. 173.4 cm x W. 332.7 cm. Courtesy of the Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, http://searchcollection.asianart.org/view/objects/asitem/id/18160

-Description: In this panel, the procession of Nanban led by Captain-Mor is depicted, and great detail is given to the clothing worn by the Southern expedition. There appears to be little, if any, differences between the attire of the Portuguese and that of the African slaves (T. Devezas 2009, 207-208).  - -Analysis: The fact that there appears to be no visual differences between the dress of the African slaves and Portuguese merchants reveals that unlike in the transatlantic slave trade, where slaves were often depicted as dressed with loin, there was no hierarchy present in clothing. It is important to note, however, that Jesuit priests were the exception to this phenomenon, as they dressed in black denoting their status in the clergy. -Source: Naizen, Kano. Barbarians from The South. c.1593-1600. Painting.178 x 366.4 x 2 cm (1st pair. NMAA, Lisbon. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-09.jpg

-Description: This screen fold presents the departure of a Portuguese carrack from the colony of Goa in India. There appears to be several African slaves serving as deckhands for a Portuguese crew, as they can be seen on the adjusting sails and other equipment. This suggests nautical proficiency among the Africans. (Bethencourt 2007, 416-417).  -Analysis: On transatlantic voyages, African slaves were often tucked away under the ship and were allowed very little time on the deck. They had almost no orientation of their surroundings and were not instructed in the nautical arts. However, in this screen-fold depicting a Portuguese carrack in Goa, one can clearly note the presence of African slaves above deck adjusting sails and masts. This demonstrates that these individuals were in fact well versed in the nautical arts and had detailed knowledge of overseas travel. -Source: Naizen, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c. 1593-1600. Painting. 178 x 366.4 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-09.jpg

-Description: Portrayal of Portuguese arrival on the Japanese mainland. The crew of the ship is composed of both light and dark-skinned men who are most likely preparing goods obtained overseas for trade with the Japanese. The fact that there are still African ship-hands in the panel suggests the presence an occupational hierarchy within the slave population (Swordglint, 1).  -Analysis: African slaves in this screen-fold can be seen both acting has nautical assistants as well as being tasked with valuable and exotic cargo, which can be noted in seeing some of the slaves handling camels. Therefore, it can be inferred that trust was a key part of the relationship between the Africans and Portuguese. -Source: Naizen, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c. 1588-1616. Painting. 178 x 366.4 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-13.jpg

-Description: Screen-fold of Portuguese traders arriving in Japan bearing valuables in exchange for precious metals such as silver. -Analysis: The fact that these slaves are shown handling chests of valuables alongside the Portuguese merchants implies that they must have been proficient in mathematics to a certain degree in order to keep track of what items entered and left the ship. Rather than deprive them of knowledge, Portuguese captains would have viewed the education of slaves in arithmetic as beneficial toward trading expeditions where the tracking of exchange among different trading parties was crucial in earning profits. -Source: Domi, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c.1593-1600. Painting. 172.8 x 380.8 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-04.jpg

-Description: Portuguese expedition observing an exotic peacock. The African man in front of the peacock is most likely tasked with handling the animal, as this bird is also found in African rainforests. -Analysis: The fact that African slaves were tasked with taming the peacocks implies that the Portuguese recognized the naturalistic expertise they brought to the expedition. Rather than be viewed as simple commodities brought to do manual tasks as dictated by Europeans, these slaves were able to utilize skills they brought from their homeland that impressed the Portuguese merchants, who, in the screenfold, appear to be looking upon the bird in awe. -Source: Domi, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c.1593. Painting. 172.8 x 380.8 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-16.jpg. 

-Description: This image further reinforces the biological expertise African natives had with fauna such as elephants. -Analysis: The presence of a Japanese individual in this screen-fold reveals that the Japanese were well aware of the naturalistic knowledge the Africans brought to the archipelago. The screen-fold itself also represents the respect the Africans commanded from Japanese groups that made contact with them, for the handling of a large and powerful beast such as an elephant is no easy task. -Source: Domi, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c.1593. Painting. 172.8 x 380.8 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-10.jpg

-Description: In this panel, a group of Portuguese, African, and Japanese men seem to be coveting animals from a foreign land while also appearing to be observing their surroundings. It is therefore important to note that although they may have occupied a subservient position in the eyes of the Portuguese, African slaves were, in their own right, explorers of faraway places.  -Analysis: Having collectively analyzed the depictions of African slaves in Japanese Nanban Art, the following conclusions can be drawn: -Firstly, the similarity in dress blurs status demarcations between the Portuguese and Africans that would have been present in the transatlantic slave trade. Second, the handling of financial and religious affairs by the African slaves reveals that they were conferred a certain amount of trust to handle merchant and clerical matters and were proficient in arithmetic and linguistics. And finally, naturalistic expertise brought to the Japanese archipelago by the Africans led to these black individuals being well-respected for their biological knowledge and familiarity with the unknown. -Source: Domi, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c.1593. Painting. 172.8 x 380.8 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-15.jpg

Bibliography

“Arrival of a Portuguese Ship (Article).” Khan Academy. Khan 

Academy, 2016. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-

asia/art-japan/edo-period/a/arrival-of-a-portuguese-ship. 

Bethencourt, Francisco, and Diogo Ramada. Curto. Portuguese Oceanic Expansion, 1400-1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 

Rodrigues, Jorge Nascimento, and Tessaleno Devezas. Pioneers of Globalization Why the Portuguese Surprised the World. Lisboa: Centro Atlântico, 2009. 

Swordglint. “Black Slaves in 16th-17th Century Japan: Nanban 南蛮.” Dream of the Water Children: The Black Pacific, December 6, 2015. https://dreamwaterchildren.net/2012/01/22/blackslaves-in-16th-17th-centuryjapan-nanban/. 

R. S. C. "NAMBAN ART." Bulletin (St. Louis Art Museum) 8, no. 6 (1973): 90-92. Accessed October 6, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40715901.

-Black individuals depicted in Nanban art arrived with Portuguese expeditions as slaves.  -Main Argument: The status of these enslaved Africans was different from those who arrived in the Americas. The African slaves that arrived in Japan often held intellectual occupations (clerics, translators, clerks, guides) and some were proficient in multiple Asian and European languages (Swordglint, 2012, 1.) 

-The Japanese viewed Africans with a great deal of respect and intrigue.  -Africans were often depicted as working alongside Portuguese explorers rather than as subordinates, and although many were technically slaves, they can be viewed as having acquired a great deal of knowledge and skill based on observation of the screen panels.  -The analysis of Nanban art sharply contradicts the mainstream narrative constructed by the Atlantic slave trade. Although Africans on Southern expeditions were taken unwillingly, they used their surroundings to make something of themselves, and should be revered as voyagers who made lasting impacts during the Age of Discovery. 

-This artwork displays the arrival of a Portuguese ship at the port of Nagasaki. There are several black individuals stationed at shore near a Jesuit church, which may be indicative of their possible clerical occupations (Khan Academy 2016, 1). -Analysis: As priests, African slaves may have been able to gain manumission through the clergy and were most likely proficient in multiple languages to spread Christianity throughout the Japanese Archipelago. -Source: Arrival of a Portuguese ship, one of a pair (Nanban screens), Six panel folding screen, 1620–1640. Japan. Ink, colors, and gold on paper. H. 68 1/4 in x W. 131 in, H. 173.4 cm x W. 332.7 cm. Courtesy of the Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, http://searchcollection.asianart.org/view/objects/asitem/id/18160

-Description: In this panel, the procession of Nanban led by Captain-Mor is depicted, and great detail is given to the clothing worn by the Southern expedition. There appears to be little, if any, differences between the attire of the Portuguese and that of the African slaves (T. Devezas 2009, 207-208).  - -Analysis: The fact that there appears to be no visual differences between the dress of the African slaves and Portuguese merchants reveals that unlike in the transatlantic slave trade, where slaves were often depicted as dressed with loin, there was no hierarchy present in clothing. It is important to note, however, that Jesuit priests were the exception to this phenomenon, as they dressed in black denoting their status in the clergy. -Source: Naizen, Kano. Barbarians from The South. c.1593-1600. Painting.178 x 366.4 x 2 cm (1st pair. NMAA, Lisbon. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-09.jpg

-Description: This screen fold presents the departure of a Portuguese carrack from the colony of Goa in India. There appears to be several African slaves serving as deckhands for a Portuguese crew, as they can be seen on the adjusting sails and other equipment. This suggests nautical proficiency among the Africans. (Bethencourt 2007, 416-417).  -Analysis: On transatlantic voyages, African slaves were often tucked away under the ship and were allowed very little time on the deck. They had almost no orientation of their surroundings and were not instructed in the nautical arts. However, in this screen-fold depicting a Portuguese carrack in Goa, one can clearly note the presence of African slaves above deck adjusting sails and masts. This demonstrates that these individuals were in fact well versed in the nautical arts and had detailed knowledge of overseas travel. -Source: Naizen, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c. 1593-1600. Painting. 178 x 366.4 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-09.jpg

-Description: Portrayal of Portuguese arrival on the Japanese mainland. The crew of the ship is composed of both light and dark-skinned men who are most likely preparing goods obtained overseas for trade with the Japanese. The fact that there are still African ship-hands in the panel suggests the presence an occupational hierarchy within the slave population (Swordglint, 1).  -Analysis: African slaves in this screen-fold can be seen both acting has nautical assistants as well as being tasked with valuable and exotic cargo, which can be noted in seeing some of the slaves handling camels. Therefore, it can be inferred that trust was a key part of the relationship between the Africans and Portuguese. -Source: Naizen, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c. 1588-1616. Painting. 178 x 366.4 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-13.jpg

-Description: Screen-fold of Portuguese traders arriving in Japan bearing valuables in exchange for precious metals such as silver. -Analysis: The fact that these slaves are shown handling chests of valuables alongside the Portuguese merchants implies that they must have been proficient in mathematics to a certain degree in order to keep track of what items entered and left the ship. Rather than deprive them of knowledge, Portuguese captains would have viewed the education of slaves in arithmetic as beneficial toward trading expeditions where the tracking of exchange among different trading parties was crucial in earning profits. -Source: Domi, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c.1593-1600. Painting. 172.8 x 380.8 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-04.jpg

-Description: Portuguese expedition observing an exotic peacock. The African man in front of the peacock is most likely tasked with handling the animal, as this bird is also found in African rainforests. -Analysis: The fact that African slaves were tasked with taming the peacocks implies that the Portuguese recognized the naturalistic expertise they brought to the expedition. Rather than be viewed as simple commodities brought to do manual tasks as dictated by Europeans, these slaves were able to utilize skills they brought from their homeland that impressed the Portuguese merchants, who, in the screenfold, appear to be looking upon the bird in awe. -Source: Domi, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c.1593. Painting. 172.8 x 380.8 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-16.jpg. 

-Description: This image further reinforces the biological expertise African natives had with fauna such as elephants. -Analysis: The presence of a Japanese individual in this screen-fold reveals that the Japanese were well aware of the naturalistic knowledge the Africans brought to the archipelago. The screen-fold itself also represents the respect the Africans commanded from Japanese groups that made contact with them, for the handling of a large and powerful beast such as an elephant is no easy task. -Source: Domi, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c.1593. Painting. 172.8 x 380.8 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-10.jpg

-Description: In this panel, a group of Portuguese, African, and Japanese men seem to be coveting animals from a foreign land while also appearing to be observing their surroundings. It is therefore important to note that although they may have occupied a subservient position in the eyes of the Portuguese, African slaves were, in their own right, explorers of faraway places.  -Analysis: Having collectively analyzed the depictions of African slaves in Japanese Nanban Art, the following conclusions can be drawn: -Firstly, the similarity in dress blurs status demarcations between the Portuguese and Africans that would have been present in the transatlantic slave trade. Second, the handling of financial and religious affairs by the African slaves reveals that they were conferred a certain amount of trust to handle merchant and clerical matters and were proficient in arithmetic and linguistics. And finally, naturalistic expertise brought to the Japanese archipelago by the Africans led to these black individuals being well-respected for their biological knowledge and familiarity with the unknown. -Source: Domi, Kano. Barbarians From The South. c.1593. Painting. 172.8 x 380.8 x 2 cm. NMAA, Lisbon. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Namban-15.jpg