Page 203 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

174 J. Kimura

Fig. 10.1 Location of Onjuku in Chiba of Japan

equipment to locate the possible remains of the San Francisco in the offshore
waters based on the results of remote sensing surveys and an underwater archae-
ological search.

10.1 Galleon Voyage in Asia and Japan’s Involvement

Manila developed as a trading post in relation to East Asian and Southeast Asian ports,
and as a gateway for them to export goods to the Americas and European markets. The
!rst European pioneering study of the Manila galleons by William Lytle Schurz
applauded the extensive commercial activities of the Spanish and their relations with
Asian countries (Schurz 1939). More recently, environmental historians’ research has
focused on the risk faced by the Spanish galleons, evidenced by the substantial losses
incurred due to storms and typhoons (Warren 2012). There was substantial risk for
returning galleons departing for Acapulco by catching the Kuroshio Current with the