Background
Tokitada was born in 1528. He was the son of Tanegashima Satotoki.
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Tanegashima Tokitaka
Edit Profile種子島 時堯
Tanegashima Tokitada was the head of the Tanegashima clan, lords of Tanegashima Island, who received the first Europeans to ever arrive in Japan, in 1543. Tokitaka is known for his role in effecting the production of the first European-style firearms in Japan. Credited as being the first to introduce modern weapons to Japan.
Career
Tanegashima Tokitaka lived during the late Muromachi Period. The story is that he bought two rifles from a Portuguese ship that had drifted to his island and after studying its mechanism taught his retainers how to manufacture guns and ammunition. He later taught the secrets to the priest of Negoroji Temple in Kii (Wakayama Prefecture), and also to Matasaburo Tachibanava at Sakai. The history of the gradual development of modern warfare dates back to him.
