Searching for the San Francisco (1609), a Manila Galleon Sunk off the Japanese Coast

Abstract

The shipwrecks of Manila galleons are focal points relating to seaports of Spanish colonies in Asian-Pacific regions and are an important part of the maritime landscape of the Manila-Acapulco trade. Study of the Manila-Acapulco trading networks is a subject of growing archaeological interest, pursued by scholars in the Pacific Rim countries (Robert 2016; Wu 2016). This applies especially to archaeological study of ceramic exports from Japan, as illustrated in the dissemination of Arita porcelain to the Americas by galleon shipping (Nogami 2013). Japan has historically been in a fringe position in the galleon trading network but geographically located along the eastbound sailing routes. Historical evidence suggests that there was official consideration of the possibility of Japan’s active involvements in the galleon trade by establishing a seaport some where on the Japanese coast for the return galleons. It was part of important diplomatic exchanges that occurred between the rulers of the two countries—Ieyasu Tokugawa of Japan and Felipe III of Spain—before the wrecking of the San Francisco. The San Francisco, an Acapulco-bound galleon, is reported to have been sunk in 1609 near modern Onjuku town, Chiba Prefecture (Fig. 10.1). Historical accounts associated with the wrecking event have been translated and studied by scholars in Japan and Spain (Gil 1991; Uchimany 1993; Murakami 1966). Even though quite a few historical records are available about the loss of this ship, almost no archaeological material from the wreck has been found. We have a hypothesis regarding survivors’ landing place, but the searching for the galleon in shallow waters was not successful in detecting physical remains of the shipwreck. Since 2016 a maritime archaeological project has begun to clarify the detailed wrecking processes of the San Francisco and identify the wreck’s position. This chapter describes the outline of the project, the aim of which is to conduct an archaeological search with remote sensing survey 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 archaeological search.