In 1542, some Portuguese sailors, having just landed in Japan, shot ducks with their muskets. The shock among the Japanese was enormous. Until 1542, no European cultural or technological influence had reached Japan (in the famous Cantino map, Portuguese and stolen by the Modenese, from 1502, Japan is not even shown). Then followed a period of limited influence from 1542 to 1639, followed by a period of even lesser influence from 1639 (when Christianity was banned in Japan) to 1853 (with the American mission led by Commodore Perry, which forced Japan to open up to trade).
