Sangleyes, Japones, and Casados: An Overview of the Actors of the Sino-Japanese Trade in the Philippines Between the 16th and Early 17th Centuries

Abstract After a series of unsuccessful transpacific missions to the Spice Islands, the Spaniards were finally able to settle in the Philippines in 1565. A few years later, in 1570, Miguel López de Legazpi and his men reached the Island of Luzon and met in Maynila the first traders from China and Japan. This essay provides an overview of the Sino-Japanese trade in the Philippines (what we call here the “Luzon Trade”) from the middle of the sixteenth century to the beginning of the seventeenth century, giving an insight into the activities of its principal actors: the Chinese from Fujian (Sangleyes), the Japanese from Kyushu (Japones), and the Portuguese of Macau and Nagasaki (Casados). In addition to shedding some new light on the complex patchwork of connections and interdependencies among these groups of traders, this essay also gives evidence to their achievements in building a transnational multifaceted trade network around Luzon including both China and Japan.