Red Seal ships

In this episode of the HistoryMaps Podcast, we explore the Japanese Red Seal trade system (Shuinsen)-a remarkable state-sanctioned network that connected Japan with Southeast Asia in the early 17th century. Backed by official 'red seal' licenses from the Tokugawa Shogunate, Japanese merchants traded silver and swords for prized regional goods, especially Chinese silk, forging thriving commercial and diplomatic ties with Vietnam and beyond. We trace the rise of this system, the vibrant Japanese community in Hội An, and the correspondence between Japanese and Vietnamese rulers that marked a unique era of international exchange. The episode concludes with the onset of sakoku (isolation), the end of the Red Seal trade, and the surprising afterlives of shipwrecked sailors who kept the Japan-Vietnam connection alive even after official contact ceased.