San Juan Bautista (ship)

Replica of the Japanese-built 1613 galleon San Juan Bautista, in Ishinomaki, Japan.
History
Name	San Juan Bautista
Builder	Date Masamune
Laid down	1613
Launched	1613
Commissioned	September 1613
Fate	Sold to Spain April 1618
General characteristics
Displacement	500 long tons (508 t)
Length	55.35 m (181 ft 7 in) o/a
Beam	11.25 m (36 ft 11 in)
Draught	3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	3-masted sailboat
Complement	180
Armament	16 cannons

San Juan Bautista ("St. John the Baptist") was one of Japan's first Japanese-built Western-style sailing ships. She crossed the Pacific in 1614. She was of the Spanish galleon type, known in Japan as nanban-sen (南蛮船, "Southern Barbarian ships").

She transported a Japanese diplomatic mission of 180 people during the first leg of their trip to the Vatican as envoys to Pope Paul V, headed by Hasekura Tsunenaga and accompanied by the Spanish friar Luis Sotelo. After transporting Hasekura to Acapulco in the Spanish possession of New Spain, the ship returned to Japan. Hasekura and the embassy went on to Europe, eventually reaching Rome.