Japan: A 17th century Red Seal ship of the Araki trading family, trading out of Nagasaki with Annam, c. 1790

A painting of a trade ship heading from Nagasaki to Vietnam, from the Gaiban Shokan. This book was prepared as a reference work for 'Gaiban Tsusho', the compilation of diplomatic documents of the Tokugawa shogunate, prepared by Kondo Seisai (1771 - 1829), who served as the magistrate of Nagasaki and the magistrate of books and records. It contains copies of diplomatic papers, including 33 certificates impressed with the shogun's vermillion seal for officially authorized trips to Annam (Vietnam), the Netherlands, and Luzon (in the Philippines). It was completed in the first year of Bunsei (1818), and the two sets of two-volumes were presented to the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1819.

Shuinsen, or 'Red Seal ships', were Japanese armed merchant sailing ships bound for Southeast Asian ports with a red-sealed patent issued by the early Tokugawa shogunate in the first half of the 17th century. Between 1600 and 1635, more than 350 Japanese ships went overseas under this permit system. Japanese merchants mainly exported silver, diamonds, copper, swords and other artifacts, and imported Chinese silk as well as some Southeast Asian products (like sugar and deer skins). Pepper and spices were rarely imported into Japan, where people did not eat a great deal of meat due to the local preponderance of adherents to the Buddhist belief system.

Southeast Asian ports provided meeting places for Japanese and Chinese ships. In 1635, the Tokugawa shogunate, fearful of Christian influence, prohibited Japanese nationals from overseas travel, thus ending the period of red-seal trade. This measure was tacitly approved of by Europeans, especially the Dutch East India Company, who saw their competition reduced.

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