Quote:
Originally Posted by SeijiSensei
Along the same lines, I've wondered about how horses came to Japan. We know that horses were not native to the Western Hemisphere but were brought by the Spaniards. I believe horses were in use in central Asia by the Mongols and the like. Were horses brought to Japan during a conquest?
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Actually horses were used in Europe much before Spain was even considered a country. I don't know how you came to the conclusion that horses were brought by Spaniards, since horses were used extensively in Europe in ancient ages, take for instance the Roman Empire, which had at The Circus Maximus the largest Hippodrome in ancient history.
Furthermore, it was the Portuguese, not the Spanish who reached Japan from Europe for the first time. After them several other Europeans came in contact with Japan, but very few were actually allowed to set foot on the main island. Japanese language carries several Portuguese words albeit adapted because of this fact.
Horses were brought from China and Korea, with whom Japan had historical relations with.