This article provides an introduction to the contents, viewpoints and meaning of two of the recent exhibitions held worldwide on the theme of Namban art, namely the Lacas Namban exhibition in Madrid and the Date Masamune’s Dream exhibition held in Sendai, both in 2013.1. Lacas Namban: Huellas de Japón en España: IV Centenario de la Embajada Keichô exhibition June 13 – September 29, Madrid, National Museum of Decorative Arts Commemorating the 400th anniversary of Japan’s interactions with Spain, this exhibition was organized by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación, Culture y Deporte, the Spanish National Museum of Decorative Arts, and the Japan Foundation. The exhibition was based on the research findings of the “Japan and Spain: a relationship through art” research group in Spain. The exhibition began with a display of books, maps and Japanese-made armor and equestrian equipment that reflect the activities of the Spanish and Portuguese who traveled to Japan from the latter half of the 16th century onwards, presenting the historical background within Japan, and the process by which the Keichô Envoy was sent to Europe. The exhibition continued with a display of more than 30 Namban lacquer works that had been preserved in Spain, introducing the history of such works, how they were used and how they changed in appearance over the decades. Production of Namban lacquers ended by the mid 17th century. The exhibition concluded with a display of the Enconchado paintings made in Nueva España, which were influenced by Namban arts, and the Maque lacquer works that were influenced by makie. This exhibition was of special note for its clarification of the actual state of the many Namban lacquer works that have been traditionally handed down in Spain, and was also important for introducing the existence of works decorated in related styles in South America and examples whose documentation allow us to posit the latest possible dates for the transmission of the works to Europe. Since many of the extant Namban lacquer works do not have clear production dates or have questions remaining regarding their production dates, the examples introduced in this exhibition will assist future research on how these Namban lacquer works were actually used, as well as a more detailed examination of their dating. The exhibition catalogue Lacas Namban Huellas de Japón en España: IV Centenario de la Embajada Keichô includes ten explanatory essays, a catalogue raisonné of the works, a glossary of terms related to lacquer and an explanation of related historical documents and articles. The catalogue, in Spanish, was accompanied by a CD-ROM that included the Spanish texts and an abbreviated English version of the texts. The English version provided abstracts of eight essays, the catalogue raisonné and glossary, along with full English versions of two essays on the actual state of Namban lacquer works handed down in Spain, plus an article on Enconchado-Maque.2. Date Masamune’s Dream: The Keichô Envoy to Europe and Namban Culture exhibition, October 4 – November 17, 2013, Sendai City Museum This exhibition focuses on the activities and background of the Envoy sent by the Tohoku regional lord Date Masamune at the beginning of the Edo shogunate with the aim of establishing trade routes with Nueva España and Europe. The exhibition consisted of five sections, with the first section showing the influence of the so-called Namban people, Europeans who traveled to Japan in the latter half of the 16th century, through maps and early Western style paintings and Namban screens created in Japan. It also presented armor, documents, various maps and charts, and Namban lacquer works that were created under the influence of the connection between imported culture and the Warring States military generals of the day. Continuing on, there was a section of comparative display presenting principal figures that were involved in the Keichô Envoy to Europe and their armor and other items. The exhibition then addressed the fact that the Keichô Envoy and its mission was almost completely forgotten because the shogunate’s banning of Christianity in Japan was enforced almost from the time that the Keichô Envoy set sail for Europe, and introduced the Iwakura Mission 250 years later that led to the renewed knowledge of the Keichô Envoy. This exhibition focused on the powerful figures in Japan at the time, not only Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the daimyô of Kyushu and Kinai who had converted to Christianity, but also the daimyô of the Tohoku region, such as Date Masamune, Gamô Ujisato, and Nambu Nobunao. The section also featured a display of Namban items that have been traditionally handed down in the Sendai area, and thus was a history-focused exhibition that examined Namban culture from a Tohoku perspective. With the exception of one work, the exhibition featured the more than 30 Namban lacquer works extant in Japan, and displayed them in a manner that allowed an understanding of their characteristics, forms and vessel types. The display also featured an approach that allowed viewers to understand the trade and international diplomacy aspects of the works that were the aims of the Keichô mission. Of particular note was the first display in Japan of the Namban Coffer with Birds, Flowers and Animals made by the makie and mother-of-pearl inlay technique, described in 1616 by Father Carrillo as “a large chest decorated with gold and pearls,” from the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid (fig. 1, p. 49). This record also indicates the importance of this work as it is thought to be the oldest example of Namban lacquer, presented to the monastery before 1603 by Maria de Habsburg (1528–1603), the Empress of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II. The author believes that the chest mentioned in this document could be an Indian mother-of-pearl work (fig. 2, p. 49), but in any event, it was deeply meaningful that this extremely important work in the study of Namban lacquers was included in the exhibition. The catalogue for this exhibition, with the same title as the exhibition, included four essays and supplemental information by the organizing scholars on the Namban works extant in Italy and Spain.