Three Portuguese tourists from a Chinese ship landed in Tanegashima, a tiny island close to Kyushu, in 1543. They were the first Europeans to travel to Japan, which at the time was known as Yamato. Legend has it that in 660 BC, Emperor Jimmu established a kingdom in central Japan, starting a continuous imperial line. The Chinese Book of Han, finished in 111 AD, is where Japan is first mentioned in history.