Dealing with the European Challenge
				n European traders and missionaries had visited Japan in increasing numbers since 1543. n The traders exchanged Asian and European goods, the latter including firearms, clocks, and printing presses, for Japanese silver, copper, and artisan products. n The firearms, which the Japanese soon manufactured themselves, revolutionized local warfare. n Roman Catholic missionaries arrived during Nobunaga's campaigns. n He protected them as a counterforce to his Buddhist opponents.