Castella was first introduced to Nagasaki by the Portuguese during the Azuchi Momoyama era (late 16th Century) under the rules of Nobunaga Oda and Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Trades between Portugal and Japan started about 460 years ago (1543) when the Portuguese sailors accidentally came ashore at Tanegashima Island (according to Japanese literatures). In 1549 (mid-16th Century), Francisco Xavier (from Spain, one of the founders of the Society of Jesus) visited Kagoshima, Japan, as a missionary. Western sweets are said to have arrived with him.
In July next year (1550), Xavier visited Hirado to meet explorer Vasco da Gama. Xavier brought various Western sweets and food like Boro (bolo; ball-shaped cookie), Konpeito (confetti), Castella, Aruheito (alfeloa; candy), Hiryozu (filhós; later became fried beancake called Ganmodoki), biscuit, bread, etc. together with Christianity. Their recipes are said to have been brought by Franciscan missionaries around the time. Unlike Castella, sweets like Konpeito, Aruheito, and Boro were brought to Japan in the baked form.