noun
trading house; foreign trading post
Historical term for a foreign trading company's office or outpost in Japan, especially during the Edo period and early Meiji era. Also used for the building itself.
長崎にはオランダの商館があった。
There was a Dutch trading post in Nagasaki.
商館は貿易の拠点として重要な役割を果たし
The trading house played an important role as a base for trade.