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.
There was a Dutch trading post in Nagasaki.
The trading house played an important role as a base for trade.
chief factor; chief trader
Compound of 商 (commerce) and 館 (building, hall). The term emerged in the Edo period to refer to the residences and offices of foreign traders in designated ports.