Paper short abstract:

This paper will highlight the discourse produced by missionaries living in Japan in response to Tokugawa Christian persecution during the first half of 17th century. It will debate its accuracy and its intention in missionaries’ strategies in Catholic Europe politics.

Paper long abstract:

Since the beginning, from 1542/1543 onwards, Portuguese presence in Japan was due to private initiative, mainly leaded by the Jesuits. They arrived with Portuguese merchants, and during a century both ensured the contact between the archipelago, official imperial settlements, and Europe. Although Jesuits depended on Portuguese Crown's patronage, the crown's first official approach to the bakufu (the Japanese central government) was only made in 1646, a moment in which the Tokugawa dynasty was already committed to the sakoku policy (the closing of the country, decreed in 1639). In the meanwhile other missionaries, the Mendicants, mainly Franciscans, and the Dutch merchants, also established in Japan, though the Jesuits kept being the most important link between Japan and Europe.

Japanese political attitude towards Christianity changed over time, following the military unification and political centralization processes. In 1603 Japan was unified under Tokugawa authority, and the idea of a Christian peril start definitely to emerge. Local persecution came up against staunch converters, and as a reaction soon evolved into a general persecution. From then on until 1639, missionaries reported to Europe amazing news of Christian perseverance towards Japanese harassment and persecution. The betrayer to national authority was seen, and reported, by the missionaries as a glorious martyr. In this paper we will highlight the evolution of this discourse, focusing on the assessment of its correspondence with actual Japanese reality, and we will explore it symbolism in missionaries' policies in Catholic Europe politics.