Kirishitan

Kirishitan means Chrétien (S) in Japanese and is used today as a term historiographic which designates the Christians of the Japan between. This article at that time gives an overall picture of Christianity to Japan.

The activities Catholiques missionaries in Japan began in 1549 impetuses by the Jésuites supported by Portugal before the Ordres beggars supported by the Spaniards do not reach in their turn in Japan.

The line of demarcation enters Spain and Portugal

The missionaries activities of the Catholiques orders were initially supported by the kingdoms of the Iberian peninsula: the Spain and the Portugal. At that time the religion formed integral part of the State, and this one benefitted from the various strategic advantages which the evangelization in addition to the pure spiritual aspect offered. When these capacities tried to extend their territories of influence, the missionaries were not long in following them. By the treaty of Tordesillas, they divided the world in exclusive zones of influence, trade and colonization, then were distributed them. Although at the time any nation direct contact with Japan did not have, the nation fell between the hands from the Portuguese.

Portugal and Spain disputed the attribution of Japan. As nobody had hitherto been able to colonize it, the exclusive right spread the faith in Japan also opened the exclusive right of trade with him. The Portuguese Jesuits took a lead on the Spaniards in the evangelization of Japan. The accomplished fact was approved by the Pope Gregoire XIII in 1575, which decided that Japan belonged to the Portuguese diocese of Macao. In 1588 the Diocèse of Funai (Nagasaki) was founded under Portuguese protection.

Strategy of diffusion

The Jesuits thought that the most effective manner to spread Christianity in Japan would be initially to seek to influence the men to be able for then diffusing the religion with the remainder of the population. All at least, they needed to obtain the agreement of the local authorities to diffuse Christianity on their grounds. It is confirmed that when the feudal lords converted with Christianity, the number of believers on their fields strongly increased.

The historians suppose that the conversion of the Japanese to Christianity was forced, even if the Christians claim that this conversion only aimed at reproducing the exemplary behavior their lords, but that to in no case it was not imposed to them. Even if the Jesuits put forward the exceptional leaders like Takayama Ukon and much of other martyrs, the large majority of the Japanese Christians gave up their faith after persecutions.

Military activities

The missionaries were not against the fact of taking part in a military action if this one had been able to make it possible to spread the fine words in Japan. They often associated a military action against Japan with the Conquête of China. They thought that the Japanese soldiers, who had good experience, would help their countries to conquer China. For example, Alessandro Valignano known as with the Governor of Philippines who it was impossible to conquer Japan because the Japanese people was very courageous and that they had always received a military training, but that it would come to them to assistance when they would like to conquer China. Francisco Cabral as reported to king d' Espagne as the priests could send in China between 2000 and: 3000 Japanese Catholiques soldiers who were brave and ready to serve the king, even for weak wages.

The Jesuits provided a help, including soldier, with the Japanese Christian lords when those were threatened by lords not Catholiques. The most important assistance that was brought to Omura Sumitada and Arima Harunobu, which fought the clan anti-catholic Ryuzoji. In the years 1580, Valignano believed in the effectiveness of the military actions and strengthened Nagasaki and Mogi. In 1585 Gaspar Coelho, asked for the Filipino of send a fleet, but the plan was rejected because of the too low military capacities.

When Toyotomi Hideyoshi, decided for the first time to prohibit Catholicism in 1587, the Jesuits of Japan, directed by Coelho decided to plan an armed resistance. Initially, they sought of the assistance near the Christian capacity in Japan, but the capacity refused. Thereafter, they called with the deployment of reinforcements coming from their grounds of origins and the colonies, but this plan was abolished by Valignano. Like the Christian lords of Japan, this one realized that a military campaign against the other authorities would be catastrophic for Christianity in Japan. Valignano left this crisis while making take all the responsibility in Coelho. In 1590, the Jesuits decided not to intervene more in the conflicts which opposed the various lords and to give up the weapons. Their contribution was limited to an financial aid and a contribution in vivres.

It seems that the Jesuits gave up the idea of a military plan during the era Edo as soon as they realized that the Shogunat Tokugawa was more powerful and more stable than the administration supported by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. On the contrary, the Orders Beggars discussed the military options more openly. In 1615, a Franciscain emissary of the viceroy of Spain News asked Shogun for grounds to build a Spanish fortress, which nourishes suspicion around Christianity, and more generally on the colonial capacity Ibérique. Actually, this operation was controlled in the shade by the Jesuits who infiltrated Franciscains in order to advance their program against Japan.

The Japanese policy towards Christianity

When the priest Jésuite François Xavier arrived, the civil war beat full sound in Japan. Neither the emperor, nor the Shogun d' Akishaga could exert to be able to them on the people. François Xavier initially sought to obtain the permission of the emperor to constitute a mission, but its project stopped Net when the imperial residence was devastated. The Jesuits approached the authorities of the south-west of Japan and managed to convert powerful representatives. This conversion was doubtless made possible by the marketing activities which the Portuguese undertook near the Japanese. The Jesuits became aware of that and approached the lords by the means of the commercial exchanges but also in their offering invaluable gifts.

The Jesuits tried to develop their activity until Kyoto and the close areas. In 1559 Gaspar Vilela obtained the permission to teach Christianity thanks to Ashikaga Yoshiteru. The license was the same one as that given to the Buddhist temples, one cannot thus say that the Jesuits profited from a particular treatment. Of another dimensioned, the Ogimachi emperor published edicts in 1565 and 1568 to prohibit Christianity, but because of the civil war which reigned then, the orders of the emperor and Shogun had only very little influence.

The catholics mention Oda Nobunaga which died in the middle of the reunification of Japan. Oda Nobunaga helped the missionary Jésuite Luis Frois and in a general way Christianity tolerated. It did not make any political provision against the Catholics.

The situation changed when Toyotomi Hideyoshi reunified Japan. When it became the leading one of Japan, Hideyoshi started to become aware of the external threats, in particular the expansion of the European capacities in Asia. The Incident of San Felipe was revolving for the Catholiques missions. Whereas it tried to recover its boat, the Spanish captain of a vessel of trade lost at sea asked the missionaries to prepare with the conquest of Japan. This call enragea Hideyoshi, and made it suspicieux towards this foreign religion. It tried to slow down Christianity while trying to preserve commercial good relationships with Portugal and Spain which could bring a military aid to the Christian lords of the west of Japan. In 1587 it prohibits to the leaders to convert with Christianity because it was conscious that if loyalty were threatened, that could lead to the capacity of dangerous rebels, like the sect Ikko ikki. In same time, it placed Nagasaki under its direct control to be able to supervise the Portuguese trade. It also abolishes the slavery which it replaced by the Servitude for debts.

After the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa leyasu ensured the hegemony of Japan in 1600. Just like Toyotomi Hideyoshi it disapproved the activities of the Christians in Japan, but it gave the priority to the commercial good relationships with Portugal and Spain. In 1600 it guarantees the commercial relations with Portugal. It negotiated with Manila to found commercial relations with Philippines. The promotion of the commercial relations was however in contradiction with its policies against Christianity. In same time, to tear off with the hands of the countries Catholic the control of the trade with Japan, the Britanniques tradesmen and Dutch warned Shogunat which Spain indeed had of the territorial ambitions and which the development of the religion was its main motivation. The Dutchmen and the British promised on the contrary that they would be limited to marketing activities and that to in no case they did not want to send missions to Japan.

The Shogunat de Tokugawa finally decided to prohibit Christianity in 1614. This date marks the end of official Christianity. The first reason which pushed Tokugawa to prohibit Christianity is a dark business of swindle which implied a Catholique leader, but actually, of another reasons its hide behind this reason. The shogunat did not dissimulate its concerns vis-a-vis a possible invasion of the Iberian capacities as they did in the New World and to Philippines. At the national level, prohibition aimed directly the Clan Toyotomi, but the Jesuits quote “reasons of State” to explain the prohibition of Christianity in Japan. They then carried out the superiority of the political power on the religion in Japan.

The point of view of the Catholic church on the history of Christianity in Japan

The atheistic researchers have evil to include/understand the reasons which push with martyrdom. Instead of making reports detailed on this part of the history of Japan, they simply put forward the figures like the percentage of martyrs; At its culminating point the number of Christians is estimated at: 500000 whereas approximately 1000 martyrs are counted. The Christians as for them attach a great importance to martyrdom and persecution, and note the number infinitely larger people who, dispossessed of their grounds and their goods, died in poverty.

The Japanese government used a Efumi (or fumy) to identify the Christians. A efumi is an image representing the Virgin Mary and the Christ, and which was to be trampled in front of representatives of authority. All the people who refused to trample the efumi were regarded as Christian women. The policy of the Japanese government (Edo) aimed at making them disavow their faith. If the Christians refused of apostasier they were tortured. But as much of them refused despite everything to disavow it in what they believed, they were carried out. The executions proceeded on the Mont Unzen with Nagasaki where much of them was thrown in the crater volcano.

The Révolte of Shimabara, carried out by a young Christian named Amakusa Shiro Tokisada was held in 1637. The rebellion revolted against the economic crisis which prevailed and the oppression of the government, but later this revolt took a more religious aspect. Approximately: 27000 people united rising, but it was crushed by the shogunat after a long campaign. They are however not regarded as martyrs by the Christians because they also took the weapons for economic reasons.

The Christians who continued to practice in secrecy are called Kakure Kirishitan (Christian hidden). During this time in Europe, the Guerre 30 Year old opponent catholic and Protestants beat full sound, which leads the catholics to reduce the funds allocated to the Catholic Missions to Japan, which could also be a reason of the failure of the missions in Japan.

See too

Source

Article coming from the English bond wikipédia does not translate Vaovan on its blog bond.

Internal bonds

Religion in Japan
Guillaume Courtet

External bonds

Christianity in Japan, of the origins with Meiji by Jean-Pierre Duteil, Professor at the university of Paris VIII.

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