Important Cultural PropertyRecord of the Tensho Mission to Europe

Record of the Tensho Mission to Europe

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Record of the Tensho Mission to Europe

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Record of the Tensho Mission to Europe

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Record of the Tensho Mission to Europe

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Record of the Tensho Mission to Europe

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Record of the Tensho Mission to Europe

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Record of the Tensho Mission to Europe

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Record of the Tensho Mission to Europe

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Record of the Tensho Mission to Europe

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  • Published in Reggio, Italy
  • 1 volume
  • Printed book
  • L19.8xW13.9
  • Italy (1585)
  • Tokyo National Museum
  • P-12645

 This is a brochure on the mission of boys, who were sent to the Pope by Christian feudal lords in Kyushu, namely, Otomo Yoshishige (Sorin) of Bungo and Arima Harunobu and Omura Sumitada of Hizen on the advice of Valignano, a Jesuit missionary. The purpose of Valignano was to introduce new Christians in the East to the Pope and have the delegates see and experience at fist hand the reality and majesty of the Christian world and thereby promote missionary activities in Japan by Japanese people.
 The mission of four Japanese boys, namely, Ito Mancio, Chijiwa Miguel, Nakaura Julião and Hara Martinão, left Nagasaki and arrived at Rome in February 1585 where they had an audience with Pope Gregorius XIII. When the Pope passed away, they attended his funeral. After the funeral, they also had an audience with New Pope Sixtus V and attended his coronation. They received an enthusiastic welcome across Europe and brochures containing speeches and activities of the mission were published, giving rise to a Japan boom in Europe. This "Relationi della venvta de gli ambasciatori giaponesi" is one of the brochures published at that time. The mission returned to Nagasaki in July 1590 and had an audience with Toyotomi Hideyoshi the following year at Jurakudai.
 This brochure has eight pages including the cover and was published in Reggio, a small village in Italy, in 1585. The content includes the mission's 13-day stay in Rome, centering on the great occasion of their having an audience with the Pope and welcoming events. This is a valuable brochure since it is the only one of its kind that currently exists.
 For documents on the mission, there is one book published in Venice. However, this brochure owned by the Tokyo National Museum merits attention since it contains details of the events surrounding the mission that no other documents on the mission can provide.

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