Christianity in Japan

The history of Japan, from this time, becomes very interesting. It is known among the Japanese as the period of the Ashikaga regents (1338-1574). These rulers were worse than any the country had ever had. They did not have the firm hand of the Hojo. Military governors were appointed over the provinces, and most of them, seeing that they had nothing to fear from the incapable regents, declared themselves independent. So these governors became chiefs, their sons succeeded them, and the former province became their territory. They made war upon each other, and sometimes, when one of them was powerful enough, he would set up an opposition regent.

By these unhappy conditions the people suffered most. Their rice fields were trampled down by invading or retreating bands, their harvests, if they had any, were destroyed, and their homes were ruined. Kyoto and other cities were taken and plundered by bands of free lances, robbers were masters on the highways, and pirates made the seas and rivers unsafe.

But the Buddhist convents grew rich and powerful as they had never been before, for a great many of the monks knew how to handle sword and bow and arrow, and turned soldier whenever the occasion offered. One of them, who is known as "the Fighting Abbot," took two provinces; and the strong castle of Osaka—one of the points of interest in Japan at the present day—was built by these priests. The stones of most of this fortress are of such immense size that one wonders how the priests succeeded in raising them one upon the other, without any machinery. It is quite sure that these Buddhist monks would at last have become the rulers of Japan, had they not taken to fighting among themselves. These quarrelsome habits did not at all increase love for them among the people, while the chieftains, as the successors of the military governors must now be called, were jealous of the wealth, power, and influence of the priesthood.

Buddhist priests on the warpath.

This time—for we have now reached in our history the sixteenth century period—was the age of great discoveries. Marco Polo, in the thirteenth century, had visited China, which he called Cathay, and had heard there of the island empire to the northeast, of which he wrote under the name of Zipangu (zee-pon-goo). In 1497, Vasco da Gama had sailed round the southern point of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope, and had reached India. It was with the idea of finding a short route to Cathay, or China, that Columbus had sailed westward, and he would have succeeded had not the American continent been in his way.

The Portuguese sailors of those days were very enterprising, and no sooner had they discovered one country, than they set out to find another. They were brave seamen, for the ships were very small. Their main object was to get rich by trading with the newly discovered countries, but they also wished to convert the heathen people to Christianity.

After the Portuguese had come to China, they went to seek Japan. Now you must remember that the Japanese in the sixteenth century were a very civilized people; they had a regular government, tilled the ground or lived in cities and villages, and knew a great deal of the arts and industries. Besides this, their soldiers were brave and loved their country, even if they did fight among themselves.

But, as I have said, the power acquired by the Buddhist convents had caused a deep feeling of hatred against them, both among the daimio (di-mee-yoh), as the chieftains were called, and the people; and the first Portuguese priest who came to Japan was a very good man, who is known in history as St. Francis Xavier (zav'-i-er).

His first landing was made in Kiushiu in 1542, and he was well received by the diamio. To his astonishment, he found the Japanese in possession of matchlocks, as the guns of those days were called. He learned afterwards that a Portuguese named Mendez Pinto (men-deth peen-toh), who had visited Japan a short time previously, had made them a present of such a gun, and the Japanese, who are remarkable for their power of imitation, had set to work and made a number of these arms.

St. Francis Xavier found attentive hearers in the Japanese among whom he preached; and as the daimio did nothing to oppose his efforts, Christianity very soon began to spread among them. After some time this missionary crossed over to Hondo, and visited the capital of the Tennô. He had expected to find a rich and flourishing city, but the troubled times had left an imprint upon Kyoto, and he saw nothing more than an armed camp.

Several of the daimio, who had become converted, sent representatives to the pope. They crossed the Pacific Ocean in a Japanese vessel, and landed in Mexico; after traveling through that country, they sailed for Spain, and from there reached Italy. There are now in the museum in Madrid two fine specimens of the suits of armor worn by Japanese samurai in those days. They were given to King Philip II by this embassy. A few years ago the Japanese ambassador found in Venice a stone bearing an inscription which showed that this same Japanese embassy had visited that city.

Several Portuguese missionaries came after St. Francis Xavier, and they succeeded, after many years, in making quite a number of converts. But other nations of Europe were anxious to trade with Japan, and among these were the Hollanders, who had risen in rebellion against Spain. I cannot tell you here about the causes that led to this or of the events that followed. But I must mention that the Spaniards conquered Portugal, so that from that time all the Portuguese possessions belonged to Spain, and their ships sailed under the Spanish flag. The Hollanders now made war upon Portuguese ships and colonies, and began to lay schemes to have the Portuguese expelled from Japan. We shall hereafter see how they succeeded.

The Ashikaga rule had been very bad for Japan, and one of these weak regents submitted to a demand from the emperor of China, and paid tribute. Japanese boys and men feel very badly when they read this part of their history. Their books say that this money was given to pay for damages done by Japanese pirates, who skimmed over the western coast of the Pacific Ocean, and attacked not only cities in China, but went as far south as Siam. The fact is that the money was paid, and that these regents were justly blamed for the disgrace brought upon their country. But now I must tell you how these rulers were driven out, and a new line took charge of the government.