From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books



On 3/1/26 15:33, Peter Moylan wrote:

On 02/03/26 09:30, Lawrence DrCOOliveiro wrote:

On Fri, 27 Feb 2026 23:23:17 -0500, Cryptoengineer wrote:

Just to clarify the timeline:

1549: First Portuguese Missionaries arrive. Many converts made.

~1597: Christianity brutally suppressed. A few crypto-Christians
remain underground until after the opening.

From roughly 1600 to 1853, Japan is 'closed'. The only foreign
mission was a small Dutch group on an island in Hiroshima harbor.

1871: Freedom of religion restored, many Christian missions
arrive.

DoesnrCOt it make you wonder, in a country where Buddhism and
Shintoism, and I think even animism and Confucianism, could coexist
peacefully for centuries, the moment Christianity appears on the
scene, the trouble starts?

Could it be because this was the first time the Japanese were
exposed to a religion with intolerance built deeply into its core
doctrines? Namely: rCLour god is the true god, all other gods are
falserCY?

That's part of it, I guess, but the Portuguese missionaries also tried
to interfere in domestic politics.

The Shogunate was the final authority in Japan.
The Pope was not going to be allowed to compete and
since the Daimyo aka Samurai Nobles were being converted
it was a bad deal for the Portuguese missionaries.
Also the Emperor of Japan was the leader of the Native Faith
thus if Christianity became a part of the nation his legitimacy
would be undermined.
So tread on a picture of Jesus and foreswear your new
faith or become a Martyr for it. Some were crucified and
a Christian Rebellion in the South of Japan was put down
with exteme prejudice. The Japanese were aware of
what the colonizing nations were doing to the East Asian
nations and they did not want it done to them.

Any of the people whose influence of any sort was greater
than the Shogun were also subject to requests to commit
suicide including the hero of on of my favorite manga
which is called Hyougo Mono which is variously translated
as a "jocular fellow" who served Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and
Ieyasu Tokugawa. Ieyasu bitterly hated the hero and assisted
at his suicide (that is when hero slit his belly, the Shogun
chopped off his head). He was the Head Tea Master of the
Regime but had made the mistake of pushing the Shogun
at a noble woman who foolishly despised Ieyasu.
The story is very long and starts with the hero
being a capable diplomat for Nobunaga. It is online
translated into English.

bliss - if it has text I will read it...
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

On Sun, 1 Mar 2026 21:11:26 -0800, Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

On 3/1/26 15:33, Peter Moylan wrote:

On 02/03/26 09:30, Lawrence DrCOOliveiro wrote:

On Fri, 27 Feb 2026 23:23:17 -0500, Cryptoengineer wrote:

Just to clarify the timeline:

1549: First Portuguese Missionaries arrive. Many converts made.

~1597: Christianity brutally suppressed. A few crypto-Christians
remain underground until after the opening.

From roughly 1600 to 1853, Japan is 'closed'. The only foreign
mission was a small Dutch group on an island in Hiroshima harbor.

1871: Freedom of religion restored, many Christian missions
arrive.

DoesnrCOt it make you wonder, in a country where Buddhism and
Shintoism, and I think even animism and Confucianism, could coexist
peacefully for centuries, the moment Christianity appears on the
scene, the trouble starts?

Could it be because this was the first time the Japanese were
exposed to a religion with intolerance built deeply into its core
doctrines? Namely: rCLour god is the true god, all other gods are
falserCY?

That's part of it, I guess, but the Portuguese missionaries also tried
to interfere in domestic politics.

And international politics.

Pope Alexander VI divided the world into Spanish and Portuguese
spheres of influence -- see here:

<https://gsaz.az/en/articles/view/400/Pope-VI-Alexandr-Borgia-divides-the-world-into-two-parts>

and here:

<https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/readings/alexander.html>

The Shogunate was the final authority in Japan.
The Pope was not going to be allowed to compete and
since the Daimyo aka Samurai Nobles were being converted
it was a bad deal for the Portuguese missionaries.
Also the Emperor of Japan was the leader of the Native Faith
thus if Christianity became a part of the nation his legitimacy
would be undermined.
So tread on a picture of Jesus and foreswear your new
faith or become a Martyr for it. Some were crucified and
a Christian Rebellion in the South of Japan was put down
with exteme prejudice. The Japanese were aware of
what the colonizing nations were doing to the East Asian
nations and they did not want it done to them.

Exactly.

The first Japanese Christians probably had no thought that they were
submitting to a foreign government, and te first missionaries who
brought the message to them probably had no idea of it either. The
merchants who owned the ships that brought the missionaries, however,
had other ideas. The missionaries may not have preached the gospel of
merchant capitalism, but those who owned the ships that brought them
most certainly did, and Portuguese traders who wanted a monopoly of
trade with Japan certainly did.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2