First Japanese in Europe: Incredible Story of the Tensho Embassy (1582 - 1590) // DOCUMENTARY

[Music] lay dying he breathed deeply of the fresh sea breeze tinged with a fog that cooled his burning head and thought back to his youth he had devoted the best years of his life to the holy church's mission in his homeland of japan more and more however he had felt tested and been filled with doubt he tried to fight it remember the glory of rome but his faith could not stand against the rejection of the foreign priests passed over for ordination one too many times so different from in europe itself the beating heart of christianity where they had been treated as princes leaping their strange dances taking in the ornate palaces and stone castles and enjoying seats of honor in the continent's greatest houses of god he had finally given up his christian faith and name miguel to return to the life of a samurai in his cousin lord omora's court and over the years as christianity had been brutally swept from the country his friends had suffered death persecution and exile he knew he had made the right choice seen the false guard for what it was but now as chijua awaited the next life he'd asked his youngest son to search out his hidden rosary beads one last souvenir of the years when he and his companions had accomplished one of the most astonishing journeys in history a round trip to rome taking eight whole wonder filled years the first japanese embassy to europe jiji was side laid his head on the wooden pillow and remembered [Music] this video is sponsored by magellan tv the documentary streaming service thanks to everyone that signed up to the new channel it's not only that that's coming this year lots of exciting projects on the horizon including a feature-length deep dive into the time and place that really started this channel ancient china and these new projects have been possible because of some great support from magellan tv their documentary service provides great context for our videos and this month i'd like to recommend the first emperor the man who made china a fascinating exploration of one of history's most important people this is just one example of the more than 3 000 documentaries magellan offers and now you can take advantage of an exclusive offer 30 off an annual membership this gives you an entire year for less than 3.50 a month even if you've joined magellan before and lapsed you can simply click on the link in the description to claim your discounted membership today thanks [Music] you ask dear brothers about the reason for our expedition the first reason that father alessandro valenyano visitor of the society of jesus judged it expedient after he arrived in japan he learned by experience that the customs of japan are in many ways very different from those of europe he also realized that because of the vast distance between the two the scale and magnificence of provinces and kingdoms in europe the majesty and power of their leading men and many other admirable things had reached the islands of japan only as a sort of distant rumor this had many unfortunate results to the detriment of souls alessandro valenyano visitor of the society of jesus to the indies knelt caesar in the ornate golden chamber high atop azuchi castle mount his legs were numb but he hardly noticed at such a height with a shimmering lake biwer spread out before him it almost felt like he was in heaven if valenyano had not been convinced of the truth of jesus and his sacrifice for mankind he might easily have thought that the man who sat before him the creator of this earthly paradise oda nobunaga japan's most powerful warlord was himself divine he could never adequately describe the paradise-like sophistication of japan's palaces in his reports to rome he knew they doubted such a world was possible so far from europe would never fund this mission the way it deserved the japanese for their part for all the globes spectacles glass guns armor and fine clothing that the jesuits gifted them still called the europeans barbarians however far the jesuits went they could never truly show the grace and sophistication of christendom and therefore the rightness of god's presence in the country valenyano had come to realize one thing in japan had he not seen it with his own eyes he would never have understood or even believed in its splendor conversely jesuit tales of european wonders and the truth of christ must seem little better than barbarian fairy tales to the japanese he wishes he could take nobunaga to rome and bring the pope here to japan the italian missionary returned to matas at hand nobunaga was inviting him to view two magnificent screens depicting the castle explaining that the emperor himself asked for them to adorn his palace but these were a gift for rome nobunaga explained to show the european pope the glory and power of japan as valenyanu observed the wondrous screens something like divine inspiration came to him these should be presented not by him but by young japanese noblemen they could both demonstrate their intelligence culture and grace and subsequently report back to japan on europe's magnificence the boys would have to be carefully chaperoned of course there were unsavory aspects of christendom that were best glossed over but the more he thought about it the more he was convinced that he could lead a legation of ambassadors to present these gifts the first ever from one eternal city kyoto to the other rome [Music] so it was that nagasaki on the 20th of february of the year 1582 with god as our leader and the father visitor as so to speak the standard bearer for our coming battle with the ocean and the waves we joyfully boarded the ship of the portuguese nobleman ignacio de lima over the next nine months preparations were hastily made for a delegation of four young nobles from three converted catholic domains to make the long dangerous and arduous journey to europe and back ito mancio born catholic and kinsmen to lord ottomo sauron of bungo domain was to lead as his lord was one of the most powerful daimyo on the national stage chijiwa miguel nephew of lord omora sumitada and second cousin of lord arima harunobu was to jointly represent the two small but solidly catholic domains he had been baptized only two years before departure haramatino and nakawa huliao both from christian samurai families of the omura domain were deputies should anything untoward happen to the two leggetts themselves the oldest was only 14. they set sail from nagasaki a jesuit governed port on february the 20th 1581 given the importance of his passengers the captain gave them his own cabin for the three weeks to macau during the voyage as the crew toiled ceaselessly around them they concentrated on their studies latin from diogo de mesquita the chaperone and japanese with giorgio loyola a japanese jesuit who had been appointed to ensure they did not neglect their mother tongue it took a full 10 months in southern china for favorable wins to present themselves but the boys eventually arrived in malacca after 28 days sailing this time the winds blew and after only a week they were off to india despite a brush with pirates near wrecks semi-starvation foul water the death of much of the crew from disease and a six-month stopover in kochin they arrived in goa capital of portuguese india in november 1583. 16th century travel was a fickle affair in goa they were received by their first european dignitary the viceroy of india they also received a huge shock valenyano had been appointed superior of the asian church and despite his huge disappointment and the boy's dismay he would be forced to remain there they would have to continue without their mentor guide the next stop was saint helena a speck of an island in the south atlantic later to pay host in napoleon in his final and fatal exile crossing the equator the boys must have exclaimed in wonder as the stars flipped on their heads they were now preparing in earnest for their journey's goal and practice the european musical instruments and flowery latin oratory which was to so impress the nobles of catholic europe more often than not however the seas heaved and the boys lay in bed faces pale stomachs queasy [Music] on the 10th of august we reached the port of lisbon the flood of joy we experienced as we entered that port is almost beyond the power of words to express because it was the end at last of the troubles and difficulties and because we could now feast our eyes on an amazing range of new things [Music] ito and his companions hid in the captain's cabin while the ship was unloaded around them their arrival was to be kept quiet to avoid exciting the population the boys were shattered after two and a half years of travel but this was their moment this was what they had traveled so far for they would finally set foot on the continent of rome of the pope a step made by less than a handful of their fellow countrymen ever before disembarking by night they were road softly to a sleeping lisbon the stench of the city struck them long before they reached land it was high summer there was no sewage system but it was a grand city built on the profits of trade slaves from africa spices from india silk from china and silver from japan the boys dived right in eyes flitting everywhere absorbing every astonishing detail [Music] the legates were immediately granted the use of the viceroy cardinal albert's personal carriage four flawless white horses conveyed them around lisbon taking in noble houses churches convents monasteries hovels shops plazas fortifications docks and schools wondering at how much more comfortable and indeed stylish the coach was compared to the palanquins the japanese nobles traveled in this is the king's fountain announced the driver handito pressed his face to the glass window the most novel thing are known of in japan were blinds and shutters served instead multi-storied buildings with ornate arches and red roofs towered above and around the fountain semi-veiled women lugged water men gossiped porters held great loads on their heads children ran workers heaved beggars begged servants attended their employers thieves thieved jugglers juggled and animals cried knights rode fine arabian horses so much nobler somehow more ladylike can refined than the hardy muscular ponies they knew from home the poorest went barefoot some were barely clothed at all the crowd was very much like the other portuguese cities they had seen around the world but now there were many more african and european faces a monkey escaped his tamer slipping through the open window to investigate his audience no tail everything truly seemed to be other a pole apart from what they knew the coachman gave a touch of his whip and the carriage moved on several more churches in the royal hospital awaited them that day by the end of their stay they had graced almost all of lisbon's 130 churches seven hospitals six royal palaces and dozens of noble homes besides it was a thrilling but whirlwind first view of the continent valignano had promised them finally cardinal albert had nobunaga's screens carefully unpacked for a private viewing jujiwa had not seen them before and he gasped truly it was a castle worthy of a great ruler though he felt anxious as the portuguese handled their two and a half year cargo the cardinal likewise was thrilled to see an image of the great castle they had imagined that they would be approaching europe that knew nothing of and was perhaps indifferent to their homeland but their host had read jesuit reports avidly and seemed to know more of japanese politics than the young men themselves gigiwa stretched his aching limbs the long journey on dusty bumpy roads little more than tracks was much eased by the loan of another carriage and cardinal albert's parting gift 300 crowns but the journey to madrid was still a struggle they would be received by albert's uncle his most catholic majesty king philip ii of spain and first of portugal the most powerful ruler in europe if not the world as he stretched chijua recited the words of his greeting from the liege in japan again and again and again with the lord's grace i write to your royal majesty this was the first task he had been charged with he could not fail it can be said without fear of incurring odium or giving offence to anyone that king philip has extended the jurisdiction of his kingdom further and wider than any of the other european kings america is whole and entire under his jurisdiction and that includes the extremely rich countries of peru and mexico and brazil thus almost the entire navigation of the ocean is subject to him ito and chijua led the way dignified and glowing in their white silken japanese robes soldiers beat their way through the throngs of citizens eagerly clamoring to get a look at the visitors from afar through the twelve halls of the royal alcazar of madrid they marched as the door opened on the inner sanctum the king his son and two daughters oh so tall and clad in magnificent red gowns sewn with pearls and golden thread stood awaiting their arrival it went against all the boy's instincts to stay standing in front of such a monarch and his family in japan they would have kept their faces to the floor in a zaray bow not even raising their eyes but here ito did as valinano had trained them he walked slowly forward bowing low from the waist to kiss the royal hand but the royal hand was not there ito dared to raise his eyes suddenly the ambassador felt lips on his cheek bony arms stretched around him ito fought his instincts to flinch to shrink within the warm embrace he had never been hugged before let alone by the ruler of half the world with an effort he forced himself to relax smile to show appreciation for this great accolade the long-anticipated ceremony descended into casual conversation as the king asked about every aspect of the visitors attire their health and their country finally it was time to attend to ceremony ito representing lord ottomo of bongo his mouth dry with nerves spoke first [Music] with the lord's grace i write to your royal majesty through the fathers of the society of jesus who teach the true doctrine in these kingdoms i have often heard of your majesty's affairs and your kingdoms because of navigation problems and the long route i have not yet communicated with your majesty i send my cousin lord mancio of hugo i beg your majesty that you may deign to favor him in everything and also the japanese church and myself from now on [Music] then followed his incessant practice paying off and all present wandered the japanese boys unexpectedly elegant oration the day came to a close with vespers in the royal chapel candles glowed the sweet voices of the choir gave praise to heaven and the organs great rumble embraced the chamber as the boys knelt praying in the front pews a true understanding of the power and magic of the alien religion began to grow within their hearts to arrive in madrid they had ridden through the forested mountains and across the arid plains of iberia lodged in palaces monasteries and manners choirs and musicians had serenaded them over dinner school boys treated them to speeches recitals dances and plays the duke of magantha's mother katharina had been so charmed by their japanese costume that she had had her tailors work through the night to get up a kimono to dress her son in the next day the japanese boys had giggled straightened his costume and finally thrust a sword into his belt ito had solemnly stated you are now a japanese lord my lord the night after meeting king philip ito's brain would not rest the most powerful man in the world's embrace that day seemed symbolic of europe her god and her people embracing him his legation and a christian japan he knew he must return home and bring word of all of this these were not the barbarians that his countrymen knew they were civilized warm-hearted powerful glorious and cultured as he tried to take it in overwhelmed he slowly drifted to sleep [Music] more audiences with spanish nobility followed a visit to the king's magnificent new palace at escoriel and his menagerie where they saw an elephant and rhinoceros the boys dazzled their hosts with demonstration of samurai swordsmanship calligraphy their newfound accomplishments in european arts and answers to endless probing questions about their homeland it was bewildering exhausting but somehow ito and his comrades took it in their stride they were now being openly viewed and referred to as magi the kings of christ's birth story former pagan christians from the end of the earth following the star of european civilization to pay homage to the universal church and adore the one god and his son in reformation europe divided and at bitter and bloody war with itself this was a huge victory for catholicism and a public kick in the face for protestants in the cold northern reaches of christendom who had so recently turned away from rome and the embrace of mother church the heretics were not to be graced with the gations from civilized oriental lands the witch queen elizabeth of the english who for catholics symbolized pure evil did not enjoy the right to homage from distant realms for catholic europe the legation from japan proved the glory of spain and of rome and her church and after a glorious month in madrid it was time to leave the acclaimed magi to continue their pilgrimage to the center of the catholic world the eternal city rome the final approach to rome took four months along with the usual rounds of cathedrals masses and serenades they survived a coach crash enjoyed near brushes with pirates who had heard of the rich gifts they carried and escaped bandits in the wild italian countryside the most illustrious princess had many most noble young girls pressing around her all were delighted with that gathering what with the sweetness of the singing and harmony with the very talk on this side and that and with their pleasure in seeing the japanese clothes nakora his heart pounding thought quickly they were the grand ball held in their honor by bianca capello the duke of tuscany's wife the ladies young and old were dressed with the utmost elegance their beauty enhanced all the more by the cosmetician's art the tens of thousands of candles in the great chambers chandeliers were reflected in the precious stones that adorned their persons and lent a shimmering ambience to the night's festivities just the kind of thing to set a 16 year old's pulse racing the hostess had chosen ito for her partner in the dance line to which he had hesitantly accepted and then chosen another lady in turn chijuan hara had been chosen and then summoned their ladies to the dance floor nakaura's face reddened he moved timidly out into the open space and almost without thinking picked out the first lady who met his gaze too late he realized she was elderly elegant smooth-faced but silver-haired the lady burst out laughing so did the rest of the guests but nakaura persisted he cannot fathom where to put his feet so different from the no dances he had watched as a child in his father's rural thief he cringed when he remembered but pisa would never forget his gallantry [Music] whoever has not seen rome confesses that he has been deprived of the most pleasing of sights oh for a new river and rich flow of language to add to my poor and almost exhausted powers of speech so that in the presence of such majesty all that i have already said about other cities could be considered insignificant and inferior the glowing torches of the soldiers flickered in the night as the legation entered the eternal city it was now three years since they had bid farewell to their homeland the romans were out in force woken from their slumbers by the fanfares of the escort that pope gregory had sent to convey his japanese guests the last few miles the goal of their incredible globe trotting odyssey ito gaped chijuwa stared hara looked on pensively already composing his diary entry for that night but nakaora slipped in and out of consciousness wrapped tight in a blanket his head burning up only one thought pierced his building fever could he fulfill his mission or would he die on the very brink the coach inched forwards to joyful cheers people craning their necks to spy the exotic ambassadors the heralded magi of the east had arrived [Music] pope gregory had been waiting for this moment holding on to his fading life force willing the japanese ambassador's god speed through the italian countryside to see him before he went to meet his maker now he could hear the canon outside saluting their arrival and they were finally here his heart raced filled with elation the door opened at the end of the wide salaragia audience hall and the three japanese noblemen made their way slowly towards him the old pope's face lit up a welcome noble strangers from afar the three oriental knights approached in turn gregory stood and held out his hand as each legget completed his homage the pope embraced them with a kiss on the cheek gregory's soul filled with joy he could now die happy the cursed heretics who he had spent his life fighting who threatened to destroy his church could be repulsed with the strength furnished by these new souls brought to christ's love for these were not just three boys they were representatives of one of the world's biggest realms all the maps agreed japan was larger than india bigger than arabia rivaling even the catholic domains of western europe for size here in his presence was the future of christ's mission on earth a new frontier for the one true church ito and chijua hearts pounding with humility and awe gave their speeches of humble allegiance and veneration to the pope in japanese then stood to listen as an italian translation was read out the jesuit gaspar gonzalez then gave an eloquent address in latin praising the japanese islands and people gonsav's assertion that just as the british isles had been converted under pope gregory the great now japan was to enter christ's fold under this pope gregory moved the audience to tears but meant little to the boys ito reminded himself to ask what this meant later finally the pope indicated to the boys that they should carry the train of his robes as he departed the chamber an extreme honor awarded only to the ambassadors of great empires lords ottomo amura and arima ito and chijua's masters ruled over territories collectively about the same size as the island of cyprus [Music] a whirlwind of honours and invitations followed diplomats whined and dined them representatives of the senate accompanied by 24 elictors made a solemn visit to inform them that they were to be appointed roman citizens and patricians gregory summoned them again and again gifting them sumptuous robes quizzing them about every aspect of their homeland and plotting the future of the japanese church [Music] pope gregory viii passed away at the age of 84. only 18 days after first welcoming the japanese boys they had not even known he was ill on his deathbed saint peter's heir remembered to ask after the health of his four visitors [Music] white smoke drifted slowly above the sistine chapel a new pope had been chosen sixtus v had no doubt who would be pride of place at his investiture just as the old pope had symbolically had japan carry his train so he would have them bear the canopy which screened him during the coronation mass the robes of state were heavy but this strongest world of popes bore them lightly he came not to bring peace but a sword of justice to sweep away the ills that tore christendom apart in the rebellious british isles he would again excommunicate the heretic queen urging her subjects to rise up for christ just as these boys would wield their finely wrought scimitars on the islands at the other end of the world as ito washed the new pope's hands during the ceremony sixtus looked down and permitted a small smile to creep across his otherwise serene visage a final honour awaited the legates from japan in rome the boys knew what was coming they had been coached in the protocol for the thousandth time in the past year their hearts beat strong within their breast and emotion threatened to overwhelm them they received the golden swords kneeling and in turn offered them up to the pope his holiness tapped the shoulder of each youth three times kissed their young faces tenderly draped golden chains around their necks and presented four pairs of golden spurs the four samurai were now knights of the golden spur nobles at both ends of the earth [Music] their odyssey home was even longer than their pilgrimage to rome had been through assisi bologna venice milan genoa barcelona madrid lisbon mozambique goa and macau they travelled held in honor by all final audiences with king philip and the viceroy of portugal left the maladen down with presents and funds for the japanese mission the journey back to nagasaki accompanied by valignano once more took four long years in their wake they left europe tingling with excitement not only in the cities that have been graced with their presence but everywhere there were at least 76 works published in italian spanish portuguese latin french and german letters and publications reached places as far away as prague and krakow queen elizabeth was not amused valenyano's brainwave in azuchi castle had truly set the world alight but there was one more goal of this globe-spanning mission to tell japan about europe that great task still lay ahead they arrived back on the 21st of july 1590 to japan vastly changed from the one they had left nobunaga was no more and the country so long at war with itself seemed to have achieved a solid peace under the new imperial regent toyotomi hideyoshi but whereas nobunaga had been positively disposed towards the mission due to its material benefits hideyoshi was more of an enigma in 1587 having been disgusted by the missionaries facilitation of japanese slavery their slaughter of animals for meat disrespect for japanese beliefs and concerned by their general attitude he'd even gone so far is to issue an expulsion edict it was not enforced but the valinano was forced to return to clean up the mess and so valinano became both the brains behind the first japanese embassy to europe and the first european diplomatic mission to japan accompanying him with the four ambassadors they had left as boys and returned as men on landing their families didn't even recognize them valinano presented his diplomatic credentials through intermediaries and while awaiting an audience the four boys regaled their compatriots with tales of their travels displaying maps artworks and all manner of exotica they had returned with valenyano could not have been happier for the first time the japanese were hearing of europe from their own people permission for an audience with hideyoshi eventually arrived ito took a small morsel of food with his chopsticks and raised it to his mouth the banquet was vast and lavish but as hideo she had already left the chamber it was awkward to partake fully everyone else must have felt likewise as they all ate and drank sparingly ito used the silence to reflect on this awe-inspiring jurakudai palace it was vast far more than the eye could take in and he reflected so different from the palaces of europe so much more spacious less cluttered but also less imposing where it was alike was in power immense quantities of gold silver and great artwork symbolizing the greatness and permanence of the toyotomi clan were everywhere ito remember the scoria so different from yet so similar to this awesome edifice suddenly hideyoshi re-entered the chamber everyone immediately crashed their heads to the floor not daring to look up but the imperial regent ordered them at ease and chatted informally just as king philip pope gregory and a hundred other european rulers had quizzed them about japan now hideyoshi plied them for information about christendom and demanded the performance of european music with fingers trembling the boys went through their well-practiced routine ending it speedily they were unsure how it would be received luckily hideyoshi found the music pleasant he said it reminded him of the shanties of boatmen and gang chants of workers he stroked the instruments surprised at their odd shapes and ingenious design three encores were demanded then demonstrations of the weapons the clock and the tent the culmination of the enterprise had gone as magnificently as could have been hoped for it was now over had it all been a dream but the joy was not to last hideyoshi issued another anti-catholic edict in 1597 and this time backed it with crucifixions the jesuits who now included the four boys laid low after tokugawa isu usurped the reigns of power following hideyoshi's death the jesuits became more confident only to be definitively expelled in 1614 following english reports of alleged jesuit attempts at regicide against rulers who defied them the english had finally got their revenge for being upstaged all those years before one merchant even reported a meeting with chijua a sorry looking fellow he wrote as far as the japanese government were now concerned the catholics were criminals to be reformed and if they refused to mend their ways be persuaded of the illegality of their acts with the full force of the law torture and death if needs be the hunt for and persecution of criminals was a highly refined art in tokugawa japan and within a few decades the foreign teachings had been rooted out ito died of sickness in 1612 hara fled to macau in 1614 and nakaora went underground to tend illegal hidden congregations apostatized [Music] smiled weakly at the thought of a world he had known despite the horrors that had followed what an adventure europe had been no one would ever have another like it he grasped his beads with narred hands and a daunting thought overcame him what if he had been wrong what if the christ child and maria were awaiting him on the other side he started whispering in japanese ave maria megumi takata then his long forgotten latin suddenly returned to him in death ave maria gratia planner dominus tecum benedicta tu in mugliaribos benedictos fructus passed away before his final amen it was january the 23rd 1633 nakaora was caught and executed later that year he lasted four days in the torture pit his final words were i am nakaora who went to rome i accept this great suffering for the love of god he was made a saint in 2008. the next japanese embassy to europe would not be until 1862. [Music] you

Channel: Voices of the Past

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Length: 37min 57sec (2277 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 24 2021