Japan -- History; Japan -- Politics and government
“The second part of Japan is that which they commonly call Ximo
(Kiusiu). There the Christians had most churches, and the Jesuits most
houses. In the city of Funay, the metropolis of Bungo, there were both
a college and a university, where they took degrees of masters of arts
and doctors of divinity. There were twenty Jesuits in the college. The
noviceship stood at Vosuqui, where King Francis (_i.e._, Owotomo Boongo
no Kami) resided. Besides, they had two residences--one at the valley
of Ju, some seven leagues from Funay, and another at Nocen--and these
four houses furnished the whole country with evangelical missionaries.
Moreover, they had a house at Facata, in the kingdom of Chicuzen,
that was tributary to Bungo; but Aquizuqui, having made himself master
of that country, soon beat them out of those quarters. The kingdom
of Chicungo, bordering upon Chicuzen, had only one church, which was
governed since Riozogi’s conquest by a devout Christian, that prince
being unwilling to entertain any Jesuits in his states. In the kingdom
of Fingo, which Aquizuqui and Riozogi parted betwixt them, there were
two houses of the Society--one in Amacusa and the other at Fort Fundo;
and these two residences took charge of above twenty other churches in
that country. As for the island of Xequi (Ko Siki), which stands upon
the confines of Amacusa, they had only one church, with near 5,000
Christians, who were governed by one of the inhabitants; for the lord
of the place, though he was to permit the fathers to visit them, would
not hear of fixing a residence; which obliged the Christians, on the
more solemn days, to come over to the church of Amacusa.
“In the kingdom of Goto (the five small islands to the west of Japan),
since Don Lewis’s death, there was neither church nor house, the uncle
and tutor to the young prince being, as was said, a most professed
enemy to all religion. The King of Firando, indeed, though a heathen,
was content to receive two priests and two others for the benefit of
the Christians, and chiefly his uncle and son, Don John and Don Anthony.
“As for the kingdoms of Omura and Arima, religion flourished there
above all other parts, Bungo only excepted. The fathers had three
houses in Omura, one in Omura itself, where the King kept his court,
another at Nangasak, and a third at Curi, and out of these three
churches they visited forty several churches, and had charge of some
50,000 Christians that were in that kingdom. In Arima they had three
residences: one in the city of Arima, with five Jesuits, whereof two
had care of the seminary for educating young nobles, among whom was
the King of Fiungas’ son, cousin-german to the King of Arima, and the
rest, all of them sons to the chief lords in the country; the second at
Arie; and the third at Cochinozi, a most celebrated port for commerce.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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