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Hasekura Tsunenaga

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                                               Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga
                                                               (1571-1622)
         Hasekura's portrait during his mission in Rome in 1615, by Claude
                                             Deruet, Coll. Borghese, Rome.
                                                                    Names:
                                Japanese name: Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga
                                                (支倉六右衛門常長)
                             Christian name: Don Felipe Francisco Hasekura
                                                              Retainer of:
                                                   Overlord: Date Masamune
                                          Fief: Kingdom of Ōshū (奥州)
                                                      (Northeastern Japan)

   Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga (1571–1622) (Japanese:支倉六右衛門常長, also
   spelled Faxecura Rocuyemon in period European sources, reflecting the
   contemporary pronunciation of Japanese), was a Japanese samurai and
   retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyo of Sendai. He led an embassy to
   Mexico and then Europe between 1613 and 1620 (called the Keichō
   Embassy, Japanese: 慶長使節), after which he returned to Japan. He was the
   first-ever Japanese official ambassador to the Americas and arguably
   Europe, and became the key protagonist in the first recorded instance
   of Franco-Japanese relations.

   Although Hasekura's embassy created a strong impression in Europe, it
   happened at a time when Japan was moving towards the suppression of
   Christianity, so that European monarchs such as the King of Spain
   ultimately denied the trading agreements Hasekura had been seeking.
   Hasekura returned to Japan in 1620 and died of illness a year later,
   his embassy seemingly ending with little results in an increasingly
   isolationist Japan.

Early life

   Little is known of the early life of Hasekura Tsunenaga. He was a
   mid-level noble samurai in the fief of Ōshū in northern Japan, who had
   the opportunity to directly serve the daimyo Date Masamune. They both
   had roughly the same age, and it is recorded that several important
   missions were given to him by Date as his representative.
   Hasekura had an official coat of arms, consisting of a Buddhist
   swastika crossed by two arrows, within a shield and surmounted by a
   royal crown, on an orange background. It is depicted in Deruet's
   painting, the Roman citizenship certificate (top left), various
   engravings (middle), and was used as the flag on his ship (right).
   Enlarge
   Hasekura had an official coat of arms, consisting of a Buddhist
   swastika crossed by two arrows, within a shield and surmounted by a
   royal crown, on an orange background. It is depicted in Deruet's
   painting, the Roman citizenship certificate (top left), various
   engravings (middle), and was used as the flag on his ship (right).

   It is also recorded that Hasekura served as samurai of the Japanese
   invasion of Korea under the Taiko Toyotomi Hideyoshi, during 6 months,
   in 1597.

   In 1612, Hasekura's father, Hasekura Tsunenari (支倉常成), was indicted for
   corruption, and put to death in 1613. His fief was confiscated, and his
   son should normally have been executed as well. Date however gave him
   the opportunity to redeem his honour by taking charge of the Embassy to
   Europe, and soon gave him back his territories as well.

Background: early contacts between Japan and Spain

   The Spanish started trans-Pacific voyages between Mexico (" New Spain")
   and China, through their territorial base in the Philippines, following
   the travels of Andrés de Urdaneta in the 16th century. Manila became
   their base for the Asian region in 1571.

   Spanish ships were periodically shipwrecked on the coasts of Japan due
   to bad weather, initiating contacts with the country. The Spanish
   wished to expand the Christian faith in Japan. Efforts to expand
   influence in Japan were met by stiff resistance from the Jesuits, who
   had started the evangelizing of the country in 1549, as well as the
   Portuguese and the Dutch who did not wish to see Spain participate in
   Japanese trade. However. some Japanese, such as Christopher and Cosmas,
   are known to have crossed the Pacific onboard Spanish galleons as early
   as 1587. It is known that gifts were exchanged between the governor of
   the Philippines and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who thanks him in a 1597
   letter, writing "The black elephant in particular I found most
   unusual."

   In 1609, the Spanish Manila galleon San Francisco encountered bad
   weather on its way from Manila to Acapulco, and was wrecked on the
   Japanese coast in Chiba, near Tokyo. The sailors were rescued and
   welcomed, and the ship's captain, Rodrigo de Vivero, former interim
   governor of the Philippines, met with the retired shogun Tokugawa
   Ieyasu. Rodrigo de Vivero drafted a treaty, signed on 29 November 1609,
   whereby the Spaniards could establish a factory in eastern Japan,
   mining specialists would be imported from Nueva España, Spanish ships
   would be allowed to visit Japan in case of necessity, and a Japanese
   embassy would be sent to the Spanish court.

First Japanese expeditions to the Americas

1610 San Buena Ventura

   The Japanese ship San Buena Ventura was built on the model of Liefde
   (depicted here), the ship on which William Adams originally reached
   Japan.
   Enlarge
   The Japanese ship San Buena Ventura was built on the model of Liefde
   (depicted here), the ship on which William Adams originally reached
   Japan.

   A Franciscan monk named Luis Sotelo, who was proselytizing in the area
   of Tokyo, convinced Tokugawa Ieyasu and his son Tokugawa Hidetada to
   send him as a representative to Nueva España (Mexico) on one of their
   ships, in order to advance the trade treaty. Rodrigo de Vivero offered
   to sail on the Japanese ship in order to guarantee the safety of their
   reception in Nueva España, but insisted that another Franciscan, named
   Alonso Muños, be sent instead as the Shogun's representative. In 1610,
   the returning Rodrigo de Vivero, several Spanish sailors, the
   Franciscan father, and 22 Japanese representatives led by the trader
   Tanaka Shosuke, sailed to Mexico aboard the San Buena Ventura, a ship
   built by the English adventurer William Adams for the Shogun. Once in
   Nueva España, Alonso Muños met with the Viceroy Luis de Velasco, who
   agreed to send an ambassador to Japan in the person of the famous
   explorer Sebastian Vizcaino, with the added mission of exploring the
   "Gold and silver islands" ("Isla de Plata") that were thought to be
   east of the Japanese isles.

   Vizcaino arrived in Japan in 1611, and had many meetings with the
   Shogun and feudal lords. These encounters were tainted by his poor
   respect for Japanese customs, the mounting resistance of the Japanese
   towards Catholic proselytism, and the intrigues of the Dutch against
   Spanish ambitions. Vizcaino finally left to search for the "Silver
   island", during which search he encountered bad weather, forcing him to
   return to Japan with heavy damage.

1612 San Sebastian

   Without waiting for Vizcaino, another ship, built in Izu by the Bakufu
   under the minister of the Navy Mukai Shogen, and named San Sebastian
   left for Mexico on September 9 1612 with Luis Sotelo onboard as well as
   two representatives of Date Masamune, with the objective of advancing
   the trade agreement with Nueva España. However, the ship foundered a
   few miles from Uraga, and the expedition had to be abandoned.

The 1613 embassy project

   A replica of the Japanese-built galleon San Juan Bautista, in
   Ishinomaki, Japan.
   Enlarge
   A replica of the Japanese-built galleon San Juan Bautista, in
   Ishinomaki, Japan.

   The Shogun decided to build a new galleon in Japan in order to bring
   Vizcaino back to Nueva España, together with a Japanese embassy
   accompanied by Luis Sotelo. The galleon, named Date Maru by the
   Japanese and later San Juan Bautista by the Spanish, took 45 days work
   in building, with the participation of technical experts from the
   Bakufu (the Minister of the Navy Mukai Shogen, an acquaintance of
   William Adams with whom he built several ships, dispatched his Chief
   Carpenter), 800 shipwrights, 700 smiths, and 3,000 carpenters. The
   daimyo of Sendai, Date Masamune, was put in charge of the project. He
   named one of his retainers, Hasekura Tsunenaga (his fief was rated at
   around 600 koku), to lead the mission:

          "The Great Ship left Toshima-Tsukinoura for the Southern
          Barbarians on September 15th [Japanese calendar], with at its
          head Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga, and those called Imaizumi
          Sakan, Matsuki Shusaku, Nishi Kyusuke, Tanaka Taroemon, Naito
          Hanjuro, Sonohoka Kyuemon, Kuranojo, Tonomo, Kitsunai, Kyuji, as
          well as several others under Rokuemon, as well as 40 Southern
          Barbarians, 10 men of Mukai Shogen, and also tradespeople, to a
          total 180" (Records of the Date House, Keicho-Genna 伊達家慶長元和留控,
          Gonoi p. 56).

   The objective of the Japanese embassy was both to discuss trade
   agreements with the Spanish crown in Madrid, and to meet with the Pope
   in Rome. Date Masamune displayed a great will to welcome the Catholic
   religion in his domain: he invited Luis Sotelo and authorized the
   propagation of Christianity in 1611. In his letter to the Pope, brought
   by Hasekura, he wrote: "I'll offer my land for a base of your
   missionary work. Send us as many padres as possible."

   Sotelo, in his own account of the travels, emphasizes the religious
   dimension of the mission, claiming that the main objective was to
   spread the Christian faith in northern Japan:
   The San Juan Bautista is represented in Deruet's painting as a galleon
   with Hasekura's flag (red swastika on orange background), on the top
   mast (right: detail of the ship).
   Enlarge
   The San Juan Bautista is represented in Deruet's painting as a galleon
   with Hasekura's flag (red swastika on orange background), on the top
   mast (right: detail of the ship).

          "I was formerly dispatched as ambassador of Idate Masamune, who
          holds the reins of the kingdom of Oxu [Japanese:奥州] (which is in
          the Eastern part of Japan) —who, while he has not yet been
          reborn through baptism, has been catechized, and was desirous
          that the Christian faith should be preached in his
          kingdom—together with another noble of his Court, Philippus
          Franciscus Faxecura Rocuyemon, to the Roman Senate & to the one
          who at that time was in charge of the Apostolic See, His
          Holiness Pope Paul V." (Luis Sotelo De Ecclesiae Iaponicae Statu
          Relatio, 1634).

   The embassy was probably, at that time, part of a plan to diversify and
   increase trade with foreign countries, before the participation of
   Christians in the Osaka rebellion triggered a radical reaction from the
   Shogunate, with the interdiction of Christianity in the territories it
   directly controlled, in 1614.

Trans-Pacific voyage

   Upon completion, the ship left on 28 October 1613 for Acapulco in
   Mexico with around 180 people on board, including 10 samurai of the
   Shogun (provided by the Minister of the Navy Mukai Shogen Tadakatsu),
   12 samurai from Sendai, 120 Japanese merchants, sailors, and servants,
   and around 40 Spaniards and Portuguese, including Sebastian Vizcaino
   who, in his own words, only had the quality of a passenger.

New Spain (Mexico)

   The ship first reached Cape Mendocino in today's California, and then
   continued along the coast to arrive in Acapulco on 25 January 1614
   after three months at sea. The embassy entered Mexico city on 4 March,
   where it was received with great ceremony. The ultimate mission for the
   embassy was to go on to Europe. The embassy spent some time in Mexico,
   and then went to Veracruz to board the fleet of Don Antonio Oquendo.
   The bay of Acapulco, where Hasekura Tsunenaga landed.
   Enlarge
   The bay of Acapulco, where Hasekura Tsunenaga landed.

   A contemporary journal, written by the historian Chimalpahin
   Quauhtlehuanitzin, a noble Aztec born in Amecameca (ancient Chalco
   province) in 1579, whose formal name was Domingo Francisco de San Anton
   Muñon, gives some account of the visit of Hasekura.

          "This is the second time that the Japanese have landed one of
          their ships on the shore at Acapulco. They are transporting here
          all things of iron, and writing desks, and some cloth that they
          are to sell here." (Chimalpahin, "Annals of His Time").
          "It became known here in Mexico and was said that the reason
          their ruler the Emperor of Japan sent this said lordly emissary
          and ambassador here, is to go in Rome to see the Holy father
          Paul V, and to give him their obedience concerning the holy
          church, so that all the Japanase want to become Christians"
          (Chimalpahin, "Annals of His Time").

   Hasekura was setted in a house next to the Church of San Francisco, and
   met with the Viceroy. He explained to him that he was also planning to
   meet king don Felipe III to offer him peace and to obtain that the
   Japanese could come to Mexico for trade. On Wednesday 9th April, 20
   Japanese were baptized, and 22 more on 20th April by the archbishop in
   Mexico, don Juan Pérez de la Serna, at the Church of San Francisco.
   Altogether 63 of them received confirmation on April 25th. Hasekura
   waited for his travel to Europe to be baptized there:

          "But the lordly emissary, the ambassador, did not want to be
          baptized here; it was said that he will be baptized later in
          Spain" (Chimalpahin, "Annals of His Time").

   Nicolas de Cardona, in his 1632 edition of "World Exploration",
   published this view of the bay and city of Acapulco, mentionning the
   presence of "a ship from Japan" (letter "D"), probably the San Juan
   Bautista (Gonoi, p53). Cardona was in Acapulco between end of 1614 and
   March 21st 1615. The full legend reads: A. The ships of the expedition.
   B. The castle of San Diego. C. The town. D. A ship that has come from
   Japan. E. Los Manzanillos. F. El Grifo.
   Enlarge
   Nicolas de Cardona, in his 1632 edition of "World Exploration",
   published this view of the bay and city of Acapulco, mentionning the
   presence of "a ship from Japan" (letter "D"), probably the San Juan
   Bautista (Gonoi, p53). Cardona was in Acapulco between end of 1614 and
   March 21st 1615. The full legend reads:
   A. The ships of the expedition.
   B. The castle of San Diego.
   C. The town.
   D. A ship that has come from Japan.
   E. Los Manzanillos.
   F. El Grifo.

   Chimalpahin explains that Hasekura left some of his compatriots behind
   before leaving for Europe:

          "The Ambassador of Japan set out and left for Spain. In going he
          divided his vassals; he took a certain number of Japanese, and
          he left an equal number here as merchants to trade and sell
          things." (Chimalpahin, "Annals of His Time").

   The fleet left for Europe on the San Jose on the 10th of June. Hasekura
   had to leave the largest parts of the Japanese group behind, who were
   to wait in Acapulco for the return of the embassy.

   Some of them, as well as those from the previous travel of Tanaka
   Shosuke returned to Japan the same year, sailing back with the San Juan
   Bautista:

          "Today, Tuesday the 14th of the month of October of the year
          1614, was when some Japanese set out from Mexico here going home
          to Japan.; they lived here in Mexico for four years. Some still
          remained here; they earn a living trading and selling here the
          goods they brought with them from Japan." (Chimalpahin, "Annals
          of His Time").

Cuba

   The embassy stopped and changed ships in Havana in Cuba in July 1614. A
   bronze statue was erected on April 26th, 2001 at the head of Havana
   Bay.

Mission to Europe

Spain

   Hasekura in prayer, following his conversion in Madrid in 1615.
   Enlarge
   Hasekura in prayer, following his conversion in Madrid in 1615.

   The fleet arrived in Sanlucar de Barrameda on October 5, 1614.

          "The fleet arrived safely finally, after some dangers and
          storms, to the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the 5th of
          October, where residing Duke de Medina warned Sidonia of the
          arrival. It sent ships to honour them, to receive them and had a
          somptuous lodging prepared to accommodate the Ambassador and his
          gentile men" (Scipione Amati "History of the Kingdom of Voxu").

          "The Japanese ambassador Hasekura Rokuemon, sent by Joate
          Masamune, king of Boju, entered Seville on Wednesday 23 of
          October 1614. He was accompanied by 30 Japanese with blades,
          their captain of the guard, and 12 bowmen and halberdiers with
          painted lances and blades of ceremony. The captain of the guard
          was Christian and was called Don Thomas, the son of a Japanese
          martyr" (Library Capitular Calombina 84-7-19 Memorias...,
          fol.195).

   Historic letter from the first Japanese embassy to Spain, kept at
   Seville Town Hall
   Enlarge
   Historic letter from the first Japanese embassy to Spain, kept at
   Seville Town Hall

   The Japanese embassy met with the king of Spain Philip III in Madrid on
   30 January 1615. Hasekura remitted to the King a letter from Date
   Masamune, as well as offer for a treaty. The King responded that he
   would do what he could to accommodate these requests.

   Hasekura was baptized on 17 February by the king's personal chaplain,
   and renamed Felipe Francisco Hasekura. The baptism ceremony was
   conducted by the Archbishop of Toledo, and the Duke of Lerma, the main
   administrator of Phillip III's rule and the de facto ruler of Spain,
   was designated as Hasekura's godfather.

   The embassy stayed 8 months in Spain before leaving the country for
   Italy.

France

   Depiction of Hasekura's visit in the 17th century German edition of
   Scipione Amati's 1615 book on the "History of the Kingdom of Voxu".
   Hasekura's blason in the top right corner.
   Enlarge
   Depiction of Hasekura's visit in the 17th century German edition of
   Scipione Amati's 1615 book on the "History of the Kingdom of Voxu".
   Hasekura's blason in the top right corner.

   After traveling across Spain, the embassy sailed on the Mediterranean
   aboard three Spanish frigates towards Italy. Due to bad weather, they
   had to stay for a few days in the French harbour of Saint Tropez, where
   they were received by the local nobility, and made quite a sensation on
   the populace.

   The visit of the Japanese Embassy is recorded in the city's chronicles
   as led by "Philip Francis Faxicura, Ambassador to the Pope, from Date
   Masamunni, King of Woxu in Japan".

   Many picturesque details of their movements were recorded:

          "They never touch food with their fingers, but instead use two
          small sticks that they hold with three fingers."
          "They blow their noses in soft silky papers the size of a hand,
          which they never use twice, so that they throw them on the
          ground after usage, and they were delighted to see our people
          around them precipitate themselves to pick them up."
          "Their swords cut so well that they can cut a soft paper just by
          putting it on the edge and by blowing on it."
          ("Relations of Mme de St Troppez", October 1615, Bibliotheque
          Inguimbertine, Carpentras).

   The visit of Hasekura Tsunenaga to St Tropez in 1615 is the first
   recorded instance of Franco-Japanese relations.

Italy

   Hasekura's embassy to the Pope in Rome in 1615. Japanese painting, 17th
   century.
   Enlarge
   Hasekura's embassy to the Pope in Rome in 1615. Japanese painting, 17th
   century.
   Letter in Latin, from Date Masamune to the Pope, 1613, kept at the
   Vatican.
   Enlarge
   Letter in Latin, from Date Masamune to the Pope, 1613, kept at the
   Vatican.

   The Japanese Embassy went on to Italy where they were able to meet with
   the Pope Paul V in Rome, in November 1615, the same year Galileo
   Galilei was first confronted by the Roman Inquisition regarding his
   findings against geocentricism. Hasekura remitted to the Pope two
   gilded letters, one in Japanese and one in Latin, containing a request
   for a trade treaty between Japan and Mexico and the dispatch of
   Christian missionaries to Japan. These letters are still visible in the
   Vatican archives. The Latin letter, probably written by Luis Sotelo for
   Date Masamune, reads:

          "Kissing the Holy feet of the Great, Universal, Most Holy Lord
          of The Entire World, Pope Paul, in profound submission and
          reverence, I, Idate Masamune, King of Wôshû in the Empire of
          Japan, suppliantly say:
          The Franciscan Padre Luis Sotelo came to our country to spread
          the faith of God. On that occasion, I learnt about this faith
          and desired to become a Christian, but I still haven't
          accomplished this desire due to some small issues. However, in
          order to encourage my subjects to become Christians, I wish that
          you send missionaries of the Franciscan church. I guarantee that
          you will be able to build a church and that your missionaries
          will be protected. I also wish that you select and send a bishop
          as well. Because of that, I have sent one of my samurai,
          Hasekura Rokuemon, as my representative to accompany Luis Sotelo
          across the seas to Rome, to give you a stamp of obedience and to
          kiss your feet. Further, as our country and Nueva España are
          neighbouring countries, could you intervene so that we can
          discuss with the King of Spain, for the benefit of dispatching
          missionaries across the seas." Translation of the Latin letter
          of Date Masamune to the Pope.

   Title of Roman Citizenship dedicated to "Hasekura Rokuemon" (Click
   image for transcription and translation).
   Enlarge
   Title of Roman Citizenship dedicated to "Hasekura Rokuemon" (Click
   image for transcription and translation).

   The Pope agreed to the dispatch of missionaries, but left the decision
   for trade to the King of Spain.

   The Roman Senate also gave to Hasekura the honorary title of Roman
   Citizen, in a document he brought back to Japan, and which is preserved
   today in Sendai.
   Hasekura conversing with the Franciscan Luis Sotelo, surrounded by
   other members of the embassy, in a fresco showing the "glory of Pope
   Paul V". Sala Regia, Quirinal Palace, Rome, 1615.
   Enlarge
   Hasekura conversing with the Franciscan Luis Sotelo, surrounded by
   other members of the embassy, in a fresco showing the "glory of Pope
   Paul V". Sala Regia, Quirinal Palace, Rome, 1615.

   Sotelo also described the visit to the Pope, book De ecclesiae
   Iaponicae statu relatio (published posthumously in 1634):

          "When we got there by the aid of God in the Year of Our
          Salvation 1615, not only were we kindly received by His Holiness
          the great Pope, with the Holy College of the Cardinals and a
          gathering of bishops and nobles, and even the joy and general
          happiness of the Roman People, but we and three others (whom the
          Japanese Christians had specially designated to announce their
          condition with respect to the Christian religion) were heard,
          rested, and just as we were hoping, dispatched as quickly as
          possible." (Sotelo, De ecclesiae Iaponicae statu relatio).

Rumours of political intrigue

   Besides the official description of Hasekura's visit to Rome, some
   contemporary communications tend to indicate that political matters
   were also discussed, and that an alliance with Date Masamune was
   suggested as a way to establish Christian influence in the whole of
   Japan:

          "The Ambassador strongly insisted that the authority and power
          of his ruler was superior to that of many European countries"
          (Anonymous Roman communication, dated October 10th, 1615)
          "The Franciscan Spanish fathers are explaining that the King of
          the Ambassador [Hasekura Tsunenaga] will soon become the supreme
          ruler of his country, and that, not only will they become
          Christians and follow the will of the church of Rome, but they
          will also in turn convert the rest of the population. This is
          why they are requesting the dispatch of a high eclesiastic
          together with the missionaries. Because of this, many people
          have been doubting the true purpose of the embassy, and are
          wondering if they are not looking for some other benefit."
          (Letter of the Venetian ambassador, November 7th, 1615).

Second visit to Spain

   Letter of the King of Spain to Date Masamune (1616). The letter is
   friendly and asks for the support of the Christian faith, but does not
   mention trade, in spite of Date Masamune's own request (draft,
   preserved in the Seville archives, Archivo General de Indias).
   Enlarge
   Letter of the King of Spain to Date Masamune (1616). The letter is
   friendly and asks for the support of the Christian faith, but does not
   mention trade, in spite of Date Masamune's own request (draft,
   preserved in the Seville archives, Archivo General de Indias).

   For the second time in Spain, Hasekura met again with the King, who
   declined to sign a trade agreement, on the ground that the Japanese
   Embassy did not appear to be an official embassy from the ruler of
   Japan Tokugawa Ieyasu, who, on the contrary, had promulgated an edict
   in January 1614 ordering the expulsion of all missionaries from Japan,
   and started the persecution of the Christian faith in Japan.

   The embassy left Seville for Mexico in June 1617 after a period of two
   years spent in Europe but some of the Japanese remained in Spain, in a
   town near Seville ( Coria del Río), where their descendants to this day
   still use the surname Japón.

Western publications on Hasekura's embassy

   The embassy of Hasekura Tsunenaga was the object of numerous
   publications throughout Europe. The Italian writer Scipione Amati, who
   accompanied the embassy in 1615 and 1616, published in 1615 in Rome a
   book titled "History of the Kingdom of Voxu". This book was also
   translated in German in 1617. In 1616, the French publisher Abraham
   Savgrain published an account of Hasekura's visit to Rome: "Récit de
   l'entrée solemnelle et remarquable faite à Rome, par Dom Philippe
   Francois Faxicura" ("Account of the solemn and remarquable entrance in
   Rome of Dom Philippe Francois Faxicura").
   Amati's book "History of the Kingdom of Woxu", published in 1615.
   Enlarge
   Amati's book "History of the Kingdom of Woxu", published in 1615.
   German translation of Amati's account.
   Enlarge
   German translation of Amati's account.
   Print depicting Hasekura, with legend in Latin.
   Enlarge
   Print depicting Hasekura, with legend in Latin.

Return to Mexico

   Hasekura stayed for 5 months in Mexico on his way back to Japan. The
   San Juan Bautista was waiting in Acapulco since 1616, after a second
   trip across the Pacific from Japan to Mexico. Captained by Yokozawa
   Shogen, she was ladden with fine pepper and lacquerware from Kyoto,
   which were sold on the Mexican market. Following a request by the
   Spanish king, in order to avoid too much silver leaving to Japan, the
   Viceroy asked for the proceeds to be spent on Mexican goods, except for
   an amount of 12,000 pesos and 8,000 pesos in silver which Hasekura and
   Yokozawa could bring back with them respectively.

Philippines

   In April 1618 the San Juan Bautista arrived in the Philippines from
   Mexico, with Hasekura and Luis Sotelo on board. The ship was acquired
   by the Spanish government there, with the objective of building up
   defenses against the attacks of the Dutch and the English. The bishop
   of the Philippines described the deal to the king of Spain in a missive
   dated July 28th, 1619:
   Letter of Hasekura to his son, written during his stay in the
   Philippines, Sendai City Museum.
   Enlarge
   Letter of Hasekura to his son, written during his stay in the
   Philippines, Sendai City Museum.

          "The Governor was extremely friendly with the Japanese, and
          provided them with his protection. As they had many expensive
          things to buy, they decided to lend their ship. The ship was
          immediately furbished for combat. The Governor eventually bought
          the ship, because it turned out that it was of excellent and
          sturdy construction, and available ships were dramatically few.
          In favour of your Majesty, the price paid was reasonnable."
          (Document 243)

   During his stay in the Philippines, Hasekura purchased numerous goods
   for Date Masamune, and built a ship, as he explained in a letter he
   wrote to his son. He finally returned to Japan in August 1620, reaching
   the harbour of Nagasaki.

Return to Japan

   By the time Hasekura came back, Japan had changed quite drastically: an
   effort to eradicate Christianity had been under way since 1614,
   Tokugawa Ieyasu had died in 1616 and been replaced by his more
   xenophobic son Tokugawa Hidetada, and Japan was moving towards the "
   sakoku" policy of isolation. Because news of these persecutions arrived
   in Europe during Hasekura's embassy, European rulers, especially the
   King of Spain, became very reluctant to respond favorably to Hasekura's
   trade and missionary proposals.
   Painting of the Pope Paul V remitted by Hasekura Tsunenaga to Date
   Masamune during his 1620 report. Sendai City Museum.
   Enlarge
   Painting of the Pope Paul V remitted by Hasekura Tsunenaga to Date
   Masamune during his 1620 report. Sendai City Museum.
   Indonesian kris and Ceylonese dagger (acquired in the Philippines),
   presented by Hasekura to Date Masamune upon his return. Sendai City
   Museum.
   Enlarge
   Indonesian kris and Ceylonese dagger (acquired in the Philippines),
   presented by Hasekura to Date Masamune upon his return. Sendai City
   Museum.

   Hasekura reported his travels to Date Masamune upon his arrival in
   Sendai. It is recorded that he remitted a portrait of the Pope Paul V,
   a portrait of himself in prayer (shown above), and a set of Ceylonese
   and Indonesian daggers acquired in the Philippines, all preserved today
   in the Sendai City Museum. The "Records of the House of Masamune"
   describe his report in a rather succinct manner, ending with a rather
   cryptic expression of surprise bordering on the outrage ("奇怪最多シ") at
   Hasekura's discourse:

          "Rokuemon went to the country of the Southern Barbarians, he
          paid his respects to the king Paolo, he stayed there for several
          years, and now he sailed back from Luzon. He brought paintings
          of the king of the Southern Barbarians, and a painting of
          himself, which he remitted. Many of his descriptions of the
          Southern Barbarian countries, and the meaning of Rokuemon's
          declarations were surprising and extraordinary."

Interdiction of Christianity in Sendai

   The direct effect of Hasekura's return to Sendai was the interdiction
   of Christianity in the Sendai fief two days later:

          "Two days after the return of Rokuemon to Sendai, a three-point
          edict against the Christian was promulgated: first, that all
          Christians were ordered to abandon their faith, in accordance
          with the rule of the Shogun, and for those who did not, they
          would be exiled if they were nobles, and killed if they were
          citizens, peasants or servants. Second, that a reward would be
          given for the denunciation of hidden Christians. Third that
          propagators of the Christian faith should leave the Sendai fief,
          or else, abandon their religion" (November 1620 letter of father
          Angelis, Japan-China archives of the Jesuits in Rome, quoted in
          Gonoi's "Hasekura Tsunenaga", p231)

   What Hasekura said or did to bring about such a result is unknown. As
   later events tend to indicate that he and his descendants remained
   faithful Christians, Hasekura may have made an enthusiastic, and to a
   certain extent disturbing, account of the greatness and might of
   Western countries and the Christian religion. He may also have
   encouraged an alliance between the Church and Date Masamune to take
   over the country (an idea advertized by the Franciscans while in Rome),
   which, in 1620 Japan, would have been a totally unrealistic
   proposition. Lastly, hopes of trade with Spain evaporated when Hasekura
   communicated that the Spanish King would not enter an agreement as long
   as persecutions were occurring in the rest of the country.

   Date Masamune, heretofore very tolerant of Christianity, in spite of
   the Bakufu's prohibition in the land it directly controlled, thus
   suddenly chose to distance himself from the Western faith. The first
   executions of Christians started 40 days later. The anti-Christian
   measures taken by Date Masumune were however comparatively mild, and
   Japanese and Western Christians repeatedly claimed that he only took
   them to appease the Shogun:

          "Date Masumune, out of fear of the Shogun, ordered the
          persecution of Christianity in his territory, and created
          several martyrs." (Letter of 17 prominent Japanese Christians
          from Sendai, to the Pope, 29 September 1621).

   One month after Hasekura's return, Date Masamune wrote a letter to the
   Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, in which he makes a very clear effort to
   evade responsibility for the embassy, explaining in detail how it was
   organized with the approval, and even the collaboration, of the Shogun:

          "When I sent a ship to the Southern Barbarian countries several
          years ago, upon the advice of Mukai Shogen, I also dispatched
          the Southern Barbarian named Sotelo, who had resided for several
          years in Edo. At that time, your highness also gave messages for
          the Southern Barbarians, as well as presents, such as folding
          screens and sets of armour." (October 18th, 1620, quoted in
          Gonoi, p234).

   Spain was by far the most threatening power for Japan at that time
   (with a colony and an army in the nearby Philippines). Hasekura
   eyewitness accounts of Spanish power and colonial methods in Nueva
   España (Mexico) may have precipitated the Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada's
   decision to sever trade relations with Spain in 1623, and diplomatic
   relations in 1624, although other events such as the smuggling of
   Spanish priests into Japan and a failed Spanish embassy also
   contributed to the decision.

Death

   What became of Hasekura is unknown and accounts of his last years are
   numerous. Contemporary Christian commentators could only rely on
   hearsay, some rumours stating that he abandoned Christianity, others
   that he was martyred for his faith, and others that he practiced
   Christianity in secret. The fate of his descendants and servants, who
   were later executed for being Christians, would suggest that Hasekura
   remained strongly Christian himself, and transmitted his faith to the
   members of his family.
   The Buddhist grave of Hasekura Tsunenaga, still visible today in
   Enfukuji, Enchōzan, Miyagi.
   Enlarge
   The Buddhist grave of Hasekura Tsunenaga, still visible today in
   Enfukuji, Enchōzan, Miyagi.

   Sotelo, who returned to Japan but was caught and finally burnt of the
   stake in 1624, gave before his execution an account of Hasekura
   returning to Japan as a hero who propagated the Christian faith:

          "My other colleague, the ambassador Philippus Faxecura, after he
          reached his aforementioned king ( Date Masamune), was greatly
          honored by him, and sent to his own estate, to rest after such a
          long and tiring journey, where he made his wife, children,
          servants, and many other vassals into Christians, and advised
          other nobles who were his kith and kin to accept the faith,
          which they indeed did. While he was engaged in these and other
          pious works, a full year after his return, having provided much
          instruction and a great example, with much preparation, he
          piously passed on, leaving for his children by a special
          inheritance the propagation of the faith in his estate, and the
          protection of the religious in that kingdom. The King and all
          the nobles were greatly saddened by his passing, but especially
          the Christians and Religious, who knew very well the virtue and
          religious zeal of this man. This is what I heard by letters from
          the very religious who administered the sacraments to him, and
          who had been present at his death, as well as from others."
          (Luis Sotelo, De ecclesiae Iaponicae statu relatio).

   Hasekura also did bring back to Japan several Catholic artifacts, but
   he did not give them to his ruler, and instead kept them in his own
   estate.

   Hasekura Tsunenaga died of illness (according to Japanese as well as
   Christian sources) in 1622, but the location of his grave is not known
   for certain. Three graves are claimed as Hasekura's. One is visible in
   the Buddhist temple of Enfukuji (Japanese: 円長山円福寺) in Miyagi.

Execution of his descendants and servants

   Hasekura had a son, named Rokuemon Tsuneyori. Two of his son's
   servants, Yogoemon and his wife, were convicted of being Christian and
   executed in August 1637. In 1637, Rokuemon Tsuneyori also came under
   suspicion of Christianity after being denounced by someone from Edo,
   but escaped questioning because he was the master of the Zen temple of
   Komyoji (光明寺). He finally was convicted and executed in 1640, at the
   age of 42, after two Christian priests, the Dominican Pedro Vazquez and
   Joan Bautista Paulo, gave his name under torture. Two other servants,
   Taro Saemon (71), who had followed Hasekura to Rome, and his wife (59),
   were executed the same day. Since the life of Christians was spared if
   they recanted, these executions indicate that they were steadfast and
   refused to deny their faith. Tsuneyori's younger brother fled and
   disappeared.
   Cross and medal seized in Hasekura's estate in 1640.
   Enlarge
   Cross and medal seized in Hasekura's estate in 1640.
   Rosaries found in Hasekura's estate in 1640.
   Enlarge
   Rosaries found in Hasekura's estate in 1640.

   The privileges of the Hasekura family were abolished at this point by
   the Sendai fief, and their property and belongings seized. It is at
   this time, in 1640, that Hasekura's Christian artifacts were
   confiscated, and kept in custody in Sendai until they were rediscovered
   at the end of the 19th century.

   Altogether, around fifty Christian artifacts were found in Hasekura's
   estate in 1640, such as crosses, rosaries, religious gowns and
   religious paintings. The artifacts were seized and stored by the Date
   fief. An inventory was made again in 1840 describing the items as
   belonging to Hasekura Tsunenaga. Nineteen books were also mentioned in
   the inventory, but they have been lost since. The artifacts are today
   preserved in the Sendai City Museum and other museum in Sendai.

Re-discovery

   The very existence of the travels of Hasekura was forgotten in Japan,
   until the reopening of the country after the sakoku policy of
   isolation. In 1873, a Japanese embassy to Europe (the Iwakura mission)
   headed by Iwakura Tomomi heard for the first time of the travels of
   Hasekura when shown documents during their visit to Venice in Italy.

Hasekura today

   Today, there are statues of Hasekura Tsunenaga in the outskirts of
   Acapulco in Mexico, at the entrance of Havana Bay in Cuba, in Coria del
   Río in Spain, in the Church of Civitavecchia in Italy, and in
   Tsukinoura, near Ishinomaki.

   A theme park describing the embassy and displaying a replica of the San
   Juan Bautista was established in the harbour of Ishinomaki, from which
   Hasekura initially departed on his voyage.

   Shusaku Endo wrote in 1980 a novel, titled "The Samurai", which relates
   the travels of Hasekura.

   A 2005 animation film produced in Spain and titled " Gisaku" relates
   the adventures of a young Japanese samurai named Yohei who visited
   Spain in the 17th century, in a story loosely taking its inspiration
   from the travels of Hasekura. Yohei survived in hiding to the present
   day due to magical powers ("After centuries of lethargy, he awakes in a
   World he does not know"), and accomplishes many adventures in modern
   Europe as a superhero.

Timeline and itinerary

Japan (1613)

     * April, 1613: Date Masamune receives permission from the Tokugawa
       Shogunate for the expedition and the building of a ship.
     * October 28, 1613: Departure from Tsukinoura Bay.

Americas (1613-1614)

     * November 1613: Sighting of Cape Mendocino
     * January, 1614: Stop in Zacatula
     * January 25, 1614: Arrival in Acapulco, New Spain
     * March 24, 1614: Arrival in Mexico City
     * Puebla
     * Veracruz
     * June 10, 1614: Boarding of a Spanish frigate at San Juan de Ulúa
     * Havana

Spain (1614-1615)

     * October 5, 1614: Arrival at Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Spain
     * Coria del Rio
     * October 21, 1614: Arrival in Seville
     * Cordoba
     * Toledo
     * Getafe
     * December 20, 1614: Arrival in Madrid
     * January 30, 1615: Meeting with king Philip III of Spain
     * February 17th, 1615: Baptism of Hasekura Tsunenaga
     * Alcala de Henares
     * Daroca
     * Zaragoza
     * Fraga
     * Lerida
     * Igualada
     * Barcelona

France (1615)

     * Saint-Tropez, September 1615

Italy (1615-1616)

   Print depicting Hasekura kneeling before the Pope, German edition.
   Enlarge
   Print depicting Hasekura kneeling before the Pope, German edition.
     * Savona
     * Genoa
     * October 18th, 1615: Arrival in Civitavecchia.
     * October 29th, 1615: Ceremony commemorating the mission's arrival in
       Rome.
     * November 3rd, 1615: Meeting with Pope Paul V
     * November 23th, 1615: Reception of certificates of Honorary
       Citizenship by Hasekura Tsunenaga and four other Japanese members
       of the mission.
     * Napoli
     * Roma
     * Firenze
     * Venice
     * Firenze
     * Livorno, by ship to Genoa
     * Genoa

Spain (1616)

     * Barcelona
     * Igualada
     * Lerida
     * Fraga
     * Zaragoza
     * Daroca
     * Alcala de Henares
     * April 17th, 1616: Return to Madrid.
     * Getafe
     * Toledo
     * Cordoba
     * Seville
     * Coria del Rio
     * June, 1616: Departure from Spain, at Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Americas (1616-1618)

     * Havana
     * San Juan de Ulúa
     * Veracruz
     * Puebla
     * Mexico City
     * Departure from Acapulco, New Spain

Philippines (1618-1620)

     * June 20, 1618: Arrival in Manila, Philippines.

Japan (1620)

     * September 22, 1620: Arrival in Nagasaki, Japan
     * August 7th, 1622: Hasekura dies from illness

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasekura_Tsunenaga"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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