The 1587 Edicts of Japan from the Records of Jesuit Missionaries and Accommodative Mission

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 일본사학회
· 수록지 정보 : 일본역사연구 / 51호 / 131 ~ 151페이지
· 저자명 : 장혜진

초록

Japan encountered with European culture for the first time through Xavier, a Jesuit who arrived in Japan in 1549. Xavier's missionary strategy to accommodate local culture was a top-down approach targeted at elites and developed later to a missionary practice implemented on the condition of Nanban trade upon the request of Japanese rulers. As missionary work progressed according to such strategy, the number of converts increased due to the influence of daimyos or commanders who had converted to Christianity. However, Valignano who was dispatched to Japan in 1579 as an envoy of the Society of Jesus to East Asia grasped the actual situation of missionary work and established an improved missionary strategy, pointing out problems. While succeeding to Xavier's top-down missionary approach targeted at elites politically and socially, he instructed the Church in Japan to perform missionary work targeted at elites mainly in major bases of Christians and to apply a missionary approach targeted at elites with aid from Christian daimyos, rather than continuing indiscreet missionary activities in return for trade, unlike missionary activities at the early stage. He emphasized accommodative missionary practice at cultural aspect, aiming at ordinary believers, rather than concentrating on elite rulers. However, this (Valignano's missionary practice as cultural accommodation) did not mean a fusion with the Japanese or Japanese culture, but meant the recognition of differences between Europe and Japan in cultural nature and the strategy of conduct with regard to how to express favorable impressions to Japanese and how to treat them. In short, Valignano's cultural accommodation was a manner of response as a result of dispassionate perception of differences between two cultures.
Meanwhile, we can find that Valignano's political accommodation conflicted with Hideyoshi's two 1587 edicts. Contrary to the Jesuits' missionary strategy, Japanese's view on the Society of Jesus changed due to changes in the political landscape of the Warring States Period. As mentioned above, Frois said, "he had no chance to break the relationship with the Church because the Church has behaved expeditely, serving him, and has avoid any activity seemingly offensive to his view, keeping ourselves on guard, which means that the Society of Jesus was successful in establishing friendly relationships with Japanese rulers to some extent in the cultural dimension. However, the Society of Jesus was merely a political, religious power similar to Ikko sect in Hideyoshi's plan for national unification and the rule of East Asia. To Hideyoshi, the Society of Jesus was Valignano's religion politically organized like Ikko sect. In other words, the Christian community in Japan was perceived as a militarily threatening religious organization, which possessed powerful armed ships in collusion with Portuguese merchants, and Hideyoshi began to question about the political strength of Christians, who were obedient to foreign clergymen, and felt threat from them. After all, the Society of Jesus failed to establish trustful relationships with rulers such as Hideyoshi and was stranded in the political landscape of Japan. Although accommodative missionary practice of the Society of Jesus in Japan succeeded in the cultural dimension to some extent, it was removed to the outside of the established society of Japan and began to face persecution.

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