Foreign Missionaries and Indigenous Communities in Nineteenth Century: Japan

This chapter breaks down the Catholic mission to Japan into three distinct periods: (1) The first period is from 1854 to 1865, following the missionaries' initial attempts to learn the language and time spent in the 琉球 Ryukyu Kingdom. Initial incursions into Japan involved the close support of French officials, keen to be a part of the new opening up of trade. Meanwhile, the Vatican supported the Missions-Étrangères de Paris (MEP) as the sole Catholic mission entering Japan. (2) The second period is from 1865 to 1873. Early in 1865, following the mission's building of a new cathedral in 長崎 Nagasaki, a group of "Hidden Christians" arrived at the building to meet the priests, precipitating a period of clandestine ministry to the local indigenous populace. By 1867, however, the magistrate and officials heard of the new ministry of the French priests to indigenous communities and began a clampdown, known as a 崩れ kuzure. By the time the 明治革命 Meiji Revolution had entailed the downfall of the 徳川将 軍 Tokugawa shogunate, in 1870, over 3000 local "Hidden Christians" were exiled around Japan, unable to return home until 1873. The final period considered within this chapter is a period of open religion, (3) from 1873 to 1900, during which many previous "Hidden Christians" entered the Catholic Church, and the Catholic mission expanded, from treaty ports to the inland, as indigenous priests also increased in number. The local church administration was set up during this period. Local catechists supported the ministry of the missionaries, while French women religious arrived from the early 1870s and involved themselves in varied ministries, including the provision of education and welfare.