Japan: Expulsion of Missionaries
Which questions can this source help me answer? Which can it not?
We don't know how the people of Japan felt about this. How strongly were the Japanese connected to their faith and traditions in this time period?
We don't know if the expulsion of missionaries worked. Who was still practicing Christianity in Japan after this?
How much influence did Japanese rulers have over religion in the country?
This document shows us how a ruler could simply ban certain religions in their country
Whose perspective does it reflect?
A firm believer in Buddhism, and tried to preserve the traditional Japanese culture; the faith was wavering because of Christianity and Western colonization
What are the big ideas?
Anyone who is negatively effecting Buddhism in Japan is no longer welcome in the country
Christian teachings from other countries will "not be tolerated"
The illegal action of commending part of your land to the Church
The tenants doing this are meant to consider their land as a only a temporary asset
The destroying of shrines and temples was an "outrage"
Who wrote it? Why?
To condemn and expel the Christian missionaries from Japan
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Known as the second "Great Unifer" of Japan
Japanese ruler
What does it reveal about the values and beliefs of the past?
This reveals how popular Christianity was becoming, and how big announcements, decisions, and new laws needed to be put in place to stop it
Whose perspectives are omitted/questioned/challenged?
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was publicly challenging the missionaries and the Japanese citizens who were converting
What ideas are left out?
I don't have any background knowledge on this topic, so I am not sure what ideas the writer could have left out
How does this author communicate ideas?
A list of statements
The statements were firm - not up for argument
What does it look like?
An announcement in a form of a numbered list
A digitized version of an older document
Did it result in change?
Yes, the missionaries and padres were now expelled from Japan and Christianity needed to be practiced in secret after this notice was announced
