Abstract
In A History of Jesuit Missions in Japan, Italian historian Guillaume Alonge challenges the popular notions of the thoughtful cultural adaptation by 16th-century Jesuit missionaries to Japan while painting a more nuanced picture of their cross-cultural reality. This book recounts the Jesuits’ work primarily, drawing on sources left by the missionaries themselves. Francis Xavier and others were known to practice accommodatio, a method focused on accommodating local cultural and religious practices. Their work to spread Christianity began with a top-down approach but necessitated change after the ruling class began persecuting Catholic missionaries. Alonge brings nuance to the conversation, which typically presents Japan as a violent place toward 16th-century missionaries and Jesuits as peaceful ministers in an oppressive environment.
Though brief, this work provides a complex picture of missions to Japan where accommodatio, or more cautious strategies, were developed out of necessity. Another intriguing lens through which the Jesuits are viewed is the historical one. They were products of their counter-reformation ethos. Early preaching and the erection of large crosses throughout Japan were combined with the destruction of idols, altars, and Buddhist temples, reflective of European wars of religion. In the final chapter, a portrait is presented of Takayama Ukon, a complex figure known as Christ’s Samurai. His life, death, and biographical recordings bring up issues around martyrdom and sainthood in the Catholic church, which present striking dichotomies between official position and popular practice.
A History of Jesuit Mission in Japan is dense and at times challenging to follow, but provides a fresh examination of mission work in Asia. This book is beneficial for missiological as well as historical research, adding depth to the story of early missionary work in Japan. This study will help readers familiar with 16th-century Catholicism, detailing how the Jesuits, Franciscans, and Dominicans interacted with the Japanese and influenced one another on the archipelago. With extensive footnotes, the author includes many sources for further exploration of the concepts found in the writings of Jesuit missionaries, especially for the Spanish speaker.
