Omura City, Nagasaki Prefecture
An airplane with a white body took off, blending into the deep blue sky.
Looking at Nagasaki Airport (Omura City) off the coast of Omura Bay from a forest park on the opposite shore, it looked like a toy airplane was flying because there was no noise to be heard.
The waves were calm.
Occasionally large buses and taxis came across the long bridge.
Beside a bench in the park stood statues of four boys dressed in Western clothes.
They all had round faces and childish expressions, but they exuded a sharp dignity.
They were called the “Tensho Boys’ Embassy to Europe.”
Dispatch of the Embassy
The greatest hero of the “Tensho” period, which lasted for 19 years, was Oda Nobunaga.
Nobunaga hated Buddhism, including the Ikko sect, but was tolerant of Christianity.
He also met with Portuguese missionary Luis Frois many times, and had him build a seminary under Azuchi Castle (Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture).
During this time, Christian missionary work, which began with Francis Xavier, reached its heyday, albeit for a short time, in Azuchi, Kyoto, Sakai, and other places.
The purpose of sending the young envoys was to appeal to the Europeans about the existence of “Japan,” and the Portuguese ship carrying the four of them left Nagasaki Port in February 1582.
Four months later, Nobunaga, who was aiming to “unify the country under military rule,” committed suicide at Honnoji Temple.
As the “ruler of the country” passed from Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Tokugawa Ieyasu, Christianity gradually became intolerant, and it eventually became a target of oppression.
Of course, the young envoys had no idea about this during their great journey.
The four were Ito Mancio, Hara Martino, and Chijiwa Miguel
Julian Nakaura, and they were 13-14 years old when they set out.
The other three were “representatives” of the Christian feudal lords of Kyushu, such as Omura Sumitada, the first Christian feudal lord in Japan, as well as Otomo Sorin and Arima Harunobu.
Rome, Vatican Palace
After two and a half years of travel from the Indian Ocean to the southern tip of Africa, they arrived in Europe, where they were warmly welcomed in Portugal and Spain.
The climax of their journey was an audience with Pope Gregory XIII at the Vatican Palace in Rome in March 1585.
The priest who officiated at the ceremony praised them, saying, “They came all the way from Japan, the end of the world, to kneel before His Holiness. (Omitted) Now a country so far away that it would take a whole trip around the globe to reach it has been converted.” However, Julian, who was not a representative, was unable to attend the “Hare” ceremony.
