150 Years of Meiji Restoration-The Preacher of Iwakura Mission： The First Dispatch of Japan to Europe

As we all know, the Meiji Restoration in Japan was one of the most successful "modernization transformations" in modern Asia. Among them, the "Iwakura Mission", led by the reformists, made great contributions-a trip to the west in just two years, which carefully investigated all aspects of western powers and laid the foundation for the restoration in the next 50 years. However, the famous "Iwakura Mission" was not the first time that Japan took the initiative to "make Europe". The process of Japan’s understanding of the West and the world was also started before the Meiji Restoration. As early as more than 400 years ago, during the Warring States Period, Japan sent the European Mission-"Tianzheng Mission" for the first time.

Day is sending European youth envoys and accompanying priests.

From Nagasaki to Lisbon: The Journey to the West of "Extremely" Teenagers

In 1534, the Jesuits were founded in Paris. Jesuits traveled all over the world to spread Catholicism, and the earliest place where they made progress in the East was Warring States Japan, which was politically competitive and therefore relatively diverse in thought. According to scholars’ investigation, in 1582, when the "Tianzheng Mission" was dispatched, only one Jesuit order had 150,000 followers in Japan, and the successful missionary activities attracted many Kyushu names, such as Fei Qianguo, to convert to Catholicism. For a while, Japan became one of the most prosperous Catholic countries in East Asia at that time.

Kyushu is one of the most prosperous regions of Jesuits in the East.

Facing the prosperous situation of "faith", the Christian celebrities in Kyushu gradually came up with the idea of sending envoys to Europe, which coincided with the Jesuit society, which urgently needed to show its missionary achievements through "believers in the ends of the earth". Soon, with the support and financing of Fan Lian, the head of the Jesuit "East Indian Region", Ma Qingxin, Ōtomo Sōrin and Tadashi Omura, a "mission to Europe" composed of aristocratic teenagers was quickly established. They are Ōtomo Sōrin’s relative Ito Sukeyoshi, Ma Qingxin’s relative Qian Qian Shijie, Tomura’s relative Yuan Martin, and Kyushu aristocrat Zhongpu Julian. Because the oldest member of all the missions is only 15 years old, they are also called "Youth Envoys Sent to Europe by Heaven" by later generations.

In 2014, the portrait of Ito Sukeyoshi painted by the 16th century painter Tintoretto was discovered in Italy.

On February 20, 1582, carrying letters and gifts from three famous Christians, the first European mission in Japanese history officially set sail from Nagasaki Port. In addition to the four teenagers mentioned earlier, the mission also included Mesquita, a missionary, and other entourage, who were responsible for the daily life and education of the teenagers, and Fan Lian himself went with him. The fleet reversed along the commercial road developed eastward by the Portuguese maritime empire all the way to the west, from Nagasaki to Macau, and reached Goa, an important stronghold of Jesuits’ missionary work in India. The mission stayed in Goa for a long time because of the unfavorable climate. During this period, Fan Lian received a letter from the President of the Jesuits, asking him to stay in Goa and direct the missionary work in the East, and not to come with the mission. Therefore, Fan Lian had to appoint another Jesuit as the attache to accompany the mission to Europe after completion. After a stop-and-go voyage, the mission finally arrived off the coast of Lisbon in August 1584, ending two years of drifting at sea.

From Goa to Nagasaki, the establishment of eastern strongholds outlined the development track of Portugal’s maritime empire. Detailed reference to the new book History of Portuguese Maritime Empire by Gu Weimin, a scholar.

"The Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II": Japanese Teenagers’ Journey to Europe

On the evening of August 11, 1584, the delegation officially landed on the land of Europe. As the title of Braudel’s masterpiece reveals, southern Europe at this time belongs to the "Mediterranean world" of Habsburg family Philip II-under his rule, it not only covers the whole of western Portugal today, but also includes Italy and the Netherlands; If you count his colonies in Latin America and Asia, Philip II ruled all over the world. Because of its close ties with the Vatican, the so-called "the strongest monarch in the Christian world" is well deserved. Under this historical background, the teenagers of "Tianzheng Mission" traveled to Europe slowly.

The first stop of the mission is Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. There, they met with the Portuguese governor many times and gained wide attention. After the tour in Portugal, the mission entered Spain in September, and arrived in Madrid on October 19th, heading for Wang Ting, the world’s first "empire that never sets". However, due to the nationwide swearing-in ceremony being held in Madrid at this time, the mission’s audience was postponed to November.

On November 14th, the audience ceremony was held as scheduled. Under the leadership of the King’s splendid guard of honor, four teenagers in kimonos slowly drove into the palace with letters from Japanese names and exquisite lacquerware gifts in the eyes of many citizens. King Philip II personally received them and thanked the famous Japanese for their gifts. The king also invited them to make a speech in Japanese. A few days later, the four members of the delegation visited the royal church and other places successively, and also visited the newly completed Escorial Palace, and were fortunate enough to witness the "highest sacred objects" such as the thorns of Jesus, which shows that the world monarch attached great importance to visitors from the far east.

Escorial Palace, the "eighth wonder of the world" costing countless American silver.

Farewell to Philip II, the mission continued to set out for the Italian territory of the empire by sea. In March 1585, the fleet arrived in Pisa, the residence of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In the palace, Archduke Francis personally stepped down to meet him and invited a group of four people to attend the dinner. At the dinner party, an interesting thing happened that is still talked about: in the middle of the banquet, the Grand Duchess suddenly pulled up the sleeve of the chairman Ito Sukeyoshi and invited him to dance. After receiving the religious approval of the accompanying priest, Ito accepted the invitation of the Grand Duchess; Chichiishi and Zhongpu were also involved, and the atmosphere was warm for a while, which led to laughter.

Ito’s escape from being invited to dance with the Grand Duchess is still being interpreted on the stage.

After visiting Tuscany, the mission also visited Florence and other places. Because the original intention of the mission itself included the consideration of religious pilgrimage, they did not stay in these places for a long time. After a brief visit to the local nobles and a tour of the main holy places, the teenagers marched non-stop towards Rome, the "holy city" of Christianity.

Experience the moment of pope change: Rome of four teenagers

In March 1585, three years after sailing from Nagasaki, the mission finally arrived in Rome. Although according to the original plan, the Pope would meet the four teenagers informally in the form of private meetings, Pope George XIII at that time temporarily decided to meet these visitors from the Far East with a solemn public ceremony.

On the 23rd, the ceremony was held as scheduled. With the salute of the musket team roaring, and under the gaze of the guests and citizens present, Masato Ito, wearing a kimono, accompanied by two archbishops, was at the front of the team, followed by Chichiishi and former Martin, and headed for the Vatican Palace. When the believers from the other side of the distant earth appeared in the lobby, the Pope was filled with tears for a moment. He invited Ito and Chichiishi to read letters from three famous Japanese names in public, and asked the children about the religious and social situation in Japan in detail. Because the ceremony was short and unfinished, the Pope met the delegation again on April 3 and arranged for them to visit their bedrooms, which shows the Pope’s love for children.

Mission audience scene

However, things are unpredictable. Shortly after the second interview, Pope Emilio suddenly suffered from nasal mucositis and passed away on the afternoon of April 10th. In response to this unexpected situation, the College of Cardinals held a closed-door meeting on Easter that month, and elected Cardinal Montaldo to succeed Pope for Sistine V..

Because the old pope was very concerned about missionary affairs and gave the mission a high courtesy, the sudden death of the old pope caused deep concern among the members of the mission, who were worried that the new pope was not interested in the distant East. However, it turns out that their worries are unnecessary. At the subsequent coronation ceremony of the Pope, the mission teenagers were not only invited by the new Pope, but also invited to stand behind the Pope and put up a canopy for him, even before the representatives of France, the so-called "eldest daughter of the Catholic Church". Since then, in January, the new Pope has led teenagers to participate in various activities many times and awarded them honorary titles such as "Roman aristocrats".

An inscription recording the mission’s visit to Rome

In this way, after receiving the courtesy of the new Pope and the promise of supporting the Japanese missionary cause, the mission left Rome on June 3, passing through Venice, Milan and other places, and returned to the Iberian Peninsula by boat again. In Iberia, the mission stayed in Barcelona and Lisbon to wait for the weather suitable for sailing. A year later, in April, 1586, the time came to return to China. After four years away from home, the teenagers embarked on a long journey home.

Shangluo: a tortuous but extraordinary way to return home

Due to the high winds and high waves, the mission’s road to return home was not smooth, and it stopped and stopped all the way until it finally arrived in India in June 1587. However, just as the mission was about to complete the last leg of its long journey, the situation in Japan changed dramatically. In July, 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the actual supreme ruler of Japan at that time, suddenly issued the Order of Pursuing and Releasing with the Celestial Company after completing the "Kyushu Conquest", which was the first time to ban religion in Japan, which added great variables to whether the "Tianzheng Mission" originally shouldered the religious mission could return to China smoothly.

"Companion with Heaven" (バテレン) means "priest". This order is the first missionary expulsion order in Japanese history.

Worried about the situation in Japan, the delegation deliberately slowed down and stayed in Goa and Macao, China for a long time to ensure the safety of returning home. However, due to the ability of Fanlian, the head of Jesuit East India, and the Portuguese Governor in Goa also promised to fully cooperate, the "Tianzheng Mission" was not only successfully allowed to return to China in 1590, but also got the opportunity to go to Kyoto in person the following year and see Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a "world person".

In March, 1591, Toyotomi Hideyoshi summoned the members of the mission in the "Juledi" mansion in Kyoto. Due to the previous prohibition of religion, the audience took a more flexible way, that is, let the teenagers of the mission wear Portuguese clothes and participate in the audience as European missions rather than their own nationals. However, in the specific reference process, the teenagers still adopted the traditional Japanese etiquette, and presented Toyotomi Hideyoshi with generous gifts and told them all kinds of experiences of the trip. Toyotomi Hideyoshi obviously showed great interest in the extraordinary experience of teenagers. After the audience ceremony, Toyotomi Hideyoshi summoned the delegation several times, and even once invited Ito Tomoyoshi to join him to contribute to his upcoming Korean expedition (the Battle of Nonchen). No, Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s invitation was declined by Ito, who claimed that it was an unjust act to abandon the priests who raised him just because of his high official position. Toyotomi Hideyoshi appreciated this. Before finally allowing the delegation to return to Kyushu, he inquired about the situation in Europe and India in detail.

With the completion of the "Visit to Shanghai", the "Tianzheng Mission", which lasted for more than 8 years, finally completed all its historical missions and officially returned to Kyushu in 1591.

The west wind spreading eastward: the significance and enlightenment of "Tianzheng Mission"

Through the historical retrospect of the first Japanese mission to Europe "Tianzheng Mission", we can see that, unlike the traditional narrative of "shutting the country out", Japan in early modern times, especially Kyushu, was not ignorant and indifferent to the great changes in the world. On the contrary, they have great interest in the distant west, and this interest is not a unique phenomenon that is only concentrated in the highest ruling class. This provides some clues for us to understand why Japan in Meiji era was able to transform rapidly after nearly 200 years.

From the top of society. First of all, in the historical field of early modern times in the 16th century, being able to send a mission to Europe on its own initiative was enough to reflect the interest of some Japanese political elites in the outside world at that time. In just 20 years later, the mission headed by Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga once again made Europe (from the route, the mission even passed through America), which is another proof of this interest. Secondly, as a result of this trip to Europe, the teenagers of "Tianzheng Mission" brought back a large number of paintings and books from Europe, which brought a very comprehensive and brand-new world picture to the upper class who had access to these precious materials, and provided valuable original thrust for inspiring their desire to further explore the world. According to the research, Guan Bai Toyotomi Hideyoshi was very fond of The Atlas of the World (Theatrum Orbis Terrarum) presented by the youth of the mission, and even ordered painters to draw it into a screen for daily appreciation. It can be said that although geographically isolated, the upper class of Japanese society has always been more curious about the outside world.

A screen drawn by a Japanese painter according to The Complete Works of the Universe.

Similar to the upper class, the middle class and ordinary people, especially the ordinary people in Kyushu, have also been positively influenced by the visit of the "Tianzheng Mission". First of all, a large number of western paintings brought back by teenagers have been imitated by ordinary "Na Man paintings" (that is, western paintings). Secondly, and more importantly, the mission brought back the first Gutenberg metal movable type printing machine in Japanese history from Europe. Although movable type printing was invented in China and spread to Japan at that time, it is still very inconvenient to print western works. The bringing back of Gutenberg printing machine solved this problem well. Later, western language learning books, textbooks, and western religious literature were printed vigorously (the so-called "Geely Zhidan Edition" in later generations), which made the printing of Jesuits in Japan the climax. Through these books, western knowledge gradually entered the world of ordinary Kyushu people. The spread of knowledge from the outside world, though restrained by the later policy of the edo shogunate to ban religion, can never be obliterated. It was not until the Meiji Restoration era two hundred years later that they were awakened again, and then turned into a great innovation force at the lower level. Just like all successful reforms in history, "modernization of the country" and "modernization of the people" have always been complementary. As can be seen from the case of "Tianzheng Mission", the Japanese people’s interest in knowledge of the outside world started long before the Meiji Restoration.