Tensho Delegation
A delegation of four boys dispatched to the Pope by Christian daimyo in the age of Hideyoshi Toyotomi
The Tensho Delegation, also called the Tensho Boys’ Delegation or Tensho Boys’ Delegation to Europe, was a goodwill delegation of boys dispatched to the Pope in 1582 by Sorin Otomo, Sumitada Omura, and Harunobu Arima, Christian daimyo of Kyushu, at the recommendation of Alessandro Valignano. With Mancio Ito and Miguel Chijiwa as formal ambassadors and Martino Hara and Julian Nakaura as vice-ambassadors, the delegation had an audience with King Philip II of Spain and was cordially received by Pope Gregorius XIII. One of Valignano’s objectives was to give the 14- and 15-year-old youths an experience of the grandness of the European Christian world, so that when they returned to Japan, they would relate what they had seen and thus help spread the faith. His other objective was to introduce these Japanese youths to the Pope and at European courts to increase their understanding of Jesuits’ missionary work in Japan and seek their aid. The delegation returned to Nagasaki in 1590 and had an audience with Hideyoshi Toyotomi at his Jurakutei palace the following year. They became members of the Society of Jesus, but did not meet the expectations set for them. Miguel later renounced his faith, and the other three, though becoming priests, all died of illness or were martyred. Yet the extent to which they made Japan and the Japanese known to Europe and the Christian world was considerable.
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天正遣欧使節を派遣した有馬氏、その拠点の日野江城や原城、キリスト教伝来やキリシタン弾圧などをテーマとする。
Kyushu National Museum explores how Japan’s history of cultural exchange with the rest of Asia has impacted the formation of its culture. To that end, we engage in the collection, preservation, exhibition, and research of cultural properties, in addition to providing educational outreach to the local community.
ローマに派遣された日本初の公式使節団、かれらが出帆して400年目を記念し、4少年の偉業を讃えるために建てられた顕彰像。所在地は長崎県大村市森園町。
伊東マンショの魂の偉業と足跡を讃えるためマンショ祭を開催、また翻訳活動を行っている。
