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殉教三聖人図 / 九州国立博物館

Society of Jesus

A Catholic male religious order that pursued missionary efforts throughout the world, and that introduced European culture to Japan

The Society of Jesus, also known as the Societas Iesu and the Jesuit Order, a male religious order, was established in 1534 by Ignacio de Loyola and sanctioned in 1540. In response to Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation, it actively sought to revive the Catholic Church and was often persecuted for its aggressive approach to missionary work. It maintained missions from China and South Asia to the New World, and with Francis Xavier’s arrival in Japan, its activities spread to Japan as well. Because missionaries received protection from the Christian daimyo of various provinces, they were permitted to carry out their activities, and elements of European culture—including scholarship and education, letterpress printing, painting, and music—were introduced to Japan. Missionaries also documented the institutions, customs, and manners of Japanese society as they existed at the time. Though Pope Clement XIV suppressed the order in 1773 , it was restored in 1814. Christianity was prohibited during the Edo period (1603–1867), but freedom of religion was restored in the Meiji period (1868–1912). After three members of the Society of Jesus visited Japan in 1908, the Jesuits established the Sophia School Corporation (now Sophia University) was established, and this body subsequently came to administer such institutions as Rokko School in Kobe and Kojimachi Church in Tokyo.

Related People, Things and Events

Books

Books published by the Society of Jesus

Related Works

国宝・重要文化財を探す

Institutions Holding Related Materials

  • 昭和37年(1962)に26聖人の記念碑とともに建てられた。26聖人の業績と日本のキリスト教の歴史を詳細に紹介。

  • The National Diet Library (NDL), founded in 1948, is the library which belongs to the Diet. The NDL assists the activities of the National Diet. The Library collects and conserves materials and information both from Japan and abroad, serving as a foundation of knowledge and culture and providing library services to administrative and judicial entities and Japanese citizens.

  • The National Archives is an organization for preserving, as historical materials, public records and archives of importance transferred from state organs, and providing them for public use, with the aim of achieving appropriate preservation and use of such public records and archives that are kept in the National Archives or state organs as historical materials.

  • The Independent Administrative Institution National Museum of Art stands as the nexus of art advancement in Japan, charged with fostering the creation and development of art and culture in Japan, and the cultivation of aesthetic awareness among the Japanese people. Through its six art museums — The National Museums of Modern Art, Tokyo and Kyoto, National Film Archive of Japan, the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, the National Museum of Art, Osaka, and the National Art Center, Tokyo — the National Museum of Art carries out diverse and distinctive activities that fully utilize the unique character of each member museum.

  • As Japan’s representative museum, Tokyo National Museum collects, preserves, displays, and researches the cultural properties of Asia with a focus on Japan, and also provides educational programs.

  • 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.

  • The University of Tokyo is promoting the construction of digital archives. The University of Tokyo Archives, The University Museum, Information Technology Center, and University of Tokyo Library System collaborate on this project.

External Links

  • イエズス会とは何か、その歴史、活動、聖人伝などを詳しく紹介。

  • イエズス会の創設者のひとりイグナチオ・デ・ロヨラとイエズス会、イエズス会の運営する上智大学について歴史を遡って紹介。

  • 上智大学キリシタン文庫の設立者であるヨハネス・ラウレス神父が編纂した『吉利支丹文庫』を基礎にして、その公刊以降に発見・収集した史料を加えたデジタル版。16-17世紀のイエズス会宣教出版物であるキリシタン版、プティジャン版を中心とする日本におけるカトリック再宣教時代の出版物、 日本の宣教に関する西欧人の著作などがある。

References