The Japanese Members in the Society of Jesus in Japan: analyzing the former Buddhist monks

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K00905
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03010:Historical studies in general-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Oka Mihoko 東京大学, 大学院情報学環・学際情報学府, 准教授 (30361653)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 海域アジア史 / 日本宗教史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to clarify the importance of Japanese missionaries, whose presence in the 16th and 17th century Jesuit missionary work in Japan had been largely unknown until now. In addition to the Japanese friars, the study included seminary students who were not officially recognized as Jesuits, apprentice friars, and "dojukus" who were responsible for "high-level miscellaneous work" in the proselytization. Specifically, we have attempted to introduce a completely different perspective to the conventional history of Christian missionary work in Japan, which has been told mainly by European missionaries, by focusing on the collection and analysis of European historical documents not yet published in Japan (mainly documents held by the Archives of the Society of Jesus of Rome).

Free Research Field

日本宗教史、東アジア海域史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究期間には、3冊の英文図書を出版した。うち単著であるThe Namban Tradeは海外の学術雑誌3冊において書評が掲載され、海外の著名な賞を受賞した。直結する研究成果は、2022年中に刊行予定であるCambridge History of Japan vol.1に英文論文（単著）として採用され、日本語でも講座論文等を執筆し、社会に広く認知された。