"Yokoso" Welcome to Japan !
Matsuo Basho was a ninja and the origen of the family name "Japón"
in Coria del Rio, Andalucia, Spain
The Saint Poet of Haiku
Matsuo Basho
( 1644 - 1694 )
A statue of the Saint Poet of Haiku
Matsuo Basho in Ueno,
Iga City, Mie Prefecture
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http://www.geocities.jp/general_sasaki/bashoh_ninja_eng.html
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スペイン語
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Basho visited the
Ikutama (Ikukunitama) Shrine
in Osaka on the day of
Festival of Chrisanthemum
and composed some
haiku poems in the last
year of his life - 1694
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The metal plate with the
haiku poem of Basho
in the grounds of
Ikutama Shrine
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Kiku ni Idete
Nara to
Naniwa wa
Yoizukiyo
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On September 9th 1694, on the day of Chrisanthemum Festival, Basho left
the Ancient Capital of Nara with the shrines, temples and pagotas perfumed
with the fragrant chrisanthmums, passing over the Ikoma Mountains and
arrived at night on the same day at the Ikutama Shrine, Osaka.
In the grounds of the Ikutama Shrine, intoxicated the chrisanthemun fragrance,
composed some haiku poems. One of them is the following ;
The moon is shining,
over
the fragrant cities
of
Nara and Osaka
with
the chrysanthemums
in
full bloom.
In Osaka, Basho imagined that in Nara, the temples, shrines and pagodas
in the Ancient capital of Nara were also being illuminated by the moon.
He stayed one month in Osaka enjoying sightseeing, visiting famous places
such as the Sumiyoshi Shrine and composed several haiku poems.
He fell sick suddenly , however, and died at a flower merchant's house
and
died on October 12th 1694. His last farewell poem - Jisei no ku - is :
Tabi
ni yande
Yume
wa kareno o
kakemeguru
Ailing
on a journey,
My dreams roam about
Solitary wild winter fields
translated
by the author of this article
Hiroaki
Sasaki
Stricken
on a journey,
My dreams go wandering round
Withered fields.
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Ailing on a journey,
My dreams roam about
Solitary wild winter fields
The last haiku of Matsuo Bashô
in the precincts of the Minami
Midô Temple, Osaka.
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In the green belt in the midst
of the Midôsuji Avenue, Osaka,
near the Minami Midô Temple,
a stone monument of the
place where the Saint Poet
Mashuo Bashô died on
October 12th 1694
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Translated by Donald Keene
He died at the age of 52, never imaging that he would be praised in
later centuries as one of the greatest poems in the world.
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Some people believe that the great poet of Haiku Matsuo Basho must have
been a ninja. Some of the facts suggest that he was really a ninja.
The following is a story of Matsuo Bashoh as a Ninja.
The story is surely unbelievable for many of us but some facts are so
convincing that we would be inclined to believe in the fantastic story
of
Matsuo Bashoh ー the Saint of Haiku ー as a Ninja. On the other hand,
there is not any fact that proves that he was not a ninja.
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He was born into the lowest samurai class, " Musokukin " . They
were
descendants of Iga Ninjas.
When the Republic of the Ninjas in Iga was destroyed by Oda Nobunaga,
many Ninjas fled to the Province of Ise. But, some of them remained in
the
Province of Iga.
The territories that Lord Tôdô ruled was so vast. He lived
in Tsu far
from Iga Ueno. Therefore, he nominated as a deputy ruler of the Ueno
Castle, Yasuda Uneme Motonori, one of the poweful head leaders of the
Iga samurai.
Lord Tôdô Takatora employed the Musokunin as their low-class
samurai
as his reserve military forces.
The Musokunin was usually engaged in farming or in some cases, in other
ocupations. They were permitted to wear swords and to use their surnames.
Thy were not paid, however, as a samurai.
Matsuo Bashô was born in Iga Ueno, the cradle of the Iga Ninja. Her
elder
sister got married with a Iga Ninja named Takeshita Sandayû. His
mother
came from a family that was of " Momochis " - upper class Ninjas.
One of
his top disciple Hattori Dohô 服部土芳 was also of the Ninja family.
In his famous literary journey to " Michinoku " - the Deep North
of Japan,
he travelled 2,340 kilometers in 150 days, an average of 15 kilometers
a
day. However, sometimes he walked 50 kilometers in a day. If
his journey
was purely for the literary purpose, he woundn't have had to hurry from
one
place to the next.
He needed as a Ninja to investigate the situations in some provinces very
urgently, at the urgent order of the Intelligeance Department of the
Shogunate and therefore, he hurried to some places. .
He moved to Fukagaga away from the central part of Edo and started living
a life something like a hermit, engaging himself mostly in his literary
works.
He had been living in the central quarters of Edo near the Nihon Bashi
bridge
famous for the Ukio-e painting by Hiroshige, with many stores of prosperous
merchants. He had many disciples who were rich merchants.
The Ministry of Intelligence of the Shogunate - Ômetsuke - 大目付 − the
Great Inspectors - the CIA of the Shogun government - ordered him to
move to the suburbs of Edo, away from the bustling quarters in the center
of the Shogun capital, so that their intelligence officials could meet
him,
without being annoyed with many visitors to his house. He earned his living
correcting haiku poems in haiku meetings. He could no more earn much as
before after moving to Fukagawa but the shogunate paid him enough to
compensate for his decrease in earnings.
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His journey to the deep north - Michinoku costed him a lot of money, although
he stayed most of times in the houses of his disciples and admirers, but
the
shogunate paid him enough for the expenses of a long journey..
When he left Edo ( now Tokyo ) on 27th March, 1689, he was 46 years old.
He travelled to Shirakawa, Sendai, Ishimaki, Niigata, Kanazawa and many
other places.
Many places he visited were the domains of the feudal lords subjugated
by
force by the Tokugawas, and not of the families of the Tokugawas nor of the
lords who were loyal vassals for generations to the Tokugawas. They were
"
outsider daimyo "- Tozama Daimyo - 外様大名.
In the north of Japan, the Sendai Domain with 625,000 koku ruled by lord
Date was very powerful. It would be dangerous for the Shogunate, if lord Date
took the initiative to revolt againt the Tokugawas together with other
discontented lords.
In the Battle of Sekigahara - Sekigahara No Kassen - 関が原の合戦,
lord Date fought bravely for the Tokugawas, wanting to get back the territories
occupied by the Uesugis. Ieyasu had promised him to increase his domains
to 1 million koku, if he fought successfully and drfested the Uesugis.
But, Ieyasu didn't keep his promise. It was no wonder that lord Date might
have
been discontented with the shogunate. At least, the ministers in the Edo
Castle
may have suspected him to be so.
The people of Sendai even now call his promise letter addressed to Date
Masamune as " a promissory note unpaid by the cunning old fox. "
However, during the Genroku era, the power of the shogunate by the eighth
shogun Yoshimune was very stable and there was not any chance to be able
to overthrow the shogunate rising in rebellion.
The Dates had had no longer any ambition to overthrow the shogunate during
the ages of the third shogun Iemitsu.
It was considered necessary, however, to watch any movements of the feudal
lords, because many regimes had been overthrown. The first shogun himself
also lived in the turbulent ages of "Gekokujô" when the week defeated the
strong, and when the lowly became dominant over the elite and poserful
war
lords were overthrown by their vassals.
The production of rice of 625,000 koku of Date han declared officially
was
underestimated to get free from heavy duties of public works imposed on
the Sendai han of Date.
It is said that more than one million and a half koku of rice was produced
in
the territories of Date.
Moreover, there were iron and gold mines in the Sendai han.
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The shogunate might have wanted to weeken economically the Sendai han.
In those days, many lords might be discontented with the demands of the
shogunate to contribute to big project works such as building and repairing
of huge temples and the glorious mausoleum dedicated to the first shogun
Ieyasu in Nikko.
It is said that the Dates are discontented with the demand of the shogunate.
Lord Ii Naooki was nominated as the supervisor general of the extension
and repairing of the mausoleum and Date Tsunamune ( the 4th lord of
Date ) as a constructor.
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東照宮 陽明門
Yomei-mon Gate of the mauleum "Tôshôgû at
Nikko
Repairing and extending the Mausoleum costed 130.000 gold coins to the
Sendai han of Lord Date. The shogunate sent Bashô and Sora to investigate
the financial status of the Sendai han and to make them investigate also
whether there is no sign of conspiracy againt the Tokugawa shogunate.
Already during the ages of the second lord of Sendai, Date Tadamune,
the Sendai han wanted to show thieir loyalty to the Tokugawas and had built
the counterpart of N ikko Tôshôgû in Sendai. He started
building it in 1649
and it took 5 years to complete it in 1654. It costed Sendai han 22.443
gold
coins.
Moreover, during the third Lord of Date, Tsunamune, the shogunate ordered
the Sendai han to repair the bridges and the banks between the Yanagi
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bridge and the Suido Bridge over the Kanda River and to widen the Kanda
River in Edo.
These works costed Date Han 200,000 gold coins, or three years of its
anual revenue. The Kanda River was called Date bori, or Sendai bori, which
means the Date canal or Sendai canal. .
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東都名所 御茶之水の図
歌川広重
"Ochanomizu"
by Utagawa Hiroshige
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The Ochanomizi Bridge
over the Kanda River,
Tokyo
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"Zuishin-mon" Gate of the Sendai Tôshô-gû,
Sendai city,
Miyagi Prefecture
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The demand of the shogunate was not bearable any more that it might trigger
an revolt of the Date han after too much expenses that it had paid for
the
shogunate. But if the Date han denied the demand of the shogunate, it is
considered as unloyal to the Tokugawas.
The Date han decided to undertake the big project works. The salaries of its
vassals were obliged to be reduced to pay for enoumous amount of expenses
of the works. Moreover, the Date han was obliged to obtain a finance of
30.000 gold coins from a merchant in Kyoto..
Now, going back to the the topics of repairing and extending of the Mausoleum
at Nikko, Sora, disciple of Bashô was delighted to be able to visit Nikko, as he
was a specialist in religions, temples and shrines.
At the building sites, any quarrels and disputes were prohibited during
the
works and any complaints could be brought to the court of justice after
completing the works.
Bashô arrived at Nikko on April 1st 1689 of the lunar calendar (
May 19th
1689 according to the present solar calendar ). The mausoleum was not open
to the general public but Bashô had obtained a letter of introduction
at Kiyomizu
temple at Asakusa before leaving Edo and presented it to the Yogen-in which
was the lodging place for the pilgrims from the Mito Tokugawa house. Bashô
and Sora visited the office of the mauloleum with a priest of Yogen-in
for the
permission to enter the precincts of the mausoleum but he must wait two
hours
to obtain the official permission.
When Bashô and Sora entered the precincts of the mauloleum, the repairing
works had not started yet, but they were impressed with the splendor of
the
shining 400 buildings of the mausoleum. Bashô writes :
" On April 1st, we could worship at the Nikko Mountain. In ancient
times,
the saint Kûkai (Kôbô daishi ) entered the mountain to
develop this sanctuary
called "Two Wild Mountain " and changed the Nikko to the homophone
"Nikko"
with the different chinese characters which means "Sun light".
The saint
might have predicted the millenia in the future of Nikko. Nikko is shining
over
the peaceful country blessing our people. Everything is so devine and
splendid that everything here is beyond the descriptions of my pen."
" How glorious
and splendid, Nikko with the sun lights shining and
penetrating the young and green leaves of the trees "
Before Bashô and Sora visited Nikko, in September 1688, the shogunate
conducted one month long survey of the conditions of the Nikko Mausoleum
and found that many places needing to be repaired and decided to repair
and
extend the mausoleum.
Sora was a specialist in religions, temples, shrines and geography of Japan.
He knew much about buddhism and shintoism. Before starting the journey,
he investigated the route and wrote down the information about the temples
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and shrines. He was like a good travel agent. Kawai Sora was from Kami
Suma in the province of Shinano. Kami suwa is not far from Togakushi, a
land of the Togakushi ninja. Togakushi is now a part of the Nagano city.
When In 1181, Kiso ( Minamoto ) Yoshinaka rose in rebellion against the
Heikes in Shinano mountains, Nishina( Togakushi) Daisuke, one of his
vassals, fought bravely for him using some marcial arts "Ninjutsu". He was
from Togakushi.
When the troops of Kiso Yoshinaga was defeated, he escaped to Iga and
learned the martcial arts of iga. He integrated two schools of the marcial
arts,
Iga and Togakushi and found his own school of marcial arts, Togakushi
school. Hatsumi Masaaki is the thirty fourth inheritor of the Togkushi
school
Ninjutsu. He founded his own school, Bujinkan Dojo Budo Taijitsu, integrating
it with other traditional 8 schools of marcial arts.
These marcial arts are taught now in many countries in the world.
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Kawai Sora must have been a ninja of Togakushi. When he was twelve years
old, he became an orphan and was raised by one of his uncles, a buddhist
priest of the temple with the tombs for the ancestors of the Matsudairas,
descendants of the Tokugawas.
When he became an adult, he served lord Matsudaira of Nagashima han.
He quitted his serice in Nagashima and went to Edo and learned Shintoism,
Buddhism, the Japanese mythology and collections of poems such as
Manyôshû. When he was 35 years, he got acquainted with Matsuo
Basho.
Many people may ask why he stopped serving a powerful lord as a samurai.
In those times, there were from 400.000 to 500.000 unemployed samurai,
called "Ronin".
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Until the third shogun Iemitsu, the shogunate had abolished many houses
of
the daimyo which could be considered menacing for the security of the
shogunate, that tried to find faults with them to justify its deprivations.
A post of a samurai in the territory of a lord which is "Shin pan"
or a land
of a lord related to the shogun by blood could be the envy of all other
unemployed samurai.
Many unemployed samurai wanted to be employed as a samurai, but it was
extremely difficult for them to be employed
Yui Shôsetsu was a military strategist and leader of the unsucessful
uprising
of 1651. He taught many samurai military strategy and swordsmanship.
Among his students, there were sons of the Hatamoto ( direct vassals of
the shogun) and of daimyo, that were the Establishment, but at the same
time,
many ronin who were the discontented with the Tokugawa shogunate regime.
For a time, his school had 3.000 students.
He himself expressed his opinion that the Tokugawa shogunate mjust be
overthrown. He decided to plan the uprising against the shogunate. The
number of his followers and comrades such as Maruhashi Chûya in his
plan
went on increasing.
The uprising was decided to take place after the death of the third shogun
Iemitsu.The plot however, was discovered before they began the uprising,
and one of his important comrades, Maruhachi Chûya was arrested in
Edo.
Yui in Sunpu,was preparing the second wave of attacking but he was
surrounded by shogunate officials. He committed seppuku rather than
be captured.
After this unsuccessful plan of the uprising, from the fourth shogun
Tsunayoshi, the shogunate changed its highhanded militalistic rule to take
civilian and administrative policies for the social stability, and relieved
reguments of the adaption of sons so that unemployment rate would not
increase any more.
Some ronin, if talented would be recommended to serve some lords but
it was very difficult. In the Ages of Great Peace. Japan did not need 10
%
of the warriors. The daimyo needed to have finance specislists and good
civil servants but not too many of them.
Some gifted ronin could earn their living independently from a feudal lord.
Chikamatsu Monzaemon was an eminant plywright. He was a ronin. Basho
was a ronin. Hiraga Gennai was a multi-talented ronin. All of them had
nothing of a swordsman nor warrior.
The only exception was Yagyû Muneyoshi 柳生宗厳. Oda Nobunaga
deprived him of his feudal territory in Yagyû and he became a ronin.
But,
Tokugawa Iseyasu recognized him as one of his vassals.
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His son Munenori obtained a territory of 12.000 koku and became a daimyo.
He taught the second and the third shogun the swordsmanship of the Yagyû
Shinkageryû and also worked as a advisor in the diplomatic and inteligeance
matters. In 1632, he was nominated as "Sômetsuke",the Inspector
General
of the Inteligeance Department.
Later, "Ômetsuke" replaced the task of ""Sômetsuke".
5 "Ômetsuke" were
chosen among the Hatamoto of 3,000 - 5,000 koku. Although they werenot
a
daimyo, he received the same prestigious treatment of a daimyo, as he is
authorized to supervise behaviors of daimyo and movements of noblemen
at the Imperial Court in Kyoto.
Yagyu no sato ( Yagyû village ) ( Now a part of Nara city) and the
Trail of
Yagyû ) are beautiful places. Yagyû Village can be visited
in 50 minutes
by bus from the Nara Station of Kintetsu Railway.
Now, we will go back to the Sendai Domain of lord Date.
Date Masamune sent a large embassy to Europe in 1613. It had 180 people,
headed by HasekuraTsunenaga 支倉常長.
On board the ship "San Juan Batista" built in Japan, about 40
of them were
portuguese and spaniards. 10 persons were samurai of Sendai ha, and 12
were officials of Funate Bugyo - the Marine of the shogunate, under Mukai
Shôken. Some people say that lord Date wanted to overthrow the shogunate
with the military assistance of Spain. But, this kind of conspiracy could
not
be possible with 12 officials of the shogunate on board the ship. Moreover,
the total power of fire weapons that Japan owned at those times is larger
that
that of the Holy Roman Empire in Europe and Spain was not capable of
conquering Japan by military forces.
Some writers write that the shoguante sent aboard the ship some ninja,
but the shogunate did not need to send any spies abord the ship, because
there were 12 officials of the shogunate on board the ship.
The delegation of Hasekura was said to have two official missions. One
is
to establish commercial relations with Mexico and Spain, and another
mission was to ask the Vatican to send more franciscan missionaries to
help Japanese Christians. This hypothesis could be denied easily.
First of all, for the Japanese people, Christians are Christians, and the
Franciscans, Dominicans, or Jesuits are the same for the Japanese.
Secondly, in 1612, one year before the departure of the delegation to
Europe in 1613, the shogunate started persecuting Christians.
The fanatic and ambitious Franciscan friar Luis Sotelo wanted to establish
a diocese in Japan and to become a bishop, independently from the Jesuits
who had already gained some strongholds in Japan, in spite of many obvious
obstacles.
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The Franciscan Order did not authorized his activities because they are
considered as those of his personal ambition.
The franciscans and Dominicans were not permitted officially to promulgate
Christian faith in Japan. But, many of them wanted to have bridgeheads
in
Japan, and came to Japan from the Phillipines, disregarding thr papal
decisions.
Ieyasu had already started persecuting of Christians in Japan in 1612,
prohibiting Christianity in his own domains, like Suruga, Edo and Kyoto.
In the year of sending the embassy to Europe, he already prohibited
Christianity in all the domains of Japan.
In 1614, with a new edict, he intensified further the persecutions towards
Christians, deciding to expel all foreign missionaries from Japan, and
persecuting the Japanese Christians.
But, many jesuits pretended to be obeying the command, or they managed
to remain hidden disguised as merchants in Japan.
Ieyasu had adapted tolerant policy towards the missionaries up to 1612,
wanting to establish commerce with the Christian countries. But, he came
to
know that some of his possible enemies were Christians. He became
suspicious that the foreign missionaries were the agents of European nations
that were intending to gain some territories of Japan, and were trying
to
overthrow the Tokugawa regime, and turn Japan to a country ruled by the
Christian warlords.
Ieyasu had transfered the title of shogun to his son Hidetada 秀忠 in 1605.
He left the Edo Castle and moved to Suruga ( Now the prefecture of
Shizuoka ), and lived a retired life in the Castle in Sunpu ( Now, Shizuoka
prefecture ), until his death in 1616.
But, he wielded strong power in the Castle of Sunpu, as the founder of
the
Tokugawa Shogunate, as a " Lord in the Great Palace - Oogosho - 大御所 ".
Many Western writers write, not being aware of the fact that he was not
shogun between 1605 - 1616 until his death, and get confused in their descriptions.
His son Hidetada was shogun during 1605 - 1623. The edicts to escalate persecutions of Christians were issued in the name of the second shogun
Hidetada. Many Western writers and even Japanese writers confuse the
edicts of prohibition of Christianity - Kinkyoo Rei - 禁教令 issued in 1512,
1613 and 1614 by the second shogun Hidetada with the Law of Isolation of
Japan - Sakoku Rei - 鎖国令 issued by the third shogun Iemitsu - 家光 promulgated in 1633, 1634, 1635, 1636, and 1639.
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The policy of Ieyasu and Hidetada was to cut the religious relations with the
Christian countries, and not to cut the cultural, diplomatic and commercial
relations with them, and they dindn't intend to expel all foreigners who
were merchants.
Twenty years later, in 1633, the total isolation policy was started by
the third
shogun Iemitsu.
Iemitsu closed the door almost completly to the foreign countries except
Holland, China and Korea after the suppression of the great rebellion of
Christian peasants in Amakusa and Shimabara in Kyushu in 1638. Japan
became a country almost completely secluded by th the last Isolation Law
promulgated in 1639 by the third shogun Iemitsu.
Even Japanese people, living in South Asian countries were prohibitted
to
return to Japan. The Japanese colony in Hoi an, Vietnam had a population
of one thousand Japanese merchants. They were cut off from Japan. The
Japanese went on disappearing as they got married with the local vietnamese
people. But, we can see some glimps of the Japanese culture in the ancient
city.
The Japanese Bridge is said to have been built originally by the Japanese
merchants and later were retouched by the chinese residents. It was named
"Lai Vien Bridge" which means "a bridge built by people
from a far-away
land".
In Hoi an, there are also some old merchant houses which have an influence
of the Japanese architecture of the merchant houses of the Edo Period.
The city of Hoi an was designated as a world heritage by the Unesco.
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The Japanese Bridge
"Lai Vien Bridge"
Unesco's World Heritage
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When Hasekura Tsunenaga returned to Japan in 1620, Ieyasu had died
already in 1616, and Hidetada was remaining yet in office as a shogun.
Iemitsu who would become the third shogun was only 16 years old, and he
was not shogun yet.
Any Law of total isolation had not issued yet. it's wrong to describe,
therefore,
that the situation changed a lot while Hasekura Tsunenaga was away from
Japan, and the Isolation edicts had been enforced.
The third shogun Iemitsu went into office in 1623 and remained in office
until
1651. He issued an edict of the overall isolation of Japan, except the
trading
authorized by the shogunate and prohibited the return to Japan of the oversea
Japanese who had be away from Japan more than five years. Hasekura
Tsunenaga was away from Japan during 8 years. But, they were not expelled
from Japan because they had travelled to Europe by the permission of the
shogunate.
Why Ieyasu approved the sending an embassy with the religious mission
to Europe is a great mystery. What Ieyasu and Date Masamune wanted
most was the trading. Ieyasu was alarmed, on the other hand, that Christianity
would be promulgated among the Japanese people, specially among his
warlords and vassals.
At first, Date Masamune permitted Christians to remain Christians, if they did
not try to promulgate Christianity among his people.
His policy towards Christians was tolerant. He saved the Spanish missionary
Luis Sotelo from the execution in Edo. This Spanish missionary joined the
delegation as a guide and an interpreter. The Asakusa Church of Luis Sotelo
in Edo was destroyed by the second shogun Hidetada in 1613, and a couple
of dozen of the Japanese Christians were executed cruelly, but Luis Sotelo
was saved by Lord Date Masamue and went to his domain.
Is it possible that Masamune was really a Christian, and pretended not
to
be so ?
If he was a Chrisitan, many mysteries could be unravelled with less possible
contradictions, but only up to 1620. He protected Tsunenaga who returned
to Japan as a Christian, because he went abroad at the order of lord Date
Masamune approved by the Shogunate, but after his return to Japan, he
started cruel persecutions.
He already had no hope for trading with Europe. The mining was an important
industry for the domain of Sendai. He wanted to invite some mining experts
from Mexico, but in vain. Many miners were Christians.
Masamune was tolerant with the Christian miners. The mines in Tohoku and
Hokkaido were havens for many Christians. But, Masamune changed his
policy. Even his high rank and able samurai were executed. Some Spanish
missionaries abandoned his Christian faith after severe torture, being forced
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to dishonor the Christian faith by stepping on the images of Vigin
Mary or
of Jesus.
Hasekura Tsunenaga and other persons on their return to Japan from
Europe were prohibitted to tell about his journey to Europe except to the
officials of Sendai han. The diary of Hasekura Tsunekura, other records
and documents remained for a while in Sendai. But, they were disponsed
of
to erase the whole history about the embassy to Europe.
Hasekura Tsunenaga lived in seclusion and nobody know when and how
he died. The mistery gave birth to another mystery. Where he was buried
after his death ? There are three tombstones which are said to be of
Hasekura Tsunenaga. Which one is his true tombstone is a mystery.
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A tombstone where Hasekura Tsunenaga is
supposed to be burried.
Aoba-ku, Sendai city, Miyagi Prefecture.
Date Masamune is supposed to have protected him in secret as a person
who abandoned christian faith. Masamune, however, started persecuting
Christians cruelly. He was not mild against the christians and obeyed
strictly
to the anti-christian edicts of the shogunate.
In January 1624, portuguese father Diego Carvallo and eight Japanese
Christians were executed by being soaked in the freezing Hirose-gawa river.
Another famous victim of the Christian persecution in the feudal domain
of
lord Date was Goto Juan. He was given by lord Date Masamune a territory
of 1.200 koku in Miwake village of the present Mizusawa city. He turned
his
land into a fertile land, building aqueducts which serve even now.
In the Battle of Winter of Osaka and in the Battle of Summer of Osaka,
he
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fought as a captain of a squadron of musketeers. Masamune tried to
persuade him to keep himself off from the missionaries and not to try to
spread Christian belief. One day, he abondoned his territory and
disappeared
and nobody could know for cetain where he hid himself.
The author of this article recieved a letter from Mr. Bryan Akira Faulkes
on April 23rd 2006 which brings the disappearing of Goto Juan to light.
Hello,
I read your homepage with some
interest. (
http://www.geocities.jp/
general_sasaki/bashoh_ninja_eng.html)
I am a
descendent of Juan Goto. My grandmother is a Goto living in Canada.
I live in
Japan now, near Nagoya. Our "jimoto" in Japan is in the Tohoku
area outside
of Sendai. For your information, Juan Goto went into hiding
after the
anti-Christian edicts. He took a peasant wife and lived the end of
his days
as a farmer.
Many generations of the Goto family did not know of their
famous roots
for certain util last century, when his grave was discovered on
our ancestral
land in 1951.
I believe a university in Sendai did some
research on him and the finindings
are in a museum in Sendai.
I
trmember visiting Acapulco as a boy and discovering by chance a statue
of
Tsunenaga on the beach, and statues of Juan Goto and one
more
samurai.
You may be interested to know that the Goto family
became Buddhist many
years ago.
I wonder what Juan would have
thought.
Thank you for some iinteresting history that helps to paint a
clearer picture
of the times.
Bryan ( Akira )
Actually, in March, 1952, 350 years after his disappearing, the Commission
of Editing the Hisotory of Miyagi Prefecture found a tombstone which was
identified as his grave, in Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture.
The persecutions of Christians in the Tohoku district is not well-known
even
among Japanese, as compared to the persecution of Christians in Shimabara,
Kyusyu.
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- 18 -
後藤寿庵
岩手県水沢市
水沢カトリック教会
Statue of Goto Juan - Chritian
warlord in the Mizusawa Catholic
Church,Mizusawa City,
Iwate Prefecture
|
" Aqueduct of Juan " built
by Catholic warlord Goto Juan
A quality teakettle
of Nanbu
|
Okago ( Now, Okago in Fujisawa-cho, Iwate prefecture ) had 30,000 Cristians.
It was the town of iron making. The iron working and iron making were the
important industries in the province of Nanbu.
Even now, the best quality tea kettles are manufacutured in Iwate prefecture.
From 1639 to 1640, three hundred Christians were executed in Okago. Those
who were experts in iron making were not executed.
Ieyasu may have thought that he could be tolerant with Christians, if he
could
have commerce with Europe. He attempted several times to establish
commercial relations with Europe.
In 1609, 3 Spanish ships, San Francisco, San Antonio, Santa Ana were
surprised by a strong typhoon, and on 30th September, San Francisco with
373 crews was stranded off the coast of a small fishing village Iwawada
which had a population of only 300. Iwawada now belongs to the Town of
Onjuku, Chiba prefecture. It was in the Domain of Ôtaki ruled by
Lord
Honda Debanokami Tadatomo.
The villagers rescued many of them, warming up their cold bodies, giving
them food and cloths. Out of 373 crews, 317 were rescued. 56 were
dead or missing.
|
- 19 -
メキシコ記念塔
日・西・墨 三国交通
発祥の碑
昭和三年建立
千葉県御宿町岩和田
"Commemotative Tower of Mexico "
The Commemorative
monument of the first
intercourse of Japan - Spain - Mexico
constructed in 1928
Iwawada, Onjuku, Chiba Prefecture
In 1928, the Tower of Mexico in commemoration of the first encounter of
Japan - Spain - Mexico was erected in the Mexico Park on the hill of Onjuku,
Chiba Prefecture, where you can see the memorial tablet commemorative
of the visit to Onjuku of the president of Mexico, Jose Lopez Portillo
in 1973.
We was warmly received by the local people. He got on a Mikoshi, a
portable festival shrine and cryed " Viva Japan and Mexico !".
In the same year, the sistership relations between Onjuku and Acapulco
were signed.
One of the main avenues of Onjuku town was named Avenue of Lopez.
|
At the news of this incident, Lord Tadatomo visited Iwawada and ordered
the
villagers to protect them and to provide them with everything they needed
and to treat them well. They stayed there 37 days.
On board the ship, was the former governor ad interim of the Philippines
Rodrigo de Vivero y Velasco. He was on his way to Acapulco from Manila
after finishing his term of office.
He met the Second Shogun Hidetada in the Edo Castle. In the next year,
he met the retired first shogun Ieyasu in his castle in Sunpu. In both
meetings, the ambicious monk Luis Sotelo worked as an interpreter.
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- 20 -
Ieyasu expressed his strong wishes to have commerce with New pain
(Mexico) and Spain to Rodrigo de Vivero. He asked the former Spanish
governor to send to Japan about 50 experts in mining of silver and refining
them. Rorigo de Vivero, on his part, expressed his wishes to have the
full
protection to rescue the shipwrecked Spanish sailoros, protection of the
Spanish missionaries in Japan, and expulsions of the Dutch merchants
from Japan, who were the enemies of the Spaniards.
The demand to expel the Dutch merchants from Japan was rejected, but
they reached the agreements on other issues.
Ieyasu ordered the British sailor William Adams to build the ship for the
shipwrecked Spanish sailors. The ship of 120 tons named by the Spaniards
" San Buena Ventura " was completed. The shogunate paid 4,000
ducados
for other expenses for their trip.
The English pilot John Blackthorne in the television and the novel " Shogun "
written by James Clavell was a fiction. But, he was described, being modeled
after William Adams who really existed.
He was born on September 24th, 1564 in Gillingham, Kent, England. His
father died when he was only 12 years old.
He was employed as an apprentice by master Nicholas Diggins who owned
a shipyard in Limehouse. During 12 years, he studied ship buiding,
astronomy, and navigation. He had learned how to build ships.
He was given a small territory in the Miura Peninsula and was named as a
samurai Miura - Anjin - 三浦安針 - Pilot Miura..
Rodrigo de Vivero came back to Mexico in 1610 on board the ship "
San
Buena Ventura ".
On board this ship, there were 22 Japanese who were the first Japanese
who
stepped on the land of Mexico. The viceroy of New Spain Luis de Velazzo
II
received 22 Japanese hospitably.
In the Cabinet of the viceroy, they decided to send a delegation to Japan, to
find some islands abundant in silver and gold, to pay back 4,000 ducados
which Vivero owed the Shogunate and send back Japanese to Japan. As
the ambassador, Sebastian Vizcaino was nominated.
The Spanish embassy to Japan left Acapulco on 22nd March, 1611 and
arrived at Uraga on 10th June of the same year.
Ieyasu was admitting foreign Christians to enter Japan, and also was
admitting them to stay in Japan, and was permitting the Japanese people
to go the Christian lands and come back to Japan. But, little by little,
he was
more alarmed about the increase of Christians in Japan. Ieyasu had an
enoumous power after the Battle of Sekigahara, and after he became shogun
in 1603, but the powerful Toyotomis existed until he would destroy them
in
|
- 21-
1615. Many of the warlords in the West of Japan who had been loyal to the
Toyotomis were Christians. As a consequence of that, he was beginning to
escalate the persecusions to the Christians.
It is said that in those times, Japan had a population of 20 millions,
and there
were 370,000 - 600,000 Christians in Japan and more than 55 warlords were
Christians. The number differs according to the various different sources.
On October 28th, 1613, the ship " Mutsu Maru " named by the Spaniards
as " San Juan Bautista " built based on the Spanish Galleon,
left Tsukiinoura
( Now, Ishimaki city) with 186 persons on board the ship.
More or less 40 persons including Luis Sotelo were Spaniards and
Portuguese, 12 samurai on board the ship were of Sendai Fief nad 10 other
samurai beloged to the Navy of the shogunate "Funate Bugyô"
headed by
Mukai Shôkan. There are also Japanese merchants, sailors and servants
on board the ship.
|
月の浦 ( 宮城県 石巻市 ）
支倉六右衛門 慶長遣欧使節団
サン フアン バウティスタ出航地
Tsuki no Ura - Ishimaki city, Miyagi Prefecture -
The galleon " San Juan Bautista " left
here for Europe about 400 years ago.
They arrived at Acapulco on 25th January, 1964 .From there, they went
to the Mexican Capital, where they were received hospitably by Viceroy of
New Spain, Diego Fernández de Córdoba. Hasekura Tsunenaga
presented
to the viceroy a letter written by his Lord Masamune, titled as " the King of
Ôshu", asking him to send Franciscan missionaries, pilots, and mining
experts in gold and silver mines, and promising him to drive away the
English and the Dutch people who would come to his domains.
The ambicious monk Luis Sotelo might have desceived the Japanese.
According to the anti-Christian edicts, foreign missionaries were not
permitted to enter Japan, and the shogun had British and Dutch advisors.
Hewas the only bilingual person in the delegation. .
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- 22 -
In the Mexican Capital, 78 Japanese are said to have been baptized during
the festival of Semana Santa. They did not know that in Japan, Hidetada
issued on 31st January 1614, a new edict to persecute more cruelly
the Christians.
The shogunate decided to expel all Christians from Japan. Although many
missionaries hid themselves, many were captured and brought to Nagasaki
to be expelled from Japan.
In November, the deportation of missionaries and Japanese Christians to
the
Phillipines began. Several ships were used to transport them.
The letter written by Masamune addressed to the viceroy is very strange,
if
its contents popularly known were true.
Asking the viceroy to send missionaries to Japan was againt the policy
of the
shogunate and was impossible even before their departure from Japan.
The shogunate had been already escalating the persecutions of the Christians
in Japan.
Some people say that Masamune had an ambition to destroy the Tokugawa
Shogunate and to establish his own shogunate with Sendai as the shogunate
capital, with the military assistance of Spain. But, that could not be impossible.
The embassy had 10 officials of the shogunate government under the
ministry of Navy Mukai Shooken 向井将監 on board the ship..
|
サン フアン バウティスタ
宮城県 石巻市
San Juan Bautista, in the St. John the Baptist ( San Juan Baptista )
Theme Park, Ishimaki City, Miyagi Prefecture.
- 23 -
Sending a Japanese embassy to Europe had not been the the original
project of Date Masamune. Ieyasu, incited by Luis Sotelo, decided to
send an embassy to Europe. Under the command of the minister of
Navy Mukai Shôoken, a ship was built, but this first attemp to send
an embassy failed, because he ship, which left Japan was shipwrecked
soon near the Japanese coast.
Masamune asked Ieyasu to let him succeed to the project. Ieyasu approved
it. It was a joint project of the Sendai Domain and the Tokugawa Shogunate,
contrary to the popular belief. The shogunate participated in the construction
of the second ship.
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Page 7
It was impossible to invite missionaries to
promulgate Christianity.
It was also impossible to expel the British and Dutch people from Japan.
The English sailor Willian Adams was an advisor to Ieyasu. He came to Japan
on board a Dutch ship as its pilot. On the same shipwrecked ship,
was a dutch
named Jan Joosten Van Lodenstijn. He was also an advisor to Ieyasu in the military
and foreign affairs.
支倉常長
仙台市博物館蔵
2001年６月２２日
国宝指定
(1571-1622)
Hasekura
Tsunenaga
Sendai City Museum
designated as the
National Treasure
on June 22nd 2001
|
There is an area in Tokyo now called Yaesu. He lived
there in the Edo Periiod. The name comes from Jan
Joosten. In 1609, Ieyatsu approved the construction of
a factory in Hirado by the East India Company of Holland.
All the contents of the letter written by Lord Date Masamune
adrressed to the viceroy were againt the policies of
Tokugawa Ieyasu. On the other hand, strangely enough,
the lords Date always tried to show the best signs of their
loyalty and obedience to the Tokugawas.
One of the greatest gestures of their loyalty to the
Tokugawas was the construction of the Mausoleum
of Tokugawa Ieyasu - Sendai Tooshooguu - 仙台
東照宮 in his own domain. It was completed in 1649
by Date Tadamune, a son of Date Masamune.
It costed an enormous amount of money to the
Sendai Domain. They may have wanted to dispel
any doubt that the shogunate may have about the
loyalty of the Date family.
Page 8
This young spaniard is
proud that in his veins, runs the blood of the Japanese samurai who came and settled down here
about 390 years ago.
One of the 600 people
with the family name of
" Japon " in Coria del
Rio, in the province of
Sevilla, Spain, with Mr.
Satoh Taka from
Miyagi prefecture, with
two little girls, daughters
of Satoh's friend. who
are also from Miyagi
which left some samurai
to arrive at this place
about 390 years ago.
They share the same blood.
Foto : By courtesy of Mr.
Taka Satoh
Statue of Christian Warlord
Takayama Ukon,
at Tamatsukuri
Catholic Church, in Osaka
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The Japanese embassy arrived at Coria del Rio, in
Seville, Spain on October 23rd 1614. Here, about 30
Japanese crews of the delegation decided
to remain for ever. At those times, the population of
Coria del Rio was 2,000.
The population of the town increased by 1.5 % by the
Japanese new comers. The city now has a population
of 24,113. ( 2003) There are 600 people there
with the family name of " Japon ". They are proud
that in their veins, runs the blood of Japanese who
settled here about 390 years ago.
I don't know why they selected this place to remain
in for ever. A romantic version would be that the
women in Coria del Rio were so beautiful and
nice as they are so now. They fell in love with them
and decided to settle down here for ever, getting
married with them.
In Europe, the unhulled rice grains are sowed
in the fields, but only in Coria del Rio and its
neighboring area, the rice will planted from
a nursery, just as our farmers in Japan do.
Some of the new born babies have blue
mongolian patches in the buttocks like the
Asian babies.
l'll come back to Bashoh now. He also
travelled to Kanazawa, the capital of Kaga
Domain( now Ishikawa prefecture ). The Kaga
domain with 1,025,000 koku of rice production
was the largest except the domains owned by
the Tokugawas.
Lord Maeda of Kaga was an outsider Daimyo
not related to the Tokugawas. The founder of the
Kaga domain Maeda Toshi-ie 前田利家 was
a good friend of Hideyoshi and after the death
of Hideyoshi, he was a faithful guardian for
Hideyoshi's son Hideyori 秀頼
Takayawa Ukon - 高山右近 − was a
brave warlord. He was trusted by Hideyoshi.
Hideyoshi was at first tolerant with Christianity.
Hideyoshi had some able Christian warlords
like Takayama Ukon.
Tatayama Ukon is an able worlord. He was educated
person and a good friend of master of tea ceremony
Sen No Rikyu. His father Takayama Hidanokami Dario
was also brave worlord, and a Christian. Hidanokami
Dario wanted to be engaged more time in helping
misionaries to promulgate Christian faith in his domain,
He retired as a ruler and left the tasks of the ruler in the
hands of his son Ukon.
Ukon became the ruler of the domain of Settsu-Takatsuki
( Now, Takasuki city in Osaka prefecture close to Kyoto city )
at the age of 21. Settsu-Takatsuki had a
population of 25,000 and 18,000 became christians.
Page 9
Hideyoshi awarded him ordering him to move to Akashi domain with 60,000
koku,larger
than the Takatsuki domain. He was anxious about his people in Takatsuki
whom he
must leave. He asked Hideyoshi for their well-being and Hideyoshi
promised him to see
that people in Takatsuki would be protected, saying that Ukon didn't need
to worry bout them.
Hideyoshi liked him and had a prfound confidence in him. When one of his generals
said to Hideyoshi that Ukon might have a wicked ambition of converting many of his
lords and retainers to Christians and held conspiracy against Hideyoshi, he told his
general that he must not talk such a nonsence.
Many lords and retainers of Hideyoshi, however became christians influenced
by him.
The powerful lords like Hosokawa Tadaoki and Maeda Toshiie dind not become
Christians but were tolerant with Christianity. The wife of Hosokawa Tadaoki
became
c Christian with the Christian name of Gracia. She is known among Japanese
as
GARASHIA.
There were many Buddhist setcs, and he thought that it'll be no problem for Japan
to have a new religion. But, in Kyushyu, after defeating Shimazu clan in
Satsuma,
he changed his mind sudenly. He got mad caming to know that some warlords
were
donating some holy Japanese land to the foreign churches.
He became more mad to know that some non-Christian poor peasants were sold
as slaves to the portuguese and spanish ships. In the domains of the Christian
warlords, the buddhist and shintoists temples were destroyed or were burned.
Hideyoshi banned Christianity, and tried to persuade him to abandon his Christian
faith. But, Katayama Ukon showed some signs to be willing to die as a Christian
martyr.
Hideyoshi did not want to lose such an able warkord like Takayama Ukon.
Hideyoshi
ordered his master of tea ceremony Sen No Rikyuu to persuade Ukon
to abandon
their Christian belief, as they were both very cultured persons and were
good friends.
Sen No Rikyu could not persuade him to abandon his religion. One day, Takayama
Ukon left his domains and went on a journey as a monk. Many of his friends
felt sorry
for him. Maeda Toshiie in the Kaga Domain received him as his aid and treated
him
well.
Ukon worked as a good advisor for Toshiie who gave him a domain of 30,000
koku.
But, after the third Law of the Prohibition of Christiany in 1614 by the Tokugawas,
Toshiie could not protect him any more. Takayama Ukon was expelled to Manilla
together with other Christians in October 1914. Four months later he died
in Manila,
the Phillipines of a fever. He was only 4 months in Manila, but his statue
is erected
in the bustling Paco district in Manila now.
The shogunate ordered Bashoh to investigate well he situations in this
important
domain.
Kawai Sora 河合曾良 accompanied Bashoh in his literary journey to the north
of Japan. He also may have engaged himself in intelligence task assigned
by the shogunate. After the death of his master Bashoh, he was employed as an
assistant to the Travelling Inspector Tsuchiya Kazuma Takanao 土屋数馬喬直.
The Travelling Inspectors − Junkenshi - 巡見使, in charge of the intelligence
tasks
were not secret agents - Ninjas. They were high rank officials,
inspectors and at the
same time, ambassadors of the Shogunate.
Their visits were notified to the regional governments beforehand.
The regional governments had enough time to make preparations for their
visits, and in
some domains, they cleaned roads and streets, and made out the questions
and
answers' lists and handed them to the merchants and the leading farmers
in their
domains.
Page 10
The feudal lords were so afraid of the unfavorable reports on their domains and their
governents to be submitted to the Chamber of the Ministers in the Edo Castle.
The travelling inspectors are under the Office of the Great Inspectors
- Oometsuke
大目付. The Great Inspectors could denouce the misconducts of the daimyos
- lords.
They were treated like daimyos. They had also the functions to notify the new
Shogunate laws and decrees to the regional governments. They sold also the
confiscated properties.
They not always made their inspections previously notified. They sometimes
sent the
secret agents - Onmitsu 隠密 to some provinces to obtain the information about some
domains secretely.
The Great Inspectors were under the Cabinet of ministers - Roochuu (Roojuu) 老中.
Important imformation would be given to the Cabinet of the Ministers.
The 8th Tokugawa Shugun Yoshimune 吉宗 did'nt want to obtain infornmation
filtered
by the burocrats. He wanted to obtain direct information. He employed
directly the
secrets agents called "garden guards" - Oniwa Ban - 御庭番.
He made them to
pretend to be guards of the Ladies Quarters - Ou-oku 大奥 in the Edo Castle, or to be
on the guard in the gardens.
In 1710, Kawai Sora, who had been a disciple of Bashoh, being employed by the
travelling inspector Tsuchiya Kazuma Tadanao , joined a large travelling band of 138
samurai inspectors under the Travelling Inspector Tsuchiya Kazuma Takanao and left
Edo to inspect the the situations in the Kyushu Island, with his real samurai
name
( not a pen name ) of Iwanami Shoo Uemon 岩波庄右衛門.
He is said to have been in charge of the investigation of the temples.
In the Iki Island
壱岐, Nagasaki, he was overcome by severe fatigue after much hard work
investigating
the situations in two provinces Chikuzen and Chikugo and died there. He
was 62 years
old.
In 1694, Bashoh left Nara on the day of the Chrysanthemum Festival, 9th
September
for Osaka and on the same day, he arrived at Osaka, and visited at night
the moon-lit
Iku-kuni-tama-jinja shrine, popularly called as Ikutama Jinjya - 生玉神社.
He composed
there some poems.
There is the monument plaque of his following poem in the grounds of the
Ikutama
Shrine, in Osaka.
The moon is shining,
over
the fragrant cities of Nara and Osaka,
with the chrysanthemums in full bloom.
In Osaka, Bashoh enjoyed sight-seeings one month, visiting many places,
but he
bacame ill, and died in a house of a merchant of flowers in Osaka, on 12th
October,
in 1694. His last fare-well poem - Jisei No Ku - 辞世の句 was
:
旅に病んで 夢は 枯野を かけめぐる
( Tabi Ni Yande Yume wa Kareno o
Kakemeguru
)
Ailing on a journey,
my
dreams roams about
the
solitary and wild winter fields
Written
on 15th December, 2003 by Hiroaki Sasaki
Suggestions and questions  
|
あなたの村、あなたの町の観光案内 歴史、あなたの 商店街の案内、
会社、団体の内容、歴史、寺社仏閣の由緒など英語、スペイン語で
ホームページを 作成 します。海外の外国人のみならず ２００４年現在
在日外国人は１８０万人を超え グローバル化 は 益々進みつつ
あります。
Japón es una de las mayores potencias turísticas del panorama
internacional.
En el 2002, 16.520.000 japoneses viajaron a paises extranjeros,
continuando experimentando un moderado crecimiento
esta cifra
durante el presente año.
Una vez conocidos los lugares más
famosos del planeta, prefieren
explorar nuevos horizontes, probar sus platos,
conocer la historia,
su cultura....
Para tal fin, con información de carácter turístico
de estos lugares
sin explotar, traducidos al japonés, estaremos en disposición de
poder promover sus visitas.
El japonés puede ver en televisión
multitud de lugares que desearía
visitar, pero las agencias de viajes se empeñan
en enviarlos a
lugares tradicionales, donde pueden
comunicarse básicamente en
inglés, donde pueden entender el japonés
en tiendas, restaurantes,
hoteles y donde se puede obtener información
escrita en su idioma
fácilmente.
Solamente los aventureros visitan lugares menos conocidos sin
previa información turística, casi
sin ninguna informaciôn previa.
La publicidad escrita en japonés sobre la historia,
lugares turísticos
interesantes, tiendas y hoteles, etc. de su localidad,
es necesaria
para atraer a millones de turistas de estas islas que
desean
descubrir esos nuevos lugares.
Nosotros estamos en disposición de ayudarle y promociarle su oferta
turística, traduciendo su publidad a un japonés
comercial y atractivo."
In 2002,
16,520,000 Japanese traveled abroad on vacation, and
the number is growing steadily. Increasingly,
they want to look
beyond the obvious tourist destinations and famous
landmarks,
to discover new places and to experience their food, culture and
history.
Many of us have some information about various
interesting
spots which we can see on T.V., and want to go there. But,
the tourist agents are more interested to
send hundreds of
thousands tourists to the conventional tourist
spots.
Most of us go to the places where our poor English can be
undertood, or where we can be attended in
Japanese in
shops, restaurants and hotels. We can have
many leaflets and
brochures with a lot of tourist information in Japanese.
Only some adventurous-minded Japanese go
to some places
without enough help of tourist agents, and
with a little information
about the places.
With enough information written in Japanese,
we can attract
more Japanese tourists to your places.
We can help you to attract more Japanese visitors to your town or
city, island, province or state, by translating
your advertisements
into Japanese.
お問い合わせ : Ask for information to : Pregunte a
|
En
1928, se construyo la Torre Conmemorativa del primer encuentro de
Japon -
Espana - Mexico en el Parque " Mexico " en la colina de Onjuku,
prefectura
de Chiba, donde se encuentra la lapida conmemorativa de la
visita del
Presidente Jose Lopez Portillo de Mexico al pueblo de Onjuku en
1973. El
subio al pintoresco " Mikoshi - el templito portatil festivo cargado
por los
jovenes de Onjuku y grito " Hermanos ! Vivan Japon y Mexico!".
En el
mismo ano, el pueblo Onjuku se hermano con la ciudad de
Acapulco de Mexico.
Una avenida en el pueblo de Onjuku fue nombrada "
Avenida de
Lopez ".
|
- 19 -
Durante 12 anos aprendio arquitectura del buque mercante, astronomia y
navegacion. Sabia construir barcos y por eso Ieyasu le dio la orden
de
construir un barco para los espanoles.
Le fue dado un pequeno
feudo en la peninsula de Miura, y obtuvo el nombre
de samurai - Miura Anjin -
piloto Miura - 三浦安針.
El barco construido en Japon, de 120 toneladas bautizado " San Buena
Ventura " por los espanoles partio con Don Rodrigo de Vivero y
sus
tripulantes y algunos japoneses a bordo desde el puerto de Uraga.
El buque " San Buena Ventura "
llego a Mexico en 1610. Los japoneses
a bordo del barco eran los primeros
japoneses que pisaron la tierra de
Mexico.
El Virrey de la Nueva
Espana, Luis de Velazzo II dio una buena acogida
a los
japoneses.
Se decidio en una junta de Nueva Espana un envio de una
mision a Japon abundante en oro y plata, bajo el mando de Sebastian Bizcaino,
con el
objeto de agradecer a Ieyasu y Hidetada la hospitalidad brindada
a
Rodrigo de Vivero y devolver los cuatro mil ducados que este debia
al
Shogunato, ademas del costo de la construccion del barco. Tambien
otro
objeto era buscar las islas abundantes en ero y plata en Japon.
Vizcaino
salio de Acapulco el 22 de marzo de 1611. Lllego a Uraga el
10 de junio del
mismo ano.
Ieyasu aceptaba
la entrada en Japon de los cristianos, y su presencia en
Japon y permitia a
los japoneses ir a los paises cristianos y regresar a
Japon. Pero, poco a
poco, el Shogunato se alarmo ante el aumento enorme
de los cristianos
japoneses en Japon. Dicen que en 1587, cuando Toyotomi
Hideyoshi prohibio
cristianismo, hubo mas o menos 200,000 cristianos.
( Algunos historiadores
dicen que ya habia 400,000 cristianos o mas).
Hideyoshi habia sido
tolerante con el cristianismo. En 1587, sin embargo,
Hideyoshi mando a la
Isla de Kyusyu las tropas formados por 250,000
guerreros y conquisto toda la
Isla de Kyusyu.
Cuando Hideyoshi se encontraba en Hakata, Kyusyu, cambio
repentinamente de actitud con los cristianos y emitio el decreto de
Prohibicion de Cristianismo y la Expulsion de los cristianos de Japon.
Se enteraron de que muchos senores en Kyusyu eran cristianos.
Algunos senores donaban las tierras sagradas del pais del Sol Naciente
a
las igelesias extranjeras.
Algunos barcos ibericos compraban a
algunos japoneses como esclavos.
Hideyoshi se indigno al enterarse de todo
eso y emitio el decreto de
Prohicion de cristianismo el 19 de junio de 1587.
|
- 20 -
Hideyoshi, sin embargo, queria
continuar las relaciones comerciales con
Portugal y Espana y permitia a los
barcos espanoles llegar a las costas de
Japon. Continuo siendo tolerante con
los cristianos casi 10 anos, hasta
el ano 1596, en que un galeon espanol "
San Felipe ", en ruta a Nueva
Espana desde Filipinas, fue desviado por un
tifon y llego naufragado
a la costa de Urado, en el pais de Tosa, Shikoku. (
Actual prefectura de
Kochi ).
El Sr.Chosokabe Motochika hizo a sus
vasallos investigar la tripulacion y
la mercancia. Hubo a bordo del galeon
algunas personas que eran
comerciantes, y otras que parecian misioneros,
militares armados y unos
cientos de esclavos negros para vender ademas de
unos 200 marineros.
El daimio del pais de Tosa envio toda la informacion
detallada a Hideyoshi
sobre la tripulacion y la mercancia que llevaba el
galeon. Mando Hideyoshi
a Masuda Nagamori ir a Tosa para confiscar toda la
mercancia y llevarla
a Kioto.
Los espanoles protestaron por
considerar la confiscacion injusta. Un
contramaestre espanol le enseno a
Nagamori un mapa del mundo y
dijo : " Senor, somos del pais mas poderoso del
mundo, llamado Espana.
Mire, la mitad del mundo pertenece al rey de
Espana."
" ? Quiere decir que todas las tierras que Ud. senala aqui
pertenece al
rey de Espana ? "
" !Claro que si, senor! Han sido
conquistadas con nuestros armas y
soldados y podriamos conquistar todo
Japon"
" ? Como es posible eso ? . A bordo de sus barcos, estan
solamente unos
pocos soldados. "
Respondio el contramaestre : " Senor,
primero se envian a predicar
el cristianismo, misioneros y despues llega la
armada invencible. "
Estas palabras indiscretas habrian provocado las
persecuciones tan
sangrientas a los cristianos. Hideyoshi fue informado del
comentario del
marinero espanol y se indigno tanto que comenzo a perseguir a
los
cristianos cruelmente.
Se arrestaron los cristianos en Osaka y
Kioto. En 1598, se crucificaron
los 20 japoneses y 6 extranjeros cristianos n
la colina Nishizaka, Nagasaki,
donde ahora hay un monumento a los 26 martires, la Iglesia Nishizaka, y
el
Museo de los 26 Martires. Uno de los 26 crucificados era mexicano
franciscano Felipe de Jesus que llego a Japon en el barco naufragado
"
San Felipe ".
Decian que habia 600,000 cristianos en Japon en 1612, un
ano antes de
|
- 21-
la salida para Europa de la
embajada de Hasekura Tsunenaga.
Como consecuencia, Ieyasu intensifico
progresivamente la persecucion
a los cristianos. Reitero nuevamente que es
misteriosa la aprobacion de
la delegacion de Tsunenaga para Europa con un
objeto religioso.
En 1612, Ieyasu prohibio que se predicara la fe
cristiana en los dominios
directamente bajo el gobierno del Shogunato, como
Kioto, Osaka, Sunpu
y Edo. En 1613, en que la Embajada de Hasekura Tsunenaga
partiria
a Europa,dio la orden de la prohibicion de cristianismo a todos los
daimio
de Japon.
En 1614, Ieyasu emitio el decreto de expulsion de
todos los cristianos
desde Japon. Takayama
Ukon fue expulsado a Filipinas junto con muchos
cristianos.
Takayama Ukon fue un general muy habil y fiel a Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
El era un valiente guerrero pero al mismo tiempo muy educado y culto.
Practicaba la ceremonia de te y era un buen amigo del maestro de
la
ceremonia de te Sen No Rikyu.
Su padre Takayama Hidanokami Dario
era igualmente un guerreno muy
valiente. Takayama Hidanokami queria dedicar
mas tiempo para ayudar
a los misioneros en promulgar el evangelio y dejo a
su hijo Ukon el cargo
de gobernar el dominio de Takatsuki en el pais de
Settsu ( actualmente
prefectura de Osaka ) con 40,000 koku de produccion de
arroz. Ukon
se convirtio en el gobernante del Dominio de Takatsuki en 1573 a
la edad
de los 21 anos.
Takatsuki tenia 25,000 habitantes. El
convirtio a 18,000 habitantes en
cristianos. En 1585, el fue translado a
Akashi, un dominio mas grande
que contaba con 60,000 koku.
Antes de ir a
Akashi, estaba muy preocupado por el bienestar de sus
subditos que el
tendria que dejar en Takatsuki y queria estar seguro que
sus subditos no
serian perseguidos por el cristianismo que profesaban.
Pidio a Hideyoshi
para que prestara una buena proteccion a sus subditos
cristianos. Hideyoshi
le prometio cuidarse bien de ellos diciendole que
no tenia que estar
preocupado.
Muchos
vasallos y generales de Hideyoshi se convirtieron en cristianos
influenciados
por Ukon. Algunos daimio tan importantes como Hosokawa
Tadaoki y Maeda
Toshiie no eran cristianos pero eran buenos amigos de
Ukon.
La senora
del senor Hosokawa Tadaoki se convirtio en cristiana. Su nombre
de pila era
Gracia. Ella se conoce en Japon como Dona Hosokawa
Garashia.
|
- 22 -
Hideyoshi tenia mayor confianza
en Takayama Ukon. Cuando un general
de Hideyoshi dijo a Hideyoshi que Ukon
intentaba rebelarse contra
Hideyoshi,convirtiendo a muchos generales de
Hideyoshi en cristianos uno
tras otro, Hideyohi no dudaba la lealtad de Ukon,
dicdiendo " No digas
tonterias". Hideyoshi todavia era tolerante con los
cristianos.
Hideyoshi, sin embargo, cambio subitamente de actitud en 1598
en
Hakata, Kyushu para sorpresa de todo el mundo.
Mando a sus
generales abandonar la fe cristiana, y si no lo hacian,
confiscaba sus
feudos. Hideyoshi queria mucho a Ukon y no queria
perseguir a un general tan
habil. Trato de persuadirle para que abandonara
el cristianismo, pero fue en
vano. Hideyoshi pidio a su maestro de te Sen
No Rikyu que tratara de
persuadir a Ukon a abandonar el cristianismo.
Rikyu tampoco lo consiguio.
Ukon se encontraba
en un grave dilema y dijo : " Un samurai debe ser leal
a su senor pero debe
ser mas leal al Senor en el Cielo. Me pesa mucho
tener que desobedecer al
senor Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Yo, sin embargo,
prefiero ser leal a Dios. Un
samurai no debe cambiar sus creencias por
conveniencias.
".
Hideyoshi no
queria castigar a Ukon con la pena capital pero le quito su
feudo. El se fue
a la Isla de Shodo-shima en el Mar Interior de Seto y fue
protegido alli por
Konishi Yukinaga. Luego marcho al pais de Kaga donde
fue recibido bien por
Maeda Toshiie y empleado como uno de sus generales.
En el mismo ano de 1598,
cuando Hideyoshi emitio el decreto de Expulsion
a los cristianos, Hideyoshi
murio pidiendo a Maeda Toshiie apoyar a su
joven hijo Hideyori.
Maeda
Toshiie era un senor importantisimo con dominios de mas de
1,000,000 koku.
El dio a Ukon un territorio de 15,000 koku. Toshiie
murio en 1599. Ukon
sirvio a su hijo Toshinaga.
En octubre de 1614, fue expulsado a Manila
junto con otros cristianos
por el shogunato Tokugawa. En febrero de 1615,
murio en Manila a la
edad de 62 anos.
La estatua de Takayama Ukon se
encuentra en la Plaza Dilao en Manila,
Filipinas.
Cuando el poeta
Matsuo Basho salio de Edo para el Norte de Japon en
1689,habia transcurrido
ya medio siglo desde la supresion de la rebellion
de los 37,000 campesinos
cristianos liderados por un joven cristiano de
solo 15 anos, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada en 1637-1638 en la
Peninsula de
Amakusa en la Isla de Kyusyu. Parecia que todos los cristianos
ya se
habian erradicado en Japon. Pero, mas tarde, se conocerian a los
cristianos que habian ocultado su fe durante 250 anos.
Los dominios
de Kaga, exceptuando los dominios del Shogunato de
cuatro
|
- 23 -
millones de koku, eran los
mayores con 1,025,000 koku de produccion
oficial de arroz. El Shogunato
queria obtener informacion sobre el poderoso
Kaga Han, asi que dio a Basho
una orden de investigar bien la situacion de
este.
En los dominios de Date, hubia muchas minas. Muchos
trabajadores en
las minas eran cristianos con los que Masamune era
tolerante. Esas
minas eran refugios para muchos cristianos perseguidos en
otras regiones
de Japon. Ellos huyeron a las minas en el Norte de
Japon.
Masamune protegio a Hasekura Tsunenaga y a otros samurais que
habian regresado desde Europa tratandolos como personas que abandonaron la
fe
cristiana. Pero, comenzo a perseguir cruelmente a otros
cristianos.
Son bien conocidas entre los japoneses las
persecuciones de los cristianos
en las Islas de Kyusyu, pero no se conocen
bien conocidas las
persecuciones sangrientas en el Noreste de
Japon.
|
後藤寿庵
岩手県水沢市
水沢カトリック教会
支倉常長慶長遣欧使節団の一人
Goto Juan - Gobernante Catolico
Uno de los
samurais integrantes
de la Embajada de Hasekura
Tsunenaga para Europa
Estatua en la Iglesia Catolica de Mizusawa,
ciudad de Mizusawa,
Prefectura de Iwate
|
" Acueducto de
Juan " construido
por el gobernante catolico Goto Juan
La tetera de Nambu
del hierro fundido. La
industria
de los productos de hierro de
Nanbu eran protegida por
los
senores de Nanbu y los
senores Date de Sendai.
|
- 24 -
En enero de 1624, se ejecuto al misionero Diego Carvallo junto con
otros
ocho cristianos, metiendolos en el agua geliga del Rio Hirose-gawa en
Sendai.
Otra victima famosa de su persecusion era Goto Juan.
Este samurai tenia un pequeno dominio de 1,200 koku en Fukuhara
(
Ahora, una parte de la ciudad de Mizusawa, Prefectura de Iwate)que
fue
otorgado por Date Masamune.
Fukuhara habia sido un campo
desertico. Juan construyo el acueducto
desde el Rio Isawa a Fukuhara, y lo
convirtio en tierra fertil. El acueducto
funciona aun hoy en dia.
Juan era un cristiano ferviente. Masamune le ordeno abandonar su fe
cristiana. Juan queria ser fiel a Masamune pero no queria abandonar
su
religion. Un dia, en 1623, Goto Juan salio con un punado de vasallos
desde su tierra, y nunca mas se supo su paradero.
Dicen que el era
uno de los samurais integrantes de la Embajada de
Hasekura Tsunenaga a
Europa. No se sabe bien este hecho. Oficialmente
debian despedir a todos
samurais que habian regresado desde Europa.
El 23 de abril de 2006, el autor de este humilde
articulo recibio un E-mail
del Sr. Bryan Akira Foulkes, que saca a la luz la
vida de Goto Juan.
Hello,
I read your homepage with some
interest. (
http://www.geocities.jp/
general_sasaki/bashoh_ninja_eng.html)
I am a
descendent of Juan Goto. My grandmother is a Goto living in Canada.
I live in
Japan now, near Nagoya. Our "jimoto" in Japan is in the Tohoku
area outside
of Sendai. For your information, Juan Goto went into hiding
after the
anti-Christian edicts. He took a peasant wife and lived the end of
his days
as a farmer.
Many generations of the Goto family did not know of their
famous roots
for certain util last century, when his grave was discovered on
our ancestral
land in 1951.
I believe a university in Sendai did some
research on him and the finindings
are in a museum in Sendai.
I
trmember visiting Acapulco as a boy and discovering by chance a statue
of
Tsunenaga on the beach, and statues of Juan Goto and one
more
samurai.
You may be interested to know that the Goto family
became Buddhist many
years ago.
|
- 25 -
|
I wonder what Juan would have
thought.
Thank you for some iinteresting history that helps to paint a
clearer picture
of the times.
Bryan ( Akira )
Voy a traducir al espanol el correo
electronico del del senor Bryan Foulkes,
Hola,
He leido con mucho interes su pagina web. ( http://www.geocities.jp/
general_sasaki/bashoh_ninja
_eng.html).
Soy descendiente de Juan Goto. Mi abuela es un Goto y vive en
Canada.
Ahora, yo vivo en Japon, cerca de Nagoya. Nuestra tierra ancestral es
un
lugar en la region de Tohoku fuera de la ciudad de Sendai.
Juan
Goto se escondio despues de los decretos contra el cristianismo.
Se caso con
una campesina y vivio sus ultimos dias como labrador.
Durante muchas
generaciones, la familia Goto desconocia la raiz de Goto
hasta que su tumba
fue descubierta en nuestra tierra ancestral en el siglo
pasado. ( Nota
:"Este siglo". en el correo en ingles esta equivocado. ).
Yo creo que una
Universidad en Sendai realizo aron algunas investigaciones
sobre Goto Juan y
algunos documentos resultantes de las investigaciones
estaran en un Museo en
Sendai.
Recuerdo haber visitado Acapulco cuando yo era nino y haber
encontrado
por casualidad,las estatuas de Tsunenaga, Juan Goto y de un otro
samurai
en la playa.
Creo que le interesa el hecho de que la familia
Goto se convirtio al
budismo hace muchos anos. Me pregunto que pensaria Juan
Goto
sobre sus descendientes budistas.
Muchas gracias por su articulo
interesante sobre la historia que nos ayuda
a tener una idea mas clara de
esos tiempos pasados.
Bryan (Akira )
El segundo senor de Sendai
Han, Date Tadamune persiguio con mas
fuerza que su padre Masamune a los
cristianos. La industira minera y
la industria sidelurgica son industrias
muy importantes para el dominio
de Sendai. Aun hoy en dia, varios productos
de hierro fundido como
teteras de "Nanbu " son muy apreciados. Hubo 30,000
cristianos en el
pueblo " Okago " ( Ahora, Okago, en Fujisawa-cho, Prefectura de Iwate
).
|
- 26 -
En 1639 y 1640, unos 300 cristianos fueron ejecutados. Pero,
Date
Tadamune no queria ejectutar a los tecnicos expertos en sidelurgia y
en
hacer los productos de hierro fundido. Ellos no fueron ejecutados.
El 28 de octubre de 1613, el barco " Mutsu Maru", bautizado por los
espanoles como San Juan Bautista y que habia sido construido en Sendai
basandose en el tipico galeon espanol, salio desde Tsukinoura, Sendai,
con
una gran embajada compuesta por 180 integrantes encabezados por
Hasekura
Tsunenaga 支倉常長, como
embajador, rumbo a
Europa.
|
月の浦 (
宮城県 石巻市 ）
支倉六右衛門 慶長遣欧使節団
サン フアン バウティスタ出航地
Tsuki no Ura - Ciudad de
Ishimaki
prefectura de Miyagi - El barco
" San Juan Bautista " de la
Hasekura Tsunenaga salio de
esta bahia con rumbo a Europa hace
unos
400 anos, el 28 de octubre de 1613.
Transcurridos unos 90 dias despues de la salida desde Japon, el
barco
llego a Acapulco el 25 de de enero de 1614. Desde alli se trasladaron a
la
capital mexicana donde el Virrey Diego Fernandez de Cordoba recibio
hospitalariamente a los japoneses. Hasekura Tsunenaga entrego al
virrey
la carta de su senor Date Masamune pedia el envio de
misioneros
franciscanos para la evangelizacion de sus vasallos, de los
marineros
expertos y pilotos, y el libre comercio entre Japon y Mexico.
Tambien
prometia que expulsaria a los ingleses y a los holandeses que eran
los
enemigos del Rey de Espana.
Obviamente la carta escrita en
castellano fue una falsa creacion del
misionero Luis Sotelo. El shogun nunca
queria despedir a sus asesores
holandeses e ingleses.
En la capital
mexicana, 78 japoneses fueron bautizados durante la
|
- 27 -
celebracion de la Semana Santa. El contenido de la carta
contradecia
la politica del shogunato. Es posible que Luis Sotelo no hubiera
traducido
fielmente al espanol las palabras de Masamune escritas en japones.
Luis Sotelo y los japoneses que se encontrabab en la capital mexicana
no estaban informados todavia de la persecucion a los cristianos que
era
mas decisiva con el decreto shogunal promulgado el primero de febrero
de 1614, de expulsion de todos los misioneros extranjeros de Japon. Tal
informacion no habria llegado tampoco a los espanoles.
La carta entregada al virrey de la Nueva
Espana es muy curiosa. Pedirle
un envio de misioneros a Japon podria ser una
gran rebeldia contra el
shogunato de Hidetada.
Ieyasu estaba
persiguiendo duramente a los cristianos y oprimiendo
la religion cristiana.
Era imposible que los misioneros predicaran el cristianismo y
difundieran
mas la fe cristiana en Japon. Algunas personas piensan que habria
alguna
conspiracion de Masamune influenciado por fray Luis
Sotelo.
Igualmente era muy dificil expulsar a los holandeses e ingleses
de Japon
contra la politica nacional del Shogunato. Willian Adams, piloto
ingles ya
era un fiel samurai de Ieyasu. El llego a Japon a bordo de un
barco
holandes como piloto.
En Tokio, ahora hay un barrio que se
llama Yaesu. Este nombre previene
del nombre de un holandes Jan Joosten Van
Lodenstijn que vivia alli.
El llego a Japon en el mismo barco naufragado que
pilotaba el ingles
William Adams.
Fue empleado por Ieyasu como su
asesor en los asuntos diplomaticos y
militares. Ieyasu podria estar
informado de que Espana ya no era un pais
poderoso en Europa y que su Armada
Invencible fue derrotada por
la Flota Britanica de Francis Drake en 1589.
Ya en 1609, la Compania Holandesa de las Indias Orientales construyo
su factoria en Hirado, aprobado por Ieyasu.
La embajada japonesa llego a Coria del Rio en la
provincia de Sevilla,
Espana, el 23 octubre de 1614. Decidieron qudarse alli
unos 30 japoneses
para siempre, por las razones que no se conocen, lo que
dio origen a la descendencia actual de 600 personas corianas apellidadas "Japon
". En
esa epoca, Coria del Rio tenia 2,000 habitantes mas o menos. La
poblacion
con 30 japoneses aumento a 24,113 habitantes (En
2003)
Kawai
Sora 河合曾良,discipulo de Basho,
le acompano a Basho en su
viaje literario al Noreste de Japon. El viaje de
Sora podria haber sido una
de las actividades de inteligencia por orden del
shogunato.
|
- 28 -
Despues de la muerte de su maestro Basho, Sora fue empleado a la
edad
de 61 por el
Inspector -visitador - Junkenshi - 巡見使, Tsuchiya Kazuma
Takanao
土屋数馬喬直, como inspector. Era una cosa
extremadamente
inuadita que un viejo ronin de 61 anos fuera empleado como
funcionario
del gobierno central del shogunato. Esto no es nada de extranar
porque
Sora fue experto en las actividades de inteligencia o un ninja
experimentado
en los asuntos religiosos.
Sora no era de Iga,
pero era de Kami Suwa del pais de Shinamo, cerca
de Togakushi, que es
actualmente una parte de la ciudad de Nagano,
que era una tierra de los
Ninjas. En el ano 1181, Kiso Yoshinaka se
llevanto en armas contra los
Heikes en las montanas de Shinano. Nishina
Daisuke, un vasallo de Yoshinaka,
conocia unas artes marciales Ninjutsu.
El era de Togakushi.
Despues
de la derrota de Kiso Yoshinaka, huyo a Iga. Nishina( Togakushi)
Daisuke
aprendio las artes marciales Ninjutsu de Iga alli y fundo su propia
escuela
de Ninjutsu, Togakushi-ryu, incorporando las artes marciales de
Togakushi y
de Iga. Hatsumi Masaaki es el treitesimo cuarta hereditario
del Ninjutsu
Togakushi-ryu.
El fundo su propia escuela "Bujinkan Dojo Budo Taijutsu"
integrando las
nueve escuelas de las antiguas artes marciales de Japon.
|
|
Sus artes marciales se aprenden ahora por mucha gente en Espana,
Hispanoamerica y otros paises.
Junkenshi era un samurai de alto
rango. Se dedicaba a las actividades de inteligencia pero tenian varias
funciones. Fue embajador del shogunato y
fical. Vendia tambien las
propiedades confiscadas. Como embajador del
shogunato, comunicaba a los
senores regionales nuevos decretos y las
nuevas leyes del
shogunato.
|
- 29 -
Usualmente sus visitas eran cominicadas
previamente a los senores
regionales y no hacian espionaje usualmente y sus
acitividades de
obtener informacion eran abiertas. .
Los gobiernos
regionales tenian mucho miedo a los informes que los
inspectores visitadores
entregasen al Consejo de los Ministros en el
Castillo de
Edo.
En algunos
dominios, los senores dieron la orden de limpiar caminos a sus
habitantes.
Enviaron las listas de " Preguntas y Repuestas " a los
comerciantes y los
labradores.
Ellos podian hacer preparaciones previamente a las visitas
de los
inspectores visitadores, porque no hacian visitas por
soprpresa.
Los Junkenshi, sin embargo, enviaron de vez en
cuando, agentes secretos
a varias provincias para investigar sus situaciones
secretamente, si era
necesario obtener informacion secretamente. Esos agentes
secretos se
llamaban Go-kogi Onmitsu o agentes secretos oficiales del
gobierno del
shogunato.
Los Junkenshi pertenecian a la Oficina de
Mayores Fiscales - Ometsuke
大目付.
Para el cargo de los Mayores Inspectores, unos 4-5
Hatamotos - vasallos
directos del shogun - fueron elegidos. Se les dio casi
el mismo trato que
se diera a los daimio - senores feudales.
La
Oficina de los Fiscales era bajo el mando del Consejo de los Ministros
-
Rochu ( o Roju ).
Al octavo shogun Yoshimune
吉宗
no le gustaba la informacion
filtrada en
las organizaciones burocraticas. Tuvo personalmente a los agentes
secretos que se llaman "guardias en el Jardin -Oniwa Ban 御庭番. Ellos
hacian de
guardia tambien para vigilar el palacio de las damas, princesas
y las mujeres
del shogun llamado " O-oku
- 大奥. Pero, su mision secreta
y verdadera fue las actividades de
inteligencia que proporciona informacion
directamente al shogun cuando el
shogun salia al jardin.
En 1710,
Kawai Sora, con su nombre real del samurai Iwanami Shoemon
岩波庄右衛門, como integrante de una gran banda de 138
inspectores
bajo el mando del Inspecgtor Visitador Tshuchiya Kazuma Takanao,
partio
de Edo con rumbo a Kyushu para inspeccionar la situacion en esas
islas.
Se encargaba de la investigacion de los asuntos religiosos. Cuando
estuvo
en una isla pequena de Iki en el Mar de Japon, padecio de agotamiento
de
2 dias del duro viaje y mucho trabajo, fallecio alli a la edad de 62 anos.
La Isla de Iki era el lugar a donde huyeron los cristianos
perseguidos en
Nagasaki, Hirado y otras partes de Kyushu.
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En
Iki, tambien los cristianos fueron descubiertos y fueron perseguidos.
Ellos
disimularon su fe cristiana y adoraban a los Kannon Bosatsu budistas
que
eran habilmente disfrazados y eran verdaderamente las imagenes de
la Virgen
Maria.
Se encuentran en la Isla de Iki varias imagenes de Maria Kannon.
|
Una Maria Kannon en la Isla de Iki
que abraza al
Nino
|
La Kannon
Bosatsu
budista autentico
que abraza a un
nino
|
La
imagen de la Virgen Maria facilmente se podia disimular como una
kannon
bosatsu budista, porque ambas abrazan a un
nino.
|
En
la foto de abajo, a la drecha, cuando el Sr.Sato Taka, maestro de musica
en
un colegio japones en Espana y natural de la prefectura de Miyagi, visito
a
su amigo en Sevilla, y fue a Coria del Rio con la familia de su
amigo.
En el Parque
Carlos de Misa, un joven espanol se acerco a ellos y les
pregunto : " ?
Ustedes son japoneses ?. Si, Somos Japones ".
El joven fue una de las
600 personas apellidadas " Japon " en Coria del Rio
( Espana) y en otros
lugares de Espana, descendientes de uno de los treinta
japoneses de la
embajada de Hasekura Tsunenaga que se quedaron alli
hace unos 400
anos.
El Sr. Sato Taka es natural de la prefectura de Miyagi de
donde salieron sus
paisanos para llegar a esta tierra pintoresca en la orilla
del Rio Guadalquivir,
hace 400 cientos de anos.
Dos ninas en la foto,
hijas del amigo del Sr.Sato que tambien son de la
prefectura de
Miyagi. Todos comparten la misma sangre.
Foto : Por
cortesia del Senor Sato Taka, Sendai, prefectura de
Miyagi
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- 31-
Estatua de Hasekura
Rokuemon Tsunenaga en
el
Parque Carlos de Mesa,
Coria del Rio, Andalucia,
Espana
|
Un joven
espanol en el centro
de la foto se siente orgulloso
de que por sus venas
corra
la sangre del japones
El Sr.Sato Taka de Sendai
a la derecha, dos ninas
de
Sendai、hijas del amigo
del Sr.Sato, a la
izquierda
|
東都名所 御茶之水の図
歌川広重
"Ochanomizu" en Edo
por Utagawa
Hiroshige
|
El Puente
Ochanomizu
sobre el Rio
|
Durante el periodo de Edo, el Puente de Ochanomizu sobre el Rio
Kanda
era uno de los sitios mas populares de turismo en Edo y desde alli se
podia
ver el Monte Fuji, en los dias
despejados.
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- 32-
葛飾北斎
「 東都 御茶之水風景 」
El paisaje de Ochanomizu en Edo
El Rio Kanda se llamaba "el foso de Date " o "el foso de Sendai"
porque el
Rio Kanda era el canal contruido por Sendai han gobernado por el
Sr.
Date.
Las obras eran muy dificiles desde el punto de vista de la
ingenieria ademas
de ser muy
costosas.
|
ccopyright reserved. Todos los derechos reservados.
Reescrito el 30
de septiembre de 2005.
Tevisado el 3 de mayo de 2007
- Hiroaki Sasaki - Guia interprete en espanol e
ingles registrado en
el Ministerio de Tierra, Infraestructura y Transporte.
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- 33 -
http://www.ayto-coriadelrio.es/ Pagina web. oficial :
Ayuntamiento
de Coria del Rio,
Espana ( Haga clic en el barco de
arriba )
http://www.bujinkandojo.com.ar/tenchiwado.html
La
Pagina Web del Maestro Christian Petrocello -
Un tour recomendable para conocer
Matsuo Basho ( 4 dias
) desde Osaka, Kioto o Nara,
Un
dia en Osaka ( El Castillo
de Osaka y el barrio de Senba en la avenida
Midosuji donde fallecio Matsuo
Basho. . El segundo y el tercer dia en la
ciudad de Iga.
El tercer y
el cuatro dia en el Parque de Nara
( El Salon de Gran Buda del Tempo Todai-ji
), el quinto dia en el Oeste de
Nara ( El Templo Kashihara - jingu, el
pueblo Imai-cho y el Templo
Yakushi-ji
).
|
Journey of Embassy
