The Brotherhoods (Confrarias) and Lay Support for the Early Christian Church in Japan
By the end of the sixteenth century, the Japanese mission had become the largest overseas Christian community that was not under the rule of a European power. Its uniqueness was emphasized by Alessandro Valignano since 1582, who promoted a deeper accommodation to Japanese culture. It was also unders...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Nanzan Institute
[2007]
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| In: |
Japanese journal of religious studies
Year: 2007, Volume: 34, Issue: 1, Pages: 67-84 |
| Further subjects: | B
Baptism
B Clerics B Society of Jesus B Religious Studies B Priests B Christian missionaries B Catholicism B Christian History B Persecution |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | By the end of the sixteenth century, the Japanese mission had become the largest overseas Christian community that was not under the rule of a European power. Its uniqueness was emphasized by Alessandro Valignano since 1582, who promoted a deeper accommodation to Japanese culture. It was also understood by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who issued the first national anti-Christian laws while he was unifying the Japanese empire. The main reason for the religious success of the Catholic Church in Japan was, undoubtedly, the engagement of many converts and their descendents. This article deals with the role of Japanese lay people within the Church, analyzing how individuals gave support to daily activities and how the communities strengthened themselves through the formation of brotherhoods. Japan was then the sole overseas country where all members of those confraternities were locals, in spite of the presence of a colonial elite. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
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