João Rodrigues's account of sixteenth-century Japan / edited by Michael Cooper.
Translation of: História da Igreja do Japão. Part 1, books 1-2.
Translated from the Portuguese.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 401-416) and index.

Contents:
A general description of Asia and the islands of this oriental sea -- Description, position, and various names of the islands of Japan in general -- The antiquity of Japan, and the nation to which the Japanese may belong -- Whether Europeans knew about these islands in ancient times, and when they were first discovered by the Portuguese -- A specific description of some of the principal islands of Japan, and their division into regions -- The division of Japan into provinces, kingdoms, or states, and some of the more notable mountains, rivers, and lakes therein -- The quality and climate of Japan, and the fruits that the land produces --

The measurement of roads, and the method of measuring lands in respect to rent, and the various kinds of measurements of the kingdom -- Japanese linear measurements -- The features, talents, and dispositions of the Japanese -- There is no contradiction, although there may appear to be, in the many things written about the customs, government, nobility, and wealth of Japan, and the reasons thereof -- The method of Japanese building -- The city of Miyako in particular -- The ancient royal palace called Taidairi -- The customs and manners of the Japanese in general -- The dress and garments of the Japanese -- The Japanese manner of paying visits, and the regular times and occasions for this -- The ceremonies and entertainment provided for guests who visit the master of the house at New Year -- The other festivals held during the year when they also pay visits -- Other occasions on which they are accustomed to visiting certain persons -- The gifts that are given, and the manner in which they are offered and received --

The courtesies, bows, and obeisances in use among the Chinese, from which the Japanese have taken most of their etiquette -- The courtesies and ceremonies of the Japanese in general -- The courtesies paid by the Japanese when they meet on the road -- The manner of receiving a guest in the house, and the hospitality and banquet given him until he departs -- The manner of entertaining the guest with wine and sakana, which is the first and principal courtesy paid to a guest on these visits -- The manner of giving and taking sakana for noble, common, and lowly people -- The warm and cold wine served on these visits, and how the Japanese make it -- The banquets held by the [Chinese], and how they entertain their guests at them -- The banquets of the Japanese, and firstly the different kinds of banquets -- Their manner of inviting guests to banquets -- Their manner of entertaining with the drink of cha, and a description of cha and of this ceremony so highly esteemed by the Japanese --

The general way in which the Japanese entertain with cha -- How guests are especially entertained with cha in the suki house -- The aim to which they aspire in suki, and the benefits resulting therefrom -- The liberal and mechanical arts of Japan in general and their division -- Some mechanical arts of Japan, and firstly their pictures -- Their other mechanical arts -- The liberal arts of Japan, and firstly the art of letters -- Another sort of letters, like the European alphabet of separate letters, which the Japanese use for certain purposes -- The paper, ink, and other instruments used in writing -- Their manner of printing -- The mathematical arts of Japan and also of China, whence the Japanese received them -- Chinese and Japanese astrology in particular -- Heaven in particular, and the degrees into which they divide it -- The degrees and signs into which they divide the sky, and the equinox -- The eclipses of the sun and moon -- The stars and their constellations, the number of stars, and the order in which they distribute them on their celestial sphere -- Earth and water, their shape, and the degrees of elevation in which they are said to be -- The Japanese and Chinese divisions of time -- The practical judicial astrology of these nations, and the various superstitions contained therein.

See Table of contents online.

Rodrigues the interpreter : an early Jesuit in Japan and China / Michael Cooper.
Includes index.
Bibliography: p. 385-395.

Rodrigues the interpreter : an early Jesuit in Japan and China / Michael Cooper.
Bibliography: p. 385-395.
Includes index.

The Japanese mission to Europe, 1582-1590 : the journey of four samurai boys through Portugal, Spain and Italy / Michael Cooper.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 246-253) and index.

Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Maps -- Chronology -- Part 1. The Legation is Planned -- 1. Christianity in Japan -- 2. Preparing the Legation -- Part 2. The Journey to Europe -- 3. Passage to India -- 4. From India to Europe -- Part 3. Through Portugal and Spain -- 5. Portugal -- 6. Spain and 'the Most Potent Monarch' -- 7. From Alcalá to Alicante -- Part 4: Rome and the Two Popes -- 8. The Road to Rome -- 9. The Papal Audience -- 10. The Stay in Rome -- 11. The New Pope -- Part 5. Further Travels in Europe -- 12. Bologna and Ferrara -- 13. Carnival of Venice -- 14. From Padua to Genoa -- 15. Spain and Portugal Revisited -- Part 6. The Return to Japan -- 16. The Return Journey -- 17. Reception in Japan -- Part 7. Summing Up -- 18. Assessment of the Enterprise -- Appendices: 1. The Boys' Later Careers -- 2. The Sources -- 3. Azuchi Screens and Braun's Cities -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.

Following the pioneering work of Francis Xavier in establishing Christianity in Japan, in early 1581, Alessandro Valignano decided to send a legation to Europe representing the three Christian daimyo of Kyushu. The purpose of this mission was twofold. It would give Europeans the chance of seeing Japanese people at first hand and appreciating their culture; in this way the expedition would publicize the work of the Japanese Church and increase financial aid from Europe. Conversely, on their return to Japan the envoys would give to their fellow countrymen eyewitness reports on the splendours of Renaissance Europe, thus broadening the Japanese view of the outside world and moderating existing notions about foreign barbarians. It might benefit the impoverished Japanese mission financially and thus promote its expansion. Two Christian samurai boys were chosen as legates together with two teenage companions, and they sailed from Nagasaki in February 1582. After a journey lasting more than two years, the foursome reached Europe and began travelling through Portugal, Spain and Italy. They met King Philip II and his family several times, and in Rome were befriended by the elderly Pope Gregory XIII and his successor Sixtus V. During their progress through Italy the Japanese were lavishly welcomed with speeches, banquets, balls and spectacular firework displays; large crowds gathered to see them solemnly process through the streets, while church bells rang out and cannon fired in salute. The authorities in Venice even postponed the annual festival in honour of St Mark, the city's patron, so that the Japanese might view the spectacle.

Local access dig.pdf. [Cooper-Japanese Mission to Europe.pdf]

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