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.