HASEKURA TSUNENAGA
(PHILIP FRANCIS FAXICURA)
Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga was born 1571 of Japanese imperial descent and chose the name Francisco Felipe Faxicura when he was baptised a Christian in the Catholic Church in Spain in 1615.
He was the son of Yamaguchi Tsuneshige, who was a descendant of Emperor Kanmu. A mid-level noble samurai in the Sendai Domain in northern Japan, Hasekura served as a samurai during the Japanese invasion of Korea under the Taikō Toyotomi Hideyoshi, for six months in 1597. In 1612, Hasekura's father was indicted for corruption, and was put to death in 1613. His fief was confiscated, and his son should normally have been executed as well. Date, however, gave him the opportunity to redeem his honour by placing him in charge of the Embassy to Europe, and soon gave him back his territories as well.
Hasekura headed the Keichō Embassy, a diplomatic mission to Pope Paul V and Europe. This mission, which took place from 1613 to 1620, was the first Japanese diplomatic mission to the Americas and Europe, marking a significant milestone in the history of international relations. The planning and preparation for the trip were extensive. Masamune commissioned the construction of the San Juan Bautista, a Western-style galleon, to carry Hasekura
and his entourage across the Pacific. The delegation included around 180 people, including samurai, merchants, and Christian missionaries.
Their journey began in Sendai, from where they sailed to Acapulco in New Spain (modern-day Mexico), the first recorded voyage of a Japanese-built ship crossing the Pacific. They visited various other ports-of-call in Europe on the way. On the return leg, Hasekura and his entourage re-traced their route across New Spain in 1619, sailing from Acapulco for Manila, and then continuing northward to Japan in 1620.
In Spain they had been received by King Philip III. Hasekura's audience with the Spanish king had been significant event, demonstrating the growing interest in and recognition of Japan on the global stage.
They had arrived in Rome on September 20, 1615 and had been received by Cardinal Burgecio; the delegation had met Pope Paul V on November 3. Hasekura handed to the Pope two gilded letters, one in Japanese and one in Latin, containing a request for a trade treaty between Japan and Mexico and the dispatch of Christian missionaries to Japan. These letters are still kept in the Vatican archives to this day.
What became of Hasekura after finishing his travels is unknown and accounts of his last years vary. He definitely did return to his native Japan, but the political atmosphere had changed drastically, and Christians began to experience one most relentless persecution after the other. His date of death is recorded as August 7, 1622. The fate of his descendants and servants, who were later executed for being Christians, suggests that Hasekura remained strongly Christian and transmitted his faith to the members of his family.
Sources:
https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/year-8/hasekura-tsunenaga/?srsltid=AfmBOop3OCTc3ojbWFtYByXnDyHJg0B-__7rESCYiyJhVm7FxYynlYKy
https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/hasekura-tsunenaga/m04gnk0?hl=en
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasekura_Tsunenaga
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/jun/07/hasekura-rokuemon-tsunenaga-japan-samurai-charmed-courts-europe
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