A manuscript report of the death of the Christian 'Uheiji'

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[A manuscript report of the death of Uheiji]

Uno, Niemon, Ōwaki, Giuemon ... [et al.] [addressed to].

[Usuki, Bungo Province (current-day Ōita Prefecture)], Kyōhō 11 [1726]. Manuscript.

A document addressed to local officials of the Usuki clan in Bungo Province reporting that Uheiji, the son of Shio (a daughter of "Jirōemon" captured in Kanbun 7 (1667) for being Christian), has died at the age of 67. The document suggests that, like his mother, Uheiji was Christian. In the sixteenth century, Bungo Province was ruled by the Ōtomo clan daimyō (feudal lord) Ōtomo Sōrin (1530-1587), who met with the famed Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier in 1551 and became a Roman Catholic in 1578. An interesting report showing how local authorities continued to keep tabs on allegedly Christian citizens during the eighteenth century, when it was still illegal to identify as Christian.

One loose leaf in manuscript, complete. Central fold. Numerous wormholes, stains, and creases. Ink note to verso. 39.5 x 25.7 cm.

A manuscript report of the death of the Christian 'Uheiji'
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