Kyoto Lectures

京都は、日本の主要な学問の中心地として、また世界中の研究者が集う場所として、古くから伝統文化を守ってきました。このシリーズでは、フランス国立極東学院(EFEO)・京都大学人文科学研究所の協力のもと、東アジアの文化・社会学の専門家が、ここ京都で研究成果を発表する機会を提供しています。
Christian Sorcerers Crucified

Kyoto Lectures

Christian Sorcerers Crucified

Reconsidering the Keihan Kirishitan lncident of 1827~29

Mark Teeuwen

May 29th, 2018 18:00

École française d'Extrême-Orient

In 1827, the Osaka eastern magistracy rolled up a network of what the investigators identified as a Christian conspiracy. Caught in the net were a small group of female healers and soothsayers who combined Inari practices with a Christian spell, and a few men who had heard lectures on Matteo Ricci’s works; all were connected to an already deceased mystery man called Mizuno Gunki. In the end, six suspects were crucified in Osaka, while 65 others received lesser sentences.

This talk will focus on two aspects of this case. First, the incident will be used as a lens to examine issues of gender. Three of the condemned were women, and three men; the differences between the ways they acted, how they were talked about, and how they were treated are striking. Secondly, the analysis will zoom in on the apparent confusion on the part of the authorities to understand what the “pernicious creed” banned by Ieyasu actually referred to, and how a “Christian” might be recognized. Was Christianity a dangerous threat, or merely an administrative nuisance? Was Christian sorcery real? How far did one have to go to ensure that the realm was safe from its presumed powers?

Mark Teeuwen is professor of Japanese studies at the University of Oslo, Norway. His publications include books and articles on the history of Shinto, shrines, and Japanese religious history more broadly. This talk is based on a joint project on the Keihan Kirishitan incident, with Miyazaki Fumiko and Kate Wildman Nakai. The members of the project sought out and transcribed extant manuscripts related to this case and translated the main sources into English, aiming to publish a complete transcription in Japanese and a monograph in English in the near future.