※圖片為示意圖。Hasekura Tsunenaga
支倉常長
The Sendai domain samurai who became a Roman noble while leading the Keicho Embassy to Europe
介紹
Life
Hasekura Tsunenaga (1571-1622) was a retainer of Date Masamune, lord of the Sendai domain. In September 1613, on Masamune's orders and aiming to open trade with New Spain (Mexico) and forge an alliance with Spain, an embassy departed from Tsukinoura in Sendai territory with the Franciscan missionary Luis Sotelo as chief envoy and Tsunenaga as vice envoy — the Keicho Embassy to Europe.
The Voyage to Europe
The party numbered roughly 180, including Japanese retainers and missionaries. They crossed the Pacific via Mexico, then the Atlantic to Spain, where they had an audience with King Philip III. They then proceeded to Rome, landing at Civitavecchia in October 1615 and processing to the Campidoglio in a city-sanctioned triumphal parade; in November they had an audience with Pope Paul V. Tsunenaga is said to have been made a Roman noble on this occasion, reportedly the only person of Catholic faith and non-European descent to receive the honor.
Return and Later Life
However, the tightening of Japan's prohibition on Christianity meant the diplomatic mission ultimately bore no fruit. Tsunenaga returned to Japan via Manila in 1620, and died two years later, in 1622, amid disappointment at the mission's failure.
Legacy
As a rare envoy who traveled halfway around the world from Japan on the eve of national seclusion, Tsunenaga is remembered as a symbolic figure in the history of Japanese-Spanish and Japanese-Italian relations; the Sendai City Museum preserves a collection of artifacts connected to him.