The First European Description of Japan, 1585

by Luís Fróis

In 1585, at the height of Jesuit missionary activity in Japan, which was begun by Francis Xavier in 1549, Luis Frois, a long-time missionary in Japan, drafted the earliest systematic comparison of Western and Japanese cultures. This book constitutes the first critical English-language edition of the 1585 work, the original of which was discovered in the Royal Academy of History in Madrid after the Second World War. The book provides a translation of the text, which is not a continuous narrative, but rather more than 600 distichs or brief couplets on subjects such as gender, child rearing, religion, medicine, eating, horses, writing, ships and seafaring, architecture, and music and drama. In addition, the book includes a substantive introduction and other editorial material to explain the background and also to make comparisons with present-day Japanese life. Overall, the book represents an important primary source for understanding a particularly challenging period of history and its connection to contemporary Europe and Japan.

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Portugal, Japanese Literature

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1585

About the author

Luís Fróis (1532 – 8 July, 1597) - Japanese: ルイス・フロイス (Ruisu Furoisu) - was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary.

Luis Fróis was born in Lisbon, Portugal, and joined the Society of Jesus in 1548. He went to India and served as a secretary, where his writing talent was recognized. He arrived in Japan in 1563 and studied Japanese language and customs in Takushima (度島) near Hirado, Kyushu.

Early in 1565 he joined the Jesuits in Kyoto and for the next few years experienced the confusion of the times. In 1569, the year after Oda Nobunaga entered Kyoto, he met Nobunaga at the Nijô Castle construction site, the first of many audiences with him. In 1576 he left Kyoto and went to Bungo province. He spent most of the rest of his life in Kyushu.

In 1581 he accompanied the Visitor Alessandro Valignano to Kyoto and Azuchi, and even visited Echizen province. He made another visit in 1586 with Gaspar Coelho, and was in Macao 1592-95. He died in Nagasaki in 1597, a few months after the death of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan.

Fróis was the author of many of the Jesuit annual reports and over a hundred long letters. Many of these were printed in Cartas in Europe in 1598 (translated into Japanese in Jesuit Reports). He also wrote an account of the death of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan and a history of Japan from 1549, which was not published till the 20th century.

His writings include the 'Historia de Japam' (History of Japan).

Reviews

[Thomé Freyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considero a chegada dos portugueses ao Japão, o feito mais fabuloso da epopeia marítima nacional. A espingarda unificou o país. Interrogo-me se Luís Fróis chegou a perceber, que os bonsais tinham a mesma função que as cruzes cristãs; acho que nenhum jesuíta percebeu. Wenceslau de Moraes, o último cronista oriental português, escreveu no seu livro: Traços do Extremo Oriente, que os japoneses são um povo pouco inventivo, porém, conseguem aprimorar tudo o que lhes chega às mãos, como por exemplo, os peixinhos-da-horta, que hoje em dia são apreciados em todo o lado, mas chamam-se tempura (que por acaso também é uma palavra com origem na língua portuguesa).

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais de 400 anos depois o espanto com as diferenças continua.

[Sofia Costa Lima]

Provavelmente, não pegaria neste livro (nem o conheceria) sem a recomendação para a disciplina de Hibridismo dos Géneros, mas acabou por ser uma leitura interessante. Tenho de admitir que sempre que pegava nele passava os dedos pela capa e perdia uns segundos a admirar a beleza e qualidade desta edição, com uma capa verdadeiramente bonita.

[MlleHimitsu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A high rating because it is doubly interesting to see the differences perceived by the author and the differences perceived by contrast with Japan then and nowadays Japan (as well as then Europe and nowadays Europe).
However I believe that you need to be already highly familiar with Japanese culture and etiquette to truly appreciate this book. Otherwise you might be induced in error believing that Japanese people still or no longer think as observed in the 16th century.
Strangely I found that a lot was still very true, especially about construction, tools and interpersonal exchanges.
I found the observations on women and children (especially their rights and freedoms compared to actual Japan) very very important testimony. I can't wait to discuss it with my friends!

[luz]

"In Japan, ambiguous words are considered the best language, and are the most highly esteemed."

[João Valadão]

Um pequeno livro bastante interessante que realça o contraste de costumes entre a Europa e o Japão, tal como visto por um missionário português do XVI. Apesar de ser um produto para o seu tempo, não deixa de ter eco nas sociedades atuais. Para quem estiver interessado na ligação entre Portugal e o Japão, recomendo o episódio do podcast que por sua vez me levou a ler este livro: "Falando de História #11 Os Portugueses e o Japão (1543-1639)".

[Rui Matias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obrigado ao Hugo van der Ding por informar e recomendar este livro no seu programa.
Ótima leitura.

[Igor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read the whole book. Still, I am very different Japan indeed.

[João Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais uma gema que li este ano, e que tenho orgulho de estar na minha biblioteca. Ainda para mais ao constatar avanços modernos já nessa época em tão diferentes países. Que pedaço de história!

[Albert Kenji · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessante relato sobre as diferenças sociais, econômicas e tecnológicas entre japoneses e europeus no século XVI