Statue of Christian Warlord
Takayama Ukon,
at Tamatsukuri
Catholic Church, in Osaka
Takayawa Ukon - 高山右近 － was a
brave warlord. He was trusted by Hideyoshi.
Hideyoshi was at first tolerant with Christianity.
Hideyoshi had some able Christian warlords
like Takayama Ukon.
Tatayama Ukon is an able worlord. He was educated
person and a good friend of master of tea ceremony
Sen No Rikyu. His father Takayama Hidanokami Dario
was also brave worlord, and a Christian. Hidanokami
Dario wanted to be engaged more time in helping
misionaries to promulgate Christian faith in his domain,
He retired as a ruler and left the tasks of the ruler in the
hands of his son Ukon.
Ukon became the ruler of the domain of Settsu-Takatsuki
( Now, Takasuki city in Osaka prefecture close to Kyoto city )
at the age of 21. Settsu-Takatsuki had a
population of 25,000 and 18,000 became christians.
どうしてる？ I would like to welcome everyone to Christian Ninjutsu: A Spiritual Journey. I hope you enjoy your stay here and please feel free to review many of our previous articles listed in our menu section.
I am sure that when many of us think of the terms “ancient civilization,” thoughts of Sumeria and Egypt come to mind. However, one of the oldest civilizations in the world is Japan.. This may be an alarming observation to some since many avid readers of history have become devoted to theories held by anthropologists and scholars who seem scientific in their approach, but have limited their chronological dates of humanity’s origin to ancient Mesopotamia and the date of 5,000 BCE, since many of these so-called scholars will not allow the scientific evidence that man existence is older than what is calculated by them so as not to conflict with the “Abrahamic reiligions” that many of them are a part of.
Hideyoshi awarded him ordering him to move to Akashi domain with 60,000 koku, larger
than the Takatsuki domain. He was anxious about his people in Takatsuki whom he
must leave. He asked Hideyoshi for their well-being and Hideyoshi promised him to see
that people in Takatsuki would be protected, saying that Ukon didn't need to worry bout them.
Hideyoshi liked him and had a prfound confidence in him. When one of his generals
said to Hideyoshi that Ukon might have a wicked ambition of converting many of his
lords and retainers to Christians and held conspiracy against Hideyoshi, he told his
general that he must not talk such a nonsence.
Many lords and retainers of Hideyoshi, however became christians influenced by him.
The powerful lords like Hosokawa Tadaoki and Maeda Toshiie dind not become
Christians but were tolerant with Christianity. The wife of Hosokawa Tadaoki became
c Christian with the Christian name of Gracia. She is known among Japanese as
GARASHIA.
There were many Buddhist setcs, and he thought that it'll be no problem for Japan
to have a new religion. But, in Kyushyu, after defeating Shimazu clan in Satsuma,
he changed his mind sudenly. He got mad caming to know that some warlords were
donating some holy Japanese land to the foreign churches.
He became more mad to know that some non-Christian poor peasants were sold
as slaves to the portuguese and spanish ships. In the domains of the Christian
warlords, the buddhist and shintoists temples were destroyed or were burned.
Hideyoshi banned Christianity, and tried to persuade him to abandon his Christian
faith. But, Katayama Ukon showed some signs to be willing to die as a Christian
martyr.
Hideyoshi did not want to lose such an able warkord like Takayama Ukon. Hideyoshi
ordered his master of tea ceremony Sen No Rikyuu to persuade Ukon to abandon
their Christian belief, as they were both very cultured persons and were good friends.
Sen No Rikyu could not persuade him to abandon his religion. One day, Takayama
Ukon left his domains and went on a journey as a monk. Many of his friends felt sorry
for him. Maeda Toshiie in the Kaga Domain received him as his aid and treated him
well.
Ukon worked as a good advisor for Toshiie who gave him a domain of 30,000 koku.
But, after the third Law of the Prohibition of Christiany in 1614 by the Tokugawas,
Toshiie could not protect him any more. Takayama Ukon was expelled to Manilla
together with other Christians in October 1914. Four months later he died in Manila,
the Phillipines of a fever. He was only 4 months in Manila, but his statue is erected
in the bustling Paco district in Manila now.
The shogunate ordered Bashoh to investigate well he situations in this important
domain.
Kawai Sora 河合曾良 accompanied Bashoh in his literary journey to the north
of Japan. He also may have engaged himself in intelligence task assigned
by the shogunate. After the death of his master Bashoh, he was employed as an
assistant to the Travelling Inspector Tsuchiya Kazuma Takanao 土屋数馬喬直.
The Travelling Inspectors － Junkenshi - 巡見使, in charge of the intelligence tasks
were not secret agents - Ninjas. They were high rank officials, inspectors and at the
same time, ambassadors of the Shogunate.
Their visits were notified to the regional governments beforehand.
The regional governments had enough time to make preparations for their visits, and in
some domains, they cleaned roads and streets, and made out the questions and
answers' lists and handed them to the merchants and the leading farmers in their
domains.
Page 10
The feudal lords were so afraid of the unfavorable reports on their domains and their
governents to be submitted to the Chamber of the Ministers in the Edo Castle.
The travelling inspectors are under the Office of the Great Inspectors - Oometsuke
大目付. The Great Inspectors could denouce the misconducts of the daimyos - lords.
They were treated like daimyos. They had also the functions to notify the new
Shogunate laws and decrees to the regional governments. They sold also the
confiscated properties.
They not always made their inspections previously notified. They sometimes sent the
secret agents - Onmitsu 隠密 to some provinces to obtain the information about some
domains secretely.
The Great Inspectors were under the Cabinet of ministers - Roochuu (Roojuu) 老中.
Important imformation would be given to the Cabinet of the Ministers.
The 8th Tokugawa Shugun Yoshimune 吉宗 did'nt want to obtain infornmation filtered
by the burocrats. He wanted to obtain direct information. He employed directly the
secrets agents called "garden guards" - Oniwa Ban - 御庭番. He made them to
pretend to be guards of the Ladies Quarters - Ou-oku 大奥 in the Edo Castle, or to be
on the guard in the gardens.
In 1710, Kawai Sora, who had been a disciple of Bashoh, being employed by the
travelling inspector Tsuchiya Kazuma Tadanao , joined a large travelling band of 138
samurai inspectors under the Travelling Inspector Tsuchiya Kazuma Takanao and left
Edo to inspect the the situations in the Kyushu Island, with his real samurai name
( not a pen name ) of Iwanami Shoo Uemon 岩波庄右衛門.
He is said to have been in charge of the investigation of the temples. In the Iki Island
壱岐, Nagasaki, he was overcome by severe fatigue after much hard work investigating
the situations in two provinces Chikuzen and Chikugo and died there. He was 62 years
old.
In 1694, Bashoh left Nara on the day of the Chrysanthemum Festival, 9th September
for Osaka and on the same day, he arrived at Osaka, and visited at night the moon-lit
Iku-kuni-tama-jinja shrine, popularly called as Ikutama Jinjya - 生玉神社. He composed
there some poems.
There is the monument plaque of his following poem in the grounds of the Ikutama
Shrine, in Osaka.
The moon is shining,
over the fragrant cities of Nara and Osaka,
with the chrysanthemums in full bloom.
In Osaka, Bashoh enjoyed sight-seeings one month, visiting many places, but he
bacame ill, and died in a house of a merchant of flowers in Osaka, on 12th October,
in 1694. His last fare-well poem - Jisei No Ku - 辞世の句 was :
旅に病んで 夢は 枯野を かけめぐる
( Tabi Ni Yande Yume wa Kareno o
Kakemeguru )
Ailing on a journey,
my dreams roams about
the solitary and wild winter fields
Written on 15th December, 2003 by Hiroaki Sasaki
Another reason Japan is not referred to as one of the most ancient civilizations, is largely because its modern written history, contained in the Kojiki, the oldest extant chronicle of Japan, is dated around the early 8th century. This has led to incorrect reports appearing across the internet stating that Japan, properly called Nihon, or Nippon meaning Land of the Rising Sun, historically began around the 8th century. Unfortunately, this theory is also applied to Shinto, a form of spirituality that began before the creation of human beings.
In the scholarly world, we find that Japan is divided up into four historical periods.
| PREHISTORIC PERIODS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGY | |||
| Palaeolithic | | | 50/35,000-13/9,500 years ago |
| Jomon | | | 13/9,500-2,500 years ago |
| Yayoi | | | 500 B.C.-A.D. 300 |
| Kofun | | | A.D. 300-710 |
The Palaeolithic period in Japan’s history has been subject to much debate. yet evidence shows that this period may extend back as far as 120,000 years ago. one resource about this matter can be found in an article written by ICHIRO NONAKA where he discuss the stone tools found by archaeologists . Here is a picture of these ancient tools:
The reader can see this article in full view by following this link:
Next, we have the Joman period. The term “Jōmon” means “cord-patterned” in Japanese. It refers to the markings made on clay vessels and figures using sticks with cords wrapped around them which are characteristic of the Jōmon people. This period is date from about 15,000 years ago until about 500 BCE. Interestingly, what separates these various periods really has a lot to do with the people who occupied Japan during varying times. It appears that their were other nations who were ancestors of the current population of Japan. We can compare this to how many Americans have ancestral ties to the people who Columbus met when he arrived to the Old World that was new to his experience. Just a thought. it would seem that in the case of Japan though that many people of Japan are related in some way to those who preceded them. This is evidenced by the preservation of the Shinto practices, which precede Imperial japan by thousands of years.
We can see that the people during the Jomon Period were in some ways different from the current Japanese population, though they were ancestors to them. Ceramic figures known as the “dogu,” dating from the Jomon Period are on display at the British Museum. Here are a few photographs of these figures, which are over 13,000 years old:
Another amazing feature of the Jomon Period is that according to archeaological evidence, the Jomon people created the first known pottery vessels in the world, dated from 14,000 BCE.
The development of the Jomon people began to spread across Japan. Around 500 BCE, a new culture began to emerge that many scholars often refer to as the Yoyoi, which began in Kyushu. However, some recent evidence has surfaced labeling the beginning of the Yoyoi Period at approximately 1,000 BCE. The Yoyoi Period is defined by Japan’s first rice farming and metal using culture. A class society began to emerge during the Yayoi period. Over time, the Yayoi people grouped themselves into clan-nations, which by the first century numbered more than a hundred. Throughout the second and third centuries, the clans fought among themselves until the Yamato clan gained dominance in the fifth century.
It seems that the previous Jomon people were an amalgamation of the people of South China and Southeast Asia, and Northeast Africa. Paula J. Nielson states the following in an online article entitled, Ancient Japan-The Yayoi Period:
“The Yayoi people, on the other hand, are clearly the ancestors of the modern Japanese people sharing characteristics with the current populations from Northeast Asia, Northern China and Korea. This shows that while much of the Jomon culture was retained by the Yayoi, the population had little genetic intermingling between the Jomon and Yayoi periods. A much smaller Jomon population may have existed at the time of the influx of the Yayoi. Comparisons of the physical remains of the Japanese Yayoi and the Jiangsu Chinese coastal peoples of the early Han Dynasty show many striking similarities, strengthening the argument for a Chinese origin of the Yayoi. Interestingly, the imperial Shinto symbols of ancient Japan–the mirror, the sword, and the jewel–are the same symbols as found from the Qin Dynasty of China.”
You can read more of her essay here: http://cultural-anthropology.suite101.com/article.cfm/ancient_japan_the_yayoi_period
Here is a few photographs of some artifacts found during the Yoyoi Period:
The next period that we will discuss is the Kofun Period, which is also known as ther Yamatoera. The term Kofun takes its origin the rich funerary rites and earthen mounds, which contained large burial chambers.
During the Kofun period, a highly aristocratic society with militaristic rulers developed. Its horse-riding warriors wore armor, carried swords and other weapons, and used advanced military methods like those of Northeast Asia.
The Kofun period was a critical stage in Japan’s evolution toward a more cohesive and recognized state. This society was most developed in the Kinai Region and the easternmost part of the Inland Sea (Seto Naikai), and its armies established a foothold on the southern tip of Korea. Japan’s rulers of the time even petitioned the Chinese court for confirmation of royal titles; the Chinese, in turn, recognized Japanese military control over parts of the Korean peninsula.
The Yamato polity, which emerged by the late 5th century, was distinguished by powerful great clans or extended families, including their dependents. Each clan was headed by a patriarch who performed sacred rites to the clan’s Kami to make sure the long-term welfare of the clan. Clan members were the aristocracy, and the kingly line that controlled the Yamato court was at its pinnacle.
More exchange occurred between Japan and the continent of Asia late in the Kofun period. Buddhism was introduced from Korea, probably in A.D. 538, exposing Japan to a new body of religious doctrine. The Soga, a Japanese court family that rose to prominence with the accession of the Emperor Kimmei about A.D. 531, favored the adoption of Buddhism and of governmental and cultural models based on Chinese Confucianism. But some at the Yamato court–such as the Nakatomi family, which was responsible for performing Shinto rituals at court, and the Mononobe, a military clan–were set on maintaining their prerogatives and resisted the alien religious influence of Buddhism. The Soga introduced Chinese-modeled fiscal policies, established the first national treasury, and considered the Korean peninsula a trade route rather than an object of territorial expansion. Acrimony continued between the Soga and the Nakatomi and Mononobe clans for more than a century, during which the Soga temporarily emerged ascendant.
The Kofun period is seen as ending by A.D. 538, when the use of elaborate kofun by the Yamato and other elite fell out of use because of prevailing new Buddhist beliefs, which put greater emphasis on the transience of human life. Commoners and the elite in outlying regions, however, continued to use kofun until the late 7th century, and simpler but distinctive tombs continued in use throughout the following period. The Kofun period was followed by the Asuka period. Below is a famous tomb from the Kofun Periodどうしてる？ I would like to welcome everyone to Ninjutsu: A Spiritual Journey. I hope you enjoy your stay here and please feel free to review many of our previous articles listed in our menu section.
I am sure that when many of us think of the terms “ancient civilization,” thoughts of Sumeria and Egypt come to mind. However, one of the oldest civilizations in the world is Japan.. This may be an alarming observation to some since many avid readers of history have become devoted to theories held by anthropologists and scholars who seem scientific in their approach, but have limited their chronological dates of humanity’s origin to ancient Mesopotamia and the date of 5,000 BCE, since many of these so-called scholars will not allow the scientific evidence that man existence is older than what is calculated by them so as not to conflict with the “Abrahamic reiligions” that many of them are a part of.
Another reason Japan is not referred to as one of the most ancient civilizations, is largely because its modern written history, contained in the Kojiki, the oldest extant chronicle of Japan, is dated around the early 8th century. This has led to incorrect reports appearing across the internet stating that Japan, properly called Nihon, or Nippon meaning Land of the Rising Sun, historically began around the 8th century. Unfortunately, this theory is also applied to Shinto, a form of spirituality that began before the creation of human beings.
In the scholarly world, we find that Japan is divided up into four historical periods.
| PREHISTORIC PERIODS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGY | |||
| Palaeolithic | | | 50/35,000-13/9,500 years ago |
| Jomon | | | 13/9,500-2,500 years ago |
| Yayoi | | | 500 B.C.-A.D. 300 |
| Kofun | | | A.D. 300-710 |
The Palaeolithic period in Japan’s history has been subject to much debate. yet evidence shows that this period may extend back as far as 120,000 years ago. one resource about this matter can be found in an article written by ICHIRO NONAKA where he discuss the stone tools found by archaeologists . Here is a picture of these ancient tools:
The reader can see this article in full view by following this link:
Next, we have the Joman period. The term “Jōmon” means “cord-patterned” in Japanese. It refers to the markings made on clay vessels and figures using sticks with cords wrapped around them which are characteristic of the Jōmon people. This period is date from about 15,000 years ago until about 500 BCE. Interestingly, what separates these various periods really has a lot to do with the people who occupied Japan during varying times. It appears that their were other nations who were ancestors of the current population of Japan. We can compare this to how many Americans have ancestral ties to the people who Columbus met when he arrived to the Old World that was new to his experience. Just a thought. it would seem that in the case of Japan though that many people of Japan are related in some way to those who preceded them. This is evidenced by the preservation of the Shinto practices, which precede Imperial japan by thousands of years.
We can see that the people during the Jomon Period were in some ways different from the current Japanese population, though they were ancestors to them. Ceramic figures known as the “dogu,” dating from the Jomon Period are on display at the British Museum. Here are a few photographs of these figures, which are over 13,000 years old:
Another amazing feature of the Jomon Period is that according to archeaological evidence, the Jomon people created the first known pottery vessels in the world, dated from 14,000 BCE.
The development of the Jomon people began to spread across Japan. Around 500 BCE, a new culture began to emerge that many scholars often refer to as the Yoyoi, which began in Kyushu. However, some recent evidence has surfaced labeling the beginning of the Yoyoi Period at approximately 1,000 BCE. The Yoyoi Period is defined by Japan’s first rice farming and metal using culture. A class society began to emerge during the Yayoi period. Over time, the Yayoi people grouped themselves into clan-nations, which by the first century numbered more than a hundred. Throughout the second and third centuries, the clans fought among themselves until the Yamato clan gained dominance in the fifth century.
It seems that the previous Jomon people were an amalgamation of the people of South China and Southeast Asia, and Northeast Africa. Paula J. Nielson states the following in an online article entitled, Ancient Japan-The Yayoi Period:
“The Yayoi people, on the other hand, are clearly the ancestors of the modern Japanese people sharing characteristics with the current populations from Northeast Asia, Northern China and Korea. This shows that while much of the Jomon culture was retained by the Yayoi, the population had little genetic intermingling between the Jomon and Yayoi periods. A much smaller Jomon population may have existed at the time of the influx of the Yayoi. Comparisons of the physical remains of the Japanese Yayoi and the Jiangsu Chinese coastal peoples of the early Han Dynasty show many striking similarities, strengthening the argument for a Chinese origin of the Yayoi. Interestingly, the imperial Shinto symbols of ancient Japan–the mirror, the sword, and the jewel–are the same symbols as found from the Qin Dynasty of China.”
You can read more of her essay here: http://cultural-anthropology.suite101.com/article.cfm/ancient_japan_the_yayoi_period
Here is a few photographs of some artifacts found during the Yoyoi Period:
The next period that we will discuss is the Kofun Period, which is also known as ther Yamatoera. The term Kofun takes its origin the rich funerary rites and earthen mounds, which contained large burial chambers.
During the Kofun period, a highly aristocratic society with militaristic rulers developed. Its horse-riding warriors wore armor, carried swords and other weapons, and used advanced military methods like those of Northeast Asia.
The Kofun period was a critical stage in Japan’s evolution toward a more cohesive and recognized state. This society was most developed in the Kinai Region and the easternmost part of the Inland Sea (Seto Naikai), and its armies established a foothold on the southern tip of Korea. Japan’s rulers of the time even petitioned the Chinese court for confirmation of royal titles; the Chinese, in turn, recognized Japanese military control over parts of the Korean peninsula.
The Yamato polity, which emerged by the late 5th century, was distinguished by powerful great clans or extended families, including their dependents. Each clan was headed by a patriarch who performed sacred rites to the clan’s Kami to make sure the long-term welfare of the clan. Clan members were the aristocracy, and the kingly line that controlled the Yamato court was at its pinnacle.
More exchange occurred between Japan and the continent of Asia late in the Kofun period. Buddhism was introduced from Korea, probably in A.D. 538, exposing Japan to a new body of religious doctrine. The Soga, a Japanese court family that rose to prominence with the accession of the Emperor Kimmei about A.D. 531, favored the adoption of Buddhism and of governmental and cultural models based on Chinese Confucianism. But some at the Yamato court–such as the Nakatomi family, which was responsible for performing Shinto rituals at court, and the Mononobe, a military clan–were set on maintaining their prerogatives and resisted the alien religious influence of Buddhism. The Soga introduced Chinese-modeled fiscal policies, established the first national treasury, and considered the Korean peninsula a trade route rather than an object of territorial expansion. Acrimony continued between the Soga and the Nakatomi and Mononobe clans for more than a century, during which the Soga temporarily emerged ascendant.
The Kofun period is seen as ending by A.D. 538, when the use of elaborate kofun by the Yamato and other elite fell out of use because of prevailing new Buddhist beliefs, which put greater emphasis on the transience of human life. Commoners and the elite in outlying regions, however, continued to use kofun until the late 7th century, and simpler but distinctive tombs continued in use throughout the following period. The Kofun period was followed by the Asuka period.
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Kiai!!!
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