Francisco Xavier: The Faithful Traveler Who Brought Christianity to Japan
Edit: Previous version mistakenly identified Aragon as a French territory. While Aragon did have holdings in what is modern-day France at various points in its history, the Kingdom of Aragon was established in what is today Northeastern Spain when Sancho III (the Great) of Navarre gave his third son Ramiro territory in the Pyrenees which became an independent kingdom. We regret the error.
Francisco Xavier was born in 1506 near Pamplona in the Kingdom of Navarre. He was the youngest of five siblings. Their father, Don Juan de Hasso, served as Prime Minister to King Juan III of Navarre and was already 60 years old when Francisco was born. His name is written as Xavier using the orthography of the Castilian language at the time. Today, it would be written "Javier."
Navarre was a small kingdom that, due to its location, was a site of conflict between the larger kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. When Francisco was six years old, his family's home was destroyed by conflict, and his father died as a result of the fighting. From that moment on, Francisco's family was at the mercy of a three-way conflict between Castile, Aragon, and the Basques.
When he was 19, he traveled to Paris to study philosophy at Le Collège Sainte-Barbe of the University of Paris. While there, his roommates were Pierre Favre and Ignacio López de Loyola. Ignacio and Francisco were both from the Basque country and were said to have gotten along well thanks to this shared background. After completing his courses at Sainte-Barbe, he studied at The University of Alcalá in Madrid and the Montague Institute of Paris. However, in 1529, Francisco's mother died, and shortly after, one of his sisters died as well.
Francisco was close to completing his final degree in philosophy, but Ignacio persuaded him to abandon his studies and become a priest. On August 15, 1534, Francisco, Ignacio, Pierre, and four others gathered at the Cathedral of Montmartre and made a vow to dedicate their lives to God. The "Montmartre Vow" marked the founding of the Society of Jesus. Pierre was the only ordained priest at the time who officiated at the mass celebration.
The remainder petitioned Pope Paul III and were given permission to be ordained. Bishop Vincent Nigsanti ordained Ignacio and Francisco in June 1537 in Venice. They then vowed to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but conditions prevented it. Instead, Francisco traveled to Goa in India at the behest of King John III of Portugal. Francisco had not been scheduled to go on the mission, but Nicolas Bobatija, for whom Francisco was his secretary, fell ill shortly before departure, and Francisco was selected as a hasty alternate.
Francisco traveled from Lisbon to Mozambique, spending about half a year there before continuing on to Goa. Francisco preached and converted many in India before heading to Malacca in 1545. It was in Malacca that he met a samurai from Kagoshima named Yajiro. Yajiro was from either Satsuma or Osumi provinces (both part of present-day Kagoshima prefecture. Little is known about Yajiro prior to his meeting with Francisco, but some records indicate that he had been a Yajita pirate and had committed many crimes. He sought out Francisco to confess what he had done. Francisco heard his confession but told Yajiro that he could not absolve him until he was baptized. Yajiro then traveled to Goa under the orders of Francisco and was baptized into the faith at the Church of Bom Jesus on the Feast of the Pentecost in 1548. His Christian name was "Paulo de Santa Fe."
Francisco asked Yajiro about the possibility of spreading Christianity in Japan. Yajiro apparently replied that it would be easy, and so Francisco decided to travel there. On April 19, 1549, Yajiro and Francisco left Goa and headed for Japan. Along the way, they stopped on Shangchuan Island in Ming Dynasty China. Shangchuan had been a Portuguese settlement since 1513. In what must have seemed Divine Providence, they made landfall in Kagoshima On August 15, 1549, exactly 16 years after the Montmartre Vow established the Jesuit order. Additionally, it was the Feast Day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, so Francisco dedicated Japan to her.
Having made landfall, and after a period of asking for and receiving permission to travel further into the country, Francisco, with Yajiro as interpreted, was granted an audience with local daimyo Shimazu Takahisa, lord of Satsuma Province. His conversation with Lord Shimazu seemed to go well, as he was granted permission to proselytize in Satsuma. In reality, Lord Shimazu was much more pragmatic, and he was being approached by Buddhist monks who advised him to ban the foreign religion. As Lord Shimazu considered his options, he traveled to Kyoto for an Imperial audience.
In August 1550, Francisco and his group entered Hirado in Hizen Province and carried out missionary work. In Hizen, the missionary work was authorized and went well. However, in November, he traveled to Yamaguchi in Suo Province, where he did not have permission to preach. There he met with the regional daimyo, Ouchi Yoshitaka. The first time Francisco met with Lord Ouchi, he arrived in the clothes he had traveled in, and he did not bring a gift. This angered Lord Ouchi, and Francisco was denied permission to preach. There may also have been a disagreement between Lord Ouchi and Francisco over the permissibility of same-sex relationships. According to the contemporary diary of Luís Fróis, when Lord Ouchi asked Francisco about the position of the Church on homosexuality, Fróis records Francisco as saying, "Men who practice such lewd acts (男色) are more depraved than pigs and more vile than dogs and other irrational beasts." According to Fróis, Lord Ouchi was in a relationship with his senior vassal, Sué Takafusa (male), and became very angry at this statement. However, Fróis was not present at this meeting, and Francisco recorded the meeting differently, so this may not have been the real reason. Francisco did write of his surprise with the openness of shudo (男色) in Japan and how Christianity viewed it as a sin, but not specifically of Lord Ouchi.
Francisco traveled to Kyoto after this but achieved little success. The Ashikaga Shogunate existed in name only, and the Emperor was busy overseeing the reconstruction of Kyoto facilities damaged in recent fighting. He attempted to debate the monks of Enraykuji Temple on Mt. Hiei, but was rebuffed. Francisco gave up and started to return to Hirado via Yamaguchi.
On entering Yamaguchi this time, Francisco had an audience with Lord Ouchi again. This time, he dressed to impress and presented him with rare cultural artifacts. These included letters from the Viceroy of India and Bishop of Goa (intended for the Emperor), as well as a telescope, a harp, a clock, a glass pitcher, a mirror, books, paintings, and a rifle. He is recorded as gifting Lord Ouchi the first recorded pair of eyeglasses ever seen in Japan. Lord Ouchi was duly impressed this time and granted Francisco permission to preach and freedom of religion. He also gave the abandoned grounds of Daido-ji temple for Francisco to use as a residence and church. It became Japan's first permanent church building. During the next two months, Francisco preached twice a day and gained 500 followers. One of the followers was a blind Buddhist monk who played the biwa (Japanese lute). He had listened to Francisco and had been so moved that he converted to Christianity and would later become the famous missionary Lorenzo Ryosai.
After two years in Japan, Francisco had heard nothing of India and made plans to return to Goa. He chose four young Japanese men, with the Christian names of Bernardo, Mateo, Juan, and Antonio, to accompany him. They passed through Shangchuan Island on the way to Goa, and arrived in February 1552. Francisco enrolled Bernardo and Mateo at St. Paul's College in Goa, a training school for priests. Mateo died of illness, but Bernardo completed his studies and became the first Japanese person to travel to Europe.
In April of 1552, Francisco made the decision not to return to Japan, sending Father Balthazar Gago in his place, and instead made his way to Shangchuan Island, with the intention to convert the Chinese. However, shortly after arriving on Shangchuan, Francisco Xavier became ill and died on December 3rd. He was 46 years old. He was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1619, and canonized at the same time as his friend Ignatius of Loyola by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622.
Today there are 36 Catholic churches in Japan either named for, or dedicated to Francis Xavier. Additionally, Catholic schools are named for Francis Xavier in Fukushima and Yamaguchi prefectures. Churches in the Chiyoda and Nerima wards of Tokyo as well as Yamaguchi and Kagoshima enshrine relics associated with Francis Xavier. There are monuments commemorating the arrival of Francis Xavier in Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Yamaguchi, and Osaka prefectures. Kyoto University Museum contains a painting entitled "The Fifteen Mysteries of the Virgin Mary and the Eucharist." It depicts Loyola and Xavier beholding a vision of the Virgin Mary and child. The exact date of its creation is unknown, as it was apparently painted in secret during a time when Christianity was outlawed in Japan. To be discovered with this painting would have had serious consequences for the artist, including potential death. During this time many Christians in Japan kept their faith in secret, going to great lengths to conceal their worship.
Francisco Xavier's life was a journey marked by faith, perseverance, and the pursuit of a greater purpose. From his early years in the turbulent Kingdom of Navarre to his transformative education in Paris and, ultimately, his tireless missionary work in Asia, Xavier's legacy is one of deep conviction and adaptability. His impact on the spread of Christianity in regions as far-flung as India, Japan, and China is a testament to his unwavering dedication. Despite the cultural and political challenges he faced, Xavier's influence continues to resonate, with his name and mission enshrined in the hearts of many across the world. His story is a profound reminder of the enduring power of faith and the remarkable outcomes that can emerge from a life committed to a higher calling.