Prisoners from Nambu: Reality and Make-Believe in 17th-Century Japanese Diplomacy

Chapter 3. Incompatible Jailbirds

Chapter 3 Incompatible Jailbirds On 27 June 1643, Ichinokai Jinbei set out to bring in his oxen, which he had left tied up near the shore of Kachime Òshima. This was an island off the coast of Chikuzen (Fukuoka), where Jinbei had lived all his life. Approaching the spot, he was surprised to see a boat in the water and people on the beach. They were dressed as Japanese, carried swords, and had done up their hair in samurai fashion. Some of them were of such large size and had such long noses, however, that it made Jinbei suspicious and hesitant to go near them.1 Then, one of the strangers called out to him and began to ask questions in Japanese about the neighborhood, and in particular about the purpose of the building on top of the mountain. Jinbei told him it was a lookout, guarded by men of the daimyo to watch out for foreign ships, especially those of kirishitan (Christians), Spanish or Portuguese, “in case they came by stealth to spread the Evil Religion.”2 That seemed to frighten the strangers. They offered Jinbei two pieces of silver if he would wait on the beach until they had climbed back into their boat and sailed off and their sail had disappeared. Jinbei took the money, stayed for a while where he was, and then ran back home to see Ichinokai Jiròzaemon, his older brother, who was the guardian of the island’s shrine.3 Together they went to warn Murai Jin’emon Muneyuki, the bugyò (highest official, usually translated as “governor”) of the island, who happened to be at the mountain lookout. Someone was sent up to fetch him. When Murai came down and heard what had happened, he immediately ordered a boat to be made ready for pursuit. He 50 Incompatible Jailbirds commanded the strongest of the villagers to board it with him, even though the strangers were already so far off it seemed impossible to overtake them. But the wind turned, so the sail of the foreign boat was of no use to its fleeing crew. At Jinoshima, off Ashiya-ura, the villagers caught up with the boat of the strangers and Jin’emon shot a warning arrow over their heads. After that the strangers let down their sail to indicate that they were giving up their attempt to escape and waited for the villagers’ boat to come alongside. Jin’emon jumped into their boat, and tied up all the foreigners. Then he towed the boat back to Òshima. There were ten prisoners in all, and Jin’emon reported this to his lord in Fukuoka. Word came back that he was to bring the prisoners to the castle town so that the daimyo, Kuroda Tadayuki, could have a look at them. Among the prisoners, there were four foreign priests (bateren), one of whom was sixty-eight years old, and one lay brother (iruman) originally from Nagasaki. Of the five other kirishitan, three were Japanese. All of this was immediately reported to Nagasaki and Edo, and after their confessions had been written down, the group of foreigners was sent from Fukuoka to Nagasaki in carrying baskets. Kuroda Genzaemon and three captains of the domain’s rifle brigade, two doctors, and more than three hundred men accompanied them there.4 Even though the kirishitan had more than two hundred pieces of gold, three kamme of silver,* and other valuable utensils on board, the Kuroda turned everything over to Lord Yamazaki Gonpachirò, the highest shogunal official in Nagasaki.5 The news of the capture reached Edo on 12 July 1643,6 and on that same a day a shogunal missive (hòsho) was sent back to Kuroda Tadayuki, praising him for governing his fief correctly, and expressing the shogun’s satisfaction that he had arrested the followers of the Evil Sect so quickly.7 Two days later, similar missives were sent to the daimyo of Òmura and Saga, two Kyushu lords not in attendance in Edo at the time, urging them to be as vigilant as the Kuroda had been in guarding their fiefs from foreign intrusions.8 The valuables of gold and silver that had been in the boat were ordered divided among the people of Òshima.9  This group of missionaries is known as the second Rubino group.10 Visitator Antonio Rubino, convinced the infamous Jesuit renegade *One kamme = 3.75 kg. Incompatible...