Nanban Temple
The Nanban Temple was a Christian church built in Kyoto, Japan. During the late Sengoku period, the temple grounds functioned as a residence for the Jesuits in the city.
History[edit | edit source]
In 1582, the Kakushiba ikki member and samurai Yasuke arrived at the temple to meet with an old friend, the Jesuit priest Luís Fróis. Finding him at the adjacent residences, Yasuke spoke with Fróis and asked him to translate a document,[1] which he had found among the Portuguese Templar Duarte de Melo's belongings after assassinating him.[2] The letter spoke of the Templars, whom Fróis recalled from the stories about the House of Borgia he had heard in Rome.[1]
While translating the note, Fróis told Yasuke that Duarte de Melo maintained a correspondence with another Templar, Kimura Kei, who was gathering an army of samurai in Kii under the orders of Nuno Caro. Yasuke admitted that he knew Caro from his past but declined to tell Fróis more. Understanding, Fróis bid Yasuke farewell as the samurai left Kyoto to track down Kei in the hopes he would lead him to Caro.[1]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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The Jesuit Residences
