Toranaga permits the Jesuits to build a temple and hold Mass in Yedo

Toranaga’s permission for the Jesuits to build a temple at Yedo and hold Mass is a calculated religious concession, not an open-ended welcome to foreign missionaries. He honors a promise to Father Alvito and allows Christian worship, yet makes clear that access to his domain remains his to regulate; he then extends permission for a service to all Christians and directs Naga to become Christian at New Year.

Background and Terms

Toranaga’s decision follows the Jesuits’ failure to persuade two Christian lords to leave the opposing side. He regrets that they remain with what he calls the real enemy, but tells Father Alvito that he believes Alvito and the Father-Visitor kept their solemn promise. On that basis, Toranaga says he will keep his own. The exchange makes the concession reciprocal: trust between the men supports a specific permission, without erasing their political and religious differences.

The Concession at Yedo

Toranaga authorizes the Jesuits to begin building their temple at once and says the land has been set aside. The grant is tangible and immediate, but carefully bounded. He says he cannot forbid priests and other Hairies from entering the Empire, while asserting that he can make them unwelcome in his own domain. He applies the same warning to new barbarians, should they arrive. The temple is therefore permitted within a policy that preserves Toranaga’s power to discourage foreign presence.

Worship and Its Political Reach

Toranaga also apologizes to Father Alvito for harsh words spoken in anger and gives him permission to hold a service the next day. He specifies that all Christians may attend, and tells Naga to go as well. The scope of the permission thus reaches beyond the Jesuits’ building project: it allows a public group of Christians to gather for worship under Toranaga’s authority.

The next exchange sharpens that authority. When Naga asks about the instruction, Toranaga tells him that he will become a Christian on the first day of New Year. The scene places religious permission beside a directive to a member of Toranaga’s own household and forces the question of how freely that conversion may be chosen. Toranaga’s concession grants the Jesuits space to worship, but it also demonstrates his ability to decide who may enter, who may attend, and what religious course Naga is expected to take.