November 1644

November 1644 in Nagasaki was a month of routine trade and relentless religious persecution, as recorded in the diary of Jonassen, a clerk at the Dutch firm on Dejima. The period is marked by the arrival of Chinese junks, the ongoing investigation into Christian artifacts, and the active, if compromised, role of the two apostate Portuguese priests, Sawano Chuan (the former Christovao Ferreira) and Okada San'emon (the former Sebastian Rodrigues), who now served the magistrate's office in identifying forbidden Christian objects. This month also witnessed the grim execution of a Christian family, a tragedy that unfolded with the apostate priests as witnesses.

Commercial Activity and Religious Surveillance

On November 19th, a Chinese junk arrived from Nanking carrying a valuable cargo of white raw silk, gossamer, figured satin, gold brocade, and damask, worth an estimated eight or nine hundred kan. The crew brought news that three or four more junks with heavy cargoes were expected within a month and a half or two months, and that permission to sail freely to Japan could be easily obtained by paying dues to the High Official, ranging from one hundred to six hundred taels. A week later, on November 26th, a small junk sailed in from Chang-chew with a cargo of linen, alum, and pots, valued at more than two chests. Amidst this commercial bustle, the authorities remained vigilant. On November 29th, a couple of interpreters visited the Dutch firm at the Governor's request, showing Jonassen a Dutch verse printed under a picture of the Virgin Mary. The verse read, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women (Luke 1. 28)." They explained that the picture had been obtained from a bonze near Shimonoseki and asked what the language was and what it meant. They also reported that the apostate priests, Rodrigues and Sawano Chuan, had said they could not understand the sentence because it was written in neither Latin, Portuguese, nor Italian. Jonassen recognized it as the 'Ave Maria' in Dutch, printed by a Belgian, and suspected the picture must have been brought in by a Dutch ship, but he decided to keep silent until further inquiries could be made, answering correctly only because the apostate priests had already explained the figures.

The Execution of a Christian Family

The diary entry for November 7th records a grim event that had occurred three months prior. A coin bearing the image of a saint had been found in the house of a citizen in Nagasaki. The entire household was arrested and put to torture to make them renounce their faith, but they refused to apostatise. The apostate Portuguese priest, Rodrigues, who was among the witnesses, repeatedly appealed for mercy to the Government but was not heard. The man and his wife, along with their two sons, were sentenced to death. They had half of their heads shaven and were paraded through the town on the back of lean horses for four days. The parents were executed by being hung up by the feet, while the sons were put back into gaol after witnessing this sight. The diary entry for November 7th notes that the two sons were subsequently bound and carried on the back of lean horses, together with another victim, past the Dutch firm to the execution ground, where they were beheaded.

The Role of the Apostate Priests

Throughout this period, the apostate priests, Sawano Chuan and Rodrigues, were actively involved in the persecution. They were present at the inquisition when an image of the Virgin Mary was discovered in a citizen's house in July. Their role was to identify forbidden Christian objects, a task that placed them in a position of authority and complicity. The diary entry for November 29th confirms that the authorities relied on their expertise, as they were consulted about the Dutch verse printed under the picture of the Virgin Mary. Their presence at the executions and their cooperation with the magistrate's office underscored their complete break from their former faith and their integration into the machinery of the Tokugawa persecution.