Chijiwa Miguel (English spelling)

He was one of the Tensho Embassies to Europe. His real name was Seizaemon. He was the son of Chijiwa Naokazu. His baptismal name was Miguel. He was the nephew of the Christian feudal lord Omura Sumitada in Kyushu, and also the cousin of Arima Harunobu. He was baptized in 1580 (Tensho 8) and entered the seminary in Arima (Nagasaki Prefecture). At the recommendation of Valignano, he was selected as the chief envoy of the youth mission representing both the Arima and Omura feudal lords. In 1582, he set sail from Nagasaki with Ito Mancio and others, and the following year in 1583, he met the Pope in Rome. In 1590, he returned to Japan, where Christianity was banned, and the following year in 1591, he met Toyotomi Hideyoshi and joined the Society of Jesus. However, he left the church between 1600 and 1603 (Keicho 5-8) and served under Omura Yoshiaki (1569-1616). In 1620 (Genwa 6), he was living in Nagasaki as a non-Muslim, but his whereabouts after that are unknown. His dream of being one of the envoys was shattered, and he spent his later years in misery.

[Kentaro Miyazaki March 19, 2018]

"The Record of the Mission of the Three Lords of Kyushu to Europe" by Luis Frois, translated and annotated by Okamoto Yoshitomo (1942, Toyodo)" ▽ "New Foreign Books 5: The Record of the Tensho Embassy to Europe, edited by De Sande, translated by Izumi Hisanosuke et al. (1969, Yushodo Shoten)" ▽ "The Tensho Embassy" by Matsuda Takeichi (Kadokawa Shinsho)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

天正(てんしょう)遣欧使節の一人。本名清左衛門(せいざえもん)。千々石直員(なおかず)の子。ミゲルは洗礼名。九州のキリシタン大名大村純忠(おおむらすみただ)の甥(おい)で、同じく有馬晴信(ありまはるのぶ)の従弟(いとこ)にあたる。1580年（天正8）洗礼を受けて、有馬（長崎県）のセミナリオ（小神学校）に入った。バリニャーノの勧めで、有馬、大村両大名を代表する少年使節団の正使として選ばれ、1582年伊東マンショらと長崎港を出帆、翌1583年ローマで教皇に謁見した。1590年禁教下の日本に戻り、翌1591年豊臣秀吉(とよとみひでよし)に謁し、イエズス会に入会した。しかし1600～1603年（慶長5～8）の間に脱会し、大村喜前(よしあき)（1569―1616）に仕えた。1620年（元和6）には異教徒として長崎に住んでいたが、その後の消息は不明である。使節の一人としての夢は破れ、不遇な晩年を送った。

［宮崎賢太郎　2018年3月19日］

『ルイス・フロイス著、岡本良知訳註『九州三侯遣欧使節行記』（1942・東洋堂）』▽『デ・サンデ編、泉井久之助他訳『新異国叢書5　天正遣欧使節記』（1969・雄松堂書店）』▽『松田毅一著『天正少年使節』（角川新書）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例