The origin of the samurai:  あらすじ (arasuji)
English

The origin of the samurai: あらすじ (arasuji)

by

culture
history

I start with this series, a story that is, for me, spectacular. It is the Keichō embassy.

This diplomatic mission was led by the samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga in 1613 and was Japan's first official embassy to Spain and Rome.

Its main purpose was to establish trade and diplomatic relations with Spain and the Vatican on behalf of the daimyo Date Masamune, lord of Sendai.

Masamune hoped to open direct trade routes with Spain and to seek support for Christianity in Japan, which was then facing intense persecution under the Tokugawa shogunate.

The embassy travelled across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and although it did not achieve its commercial goals, it left a significant cultural impact and set a precedent in Japan-West relations.

My story begins here. A member of the Keichō embassy impresses, enamours and impregnates a woman in Coria del Río and her son, when his mother dies of malaria, tries to find his origins in Cipango (Japan). The journey by sea from Spain to Japan and their experiences of two different cultures are intended to make an exciting travel chronicle.

I hope you like it.

Any comments?

To be continued

Header Image:

Portrait of Hasekura Tsunenaga in the Salone dei Corazzieri at the Palazzo del Quirinale in Rome, 1616

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