The Political Character of Roman Christianity.

The Roman Catholic “Histoire del’ Eglise Chretienne” shows the political character of the missionary movement in Japan, a character almost inextricably associated with the papal and other political Christianity of the times, when State and Church were united in all the countries of Europe, both Catholic and Protestant.  Even republican Holland, leader of toleration and forerunner of the modern Christian spirit, permitted, indeed, the Roman Catholics to worship in private houses or in sacred edifices not outwardly resembling churches, but prohibited all public processions and ceremonies, because religion and politics at that time were as Siamese twins.  Only the Anabaptists held the primitive Christian and the American doctrine of the separation of politics from ecclesiasticism.  Except in the country ruled by William the Silent, all magistrates meddled with men’s consciences.[12]

In 1597, Hideyoshi died, and the missionaries took heart again.  The Christian soldiers returning by thousands from Korea, declared themselves in favor of Hideyori, son of the dead Taik[=o].  Encouraged by those in power, and by the rising star Iyeyas[)u] (1542-1616), the fathers renewed their work and the number of converts increased.

Though peace reigned, the political situation was one of the greatest uncertainty, and with two hundred thousand soldiers gathered around Ki[=o]to, under scores of ambitious leaders, it was hard to keep the sword in the sheath.  Soon the line of cleavage found Iyeyas[)u] and his northern captains on one side, and most of the Christian leaders and southern daimi[=o]s on the other.  In October, 1600, with seventy-five thousand men, the future unifier of Japan stood on the ever-memorable field of Sekigahara.  The opposing army, led largely by Christian commanders, left their fortress to meet the one whom they considered a usurper, in the open field.  In the battle which ensued, probably the most decisive ever fought on the soil of Japan, ten thousand men lost their lives.  The leading Christian generals, beaten, but refusing out of principle because they were Christians, to take their own lives by hara-kiri, knelt willingly at the common blood-pit and had their heads stricken off by the executioner.

Then began a new era in the history of the empire, and then were laid by Iyeyas[)u] the foundation-lines upon which the Japan best known to Europe has existed for nearly three centuries.  The creation of a central executive government strong enough to rule the whole empire, and hold down even the southern and southwestern daimi[=o]s, made it still worse for the converts of the European teachers, because in the Land of the Gods government is ever intensely pagan.