Relacion del Sucesso Que Tuvo Nuestra Santa Fe en los Reynos del Japon: Desde el ano de Seyscientos y Doze Hasta el de Seyscientos y Quinze, Imperando Cubosama

Luis Pineyro

 Madrid : Por la Viuda de Alonso Martin de Balboa, 1617

1st edition of Pineyro's history of the Jesuit Mission in Japan.  Folio, 30 x 20 cm. Bound in contemporary limp vellum. Spine title in brown ink. Some cover wear, mostly creasing.  Collated: [16], 516, [8] pages.  Text in two columns, with double ruled border. Worming to blank margins. Top margin torn from last 9 leaves, with loss to text.  18th century inscription on title of the Seminario Conciliar de Mexico, stating that this book was received from Juan Antonio de Vizarron y Eguiarreta (1682-1747), Archbishop of Mexico and Viceroy of New Spain.  Refs: Cordier Japonica, 290. Palau 226932 'Muy raro'; Streit-Dindinger V, 1163.  

Pineyro's history of the Jesuit Mission in Japan covers the period between 1612 and 1615, in five books.  In 1614, the Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu expelled Christian missionaries from Japan, in an attempt to stop Christian evangelist efforts started in 1549.  Foreigners were banished and Kirishitans (Japanese Christians) were persecuted from religious practice or made to flee to Macau or the Philippines. Before the start of the persecution and martyrdom of Christians by Hideyoshi (Ieyasu's predecessor), Japan had the largest Christian population not ruled by a European country.  Pineyro was believed to be in Japan during this period and wrote first-hand about the deterioration of Japanese relations and ultimate destruction of most of the Christian community.