Bulletin of Portuguese - Japanese Studies
ISSN: 0874-8438
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Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Portugal
Ruiz de Medina, Juan
The role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi troubadours in the History of the Christian Mission in Japan
Bulletin of Portuguese - Japanese Studies, núm. 6, june, 2003, pp. 107-145
Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Lisboa, Portugal
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BPJS, 2003, 6, 107-145
THE ROLE OF THE BLIND BIWA HÓSHI
TROUBADOURS IN THE HISTORY
OF THE CHRISTIAN MISSION IN JAPAN
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J. ( † )
Historic Institute of the Society of Jesus, Rome
When the Christian mission began in Japan, in the mid 16th century,
vocal and instrumental music were at their zenith in the court and amongst
the common people. The origins of this music are lost in the mists of time
and it is impossible to identify the date or period in which they commenced.
We shall leave the task of analysing its development to the experts, particularly with regard to the Gagaku style of courtesan music from the Heian
period (794-858).
I
1.
Vocal and instrumental music in ancient Japan
1.1. Percussion instruments
Throughout Japan, there existed percussion instruments of sizeable
dimensions, such as the bells with an external clapper of wood (the trunk of a
tree placed in a horizontal position), as well as the enormous ritual drums
installed in Buddhist temples or taken through the streets in carriages during
popular processions. There were also smaller drums, timbrels, tambourines,
cymbals (shó) and metal triangles that were struck with a stick, or some
simple hyoshigi rattles, two broad pieces of wood, similar to those that young
children nowadays carry through the streets of the city’s quarters to remind
the residents with their clicks and a pleasant little tune, that they should extinguish their home fires before retiring to sleep: “Matchi ippon kaji no moto.
Yojin seyo!” [A single match can ignite a fire. Be careful!]
Other percussion instruments included the diminutive ceramic bells
that were suspended, and continue to be suspended even today, over the
thresholds of doors and windows, so that the movement of the wind would
cause a barely perceptible tinkle that was, however, sufficient to create the
sensation of freshness even at the height of the blazing summer heat.
Here, one could also mention that the sandals so typical of Japan,
known as geta in Japanese, made from soft wood mounted on harder heels,
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Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
were habitually manufactured in such a way so that the left and right feet
produced sounds of a different timbre when the wood struck the pavement.
The traditional footwear worn by Japanese children is also often adorned
with tiny little bells.
1.2. Wind instruments
Ancient Japanese wind instruments included enormous marine conch
shells that produced esoteric sounds. Later, the Shakuhachi flutes made
from bamboo appeared, with their high or low tesiture scales that varied
according to their length and diameter. Another wind instrument typical of
the Far East, whose characteristics varied from country to country, was the
shó, whose ideogram can be interpreted as “living bamboo”. In Japan, this
instrument consisted of 17 slim tubes of bamboo grouped together vertically. Curiously, the sounds were produced by blowing air from the mouth
through an orifice in the base of the instrument and also by breathing in.
The shó was only used in the Gagaku style of courtesan music.
1.3. String instruments, played by plucking and picking
1.3.1. The Koto
From amongst the various Japanese string instruments, the elegant
Koto, a kind of horizontal harp with ten or more strings, stretched over a
broad, low and curved acoustic box, stands out. Each string rests upon a
pivot made of ivory or paste that the artist displaces to accommodate the
vibrations of the strings to the scale of the tonality that he is going to
execute. The Koto is an instrument that produces a rich sonority that needs
no accompaniment, although it is a common sight to see sets of two or three
pieces played together. It is not just used to accompany the human voice. In
1957, against the vast backdrop of the Hibiya Hall in Tokyo, I had the privilege of attending a spectacular concert of 16 Kotos, played by themselves in
various pieces during the programme, and accompanied by 80 Shakuhachis
in other compositions.
1.3.2. Shamisen
The dry and harsh sounds of the Shamisen are in stark contrast with
the sounds of the Koto. The novelist José Maria Gironella even termed them
“offensive to the ear”. It is undoubtedly an instrument that is indispensable
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
109
for the vocalist who wishes to experiment with ancient popular traditions
and the songs sung in the Japanese style that are so in vogue nowadays. The
artist grips a plectrum by means of which he produces sounds from the
three strings of silk stretched over the width of the slim mast mounted over
a small quadrangular resonance box that is sealed with cat skin. Pressure
exerted by the fingers of the left hand upon each string produces the tremulous vibrations that disguise the harsh strokes of the plectrum that is held in
the right hand.
1.3.3. Origins of the Biwa. Different kinds of Biwa
The Biwa, a kind of four stringed lute mounted over a shallow, oval
shaped wooden box, is the third kind of string instrument and is more elaborate than the Shamisen. Luís Fróis described it thus:
“Our violas have six strings, besides the double course, and
are played by hand. Those of Japan [have] four, and are played
with a kind of comb”.1
Experts on the history of Japanese music have traced the ancient
origins of the Biwa to the Middle East, the birthplace of a variety of instruments played by plucking and picking that were popularised over the course
of many centuries in Asia and Southern Europe. The Biwa gradually spread
to Japan from the 7th century onwards and was adapted into different variants that were generally more sober than its counterparts in neighbouring
China and Korea. Like the Shamisen, the Biwa served to showcase vocal
music. In the 7th and 8th centuries the Gaku Biwa model made its appearance, destined to accompany the music of the court known as Gagaku. In
the 8th century the Moso Biwa or Kojin Biwa was developed in Miyako
(Kyoto), to be used by blind musicians and to accompany religious songs
offered to the presiding deities of the kitchen, the most important room in
the household. From this Moso Biwa the Satsuma Biwa and Chikuzen Biwa
models developed in Kagoshima and Fukuoka, respectively. In the more
jocular environments that were to be found on the same island of Kyushu,
1 “As nossas violas tem seis cordas, afora as dobradas, e tanjem-se com a mão. As de japão 4, e
tamjen-se com uma maneira de pentes (peines)”; L. Fróis, Contradições e diferenças de
custumes… (1585), Portuguese original and German translation edited by J. F. Schütte entitled
Kulturgegensätze Europa-Japan (Tokyo, 1955), henceforth referred to as Contradições.
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Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
the Kokkei Biwa or comic Biwa flourished, and the province of Kumamoto
contributed with the development of the Higo Biwa, yet another model of
Biwa that served to add lustre to recitals of well known Japanese legends.
1.3.3.1. The Biwa’s popularity
The combination of recitative and musical elements interested both
nobles and commoners. In public squares and street corners, the people
would gather around to hear the comic or heroic tales sung by itinerant
musicians, who can be equated with the European bards who exemplified
the Celtic tradition, the Provençal troubadours or the jesters of the Iberian
“master of the art of histrionics” tradition. From the 13th century onwards,
the Japanese aristocracy manifested great interest in the art, inviting the
troubadours to play the Biwa in the soothing environs of their drawing
rooms. The recitals were called Joruri, and favourite themes included
the heroic exploits of past ages, such as the stories of the pilgrimage of
the bonzo Benkei who accompanied Fujiwara Hidehira, or the poem
Heike Monogatari and others, attributed to Hamuro Tokinaga, a Japanese
nobleman. It is said that when he finished his masterpiece, he taught a blind
bonzo to recite the poem, while he himself provided the accompaniment to
his recital, playing the Biwa to provide a musical backdrop.
1.3.3.2. The Biwa Hóshi masters - The sightless
The legend of Hamuro Tokinaga, whether it was true or not, served to
bring renown to the musicians who were members of the Japanese aristocracy as well as the multitude of bonzos who taught this art. Three centuries
later, Luís Fróis provided us with a somewhat succinct image of these troubadours, omitting the noblemen and putting the bonzos in their place:
“Amongst us [the Europeans], the aristocracy takes pride in
playing the viola. In Japan it is the task of the blind, much in the
same manner as the organ-grinders in Europe .…The bonzos
teach them how to play, sing, practice the art of sword play etc.”2
Rodrigues Girão does not limit the role of bard to the blind alone, nor
does he affirm that it was only the bonzos who were masters of the Biwa.
2 “Antre nós [os europeos] a jente nobre se preza de tanjer violas. Em Japão hé oficio dos cegos,
como em Europa os samfonineiros… Os bonzos os ensinão a tanjer, cantar, esgrimir &c.”;
Fróis, Contradições.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
111
In 1607, he wrote that a pagan nobleman
“had the task of teaching the sons of some noblemen to read and
write, and also to play and to sing. This individual, having been
persuaded by one of them – who was Christian – to hear the things
of our holy law, took it so much to heart that he, along with a son,
immediately became a Christian. When the bonzo, his priest,
came to know of this, he tried with all means at his disposal to
make him recant. And in the same way some heathen friends…
The Christian responded to these messages saying that he thanked
the good will that they showed him thus, and that he had become
a Christian because he had clearly understood that there was no
salvation to be had in any of the sects in Japan, and that only the
law of the Christians that he had received had this [salvation], and
he would die in this faith”.3
As one can see, this tutor was neither a bonzo nor was he blind, given
that he taught his pupils how to read and write.
The disciples of the bonzos were called dójuku,4 young boys and adolescents who generally were not blind. They lived as resident apprentices in the
teragoyas or schools of the Buddhist temples and the common people sometimes considered them to be bonzo apprentices, known as kozó. A fair
percentage of these dójuku were from good families, and there are many
instances of offspring from noble families. To cite a curious example, the
dictator Hideyoshi was a student at a teragoya until he escaped from the
school at the age of fifteen to begin a career in arms.
3 “Tinha por officio ensinar a ler e escrevir, e também tanger e cantar a alguns filhos de
homens nobres. O qual, sendo persuadido por hum delles – que era christão – que ouvisse as
cousas de nossa santa lei, fez tam bom entendimento que logo se fez christão com hum filho
seu. O que sabendo o bonzo – seu cura – pretendeo com todas as forças fazello retroceder. E da
mesma maneira alguns amigos gentios…. A este recado respondeo o christão que lhe agradecia
a boa vontade que nisto lhe mostravão, que elle se tinha feito christão por entender bem que
em nenhuma das seitas de Japam avia salvaçam, e que só esta [salvação] avia na lei dos
christãos que elle recebera, e nella avia de morrer”; ARSI (Archivum Romanum Societatis
Iesu) Japonica Sinica section, 55, fl. 421 v, fragm. Henceforth cited as Jap.Sin. along with the
number of the codex.
4 Cf. J. Ruiz-de-Medina, “El neologismo dójuku – datos históricos”, in Archivum Historicum
Societatus Iesu Magazine (AHSI, Rome, first semester 1999). One can also consult my book
Documentos del Japón 1547-1557, Appendix 3 “Dójuku, kanbó, komono”, and the entry *niños
in the index of the book, Vol. 137 of the MHSI, Monumenta Historica Societatis Iesu (Rome
1990) the first critical edition of 131 documents of the early period of the Church in Japan.
Henceforth cited as Mon. Jap. II.
112
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
It is said that the incorporation of music of the Biwa into the narrative
art was consolidated in the court of Miyako in the 13th century, possibly
during the reign of the young Emperor Gouda (1275-1287), son of the
Emperor Kameyama. To be blind was not an indispensable prerequisite to
aspire to the title of Biwa Hóshi, however, thanks to the patronage of the
aristocracy, the blind were undoubtedly the most conspicuous group of
musicians. Ever since the Muromachi Period (1392-1480) the musicians
belonging to the highest category received the honorific title of Kengyó, that
was originally conferred upon some court officials and certain authorities
in Buddhist temples. Luís Fróis wrote:
“It is the custom of the lords of Gokinai [the area of the court]
to be served in their houses and to have in them a blind youth for
two purposes: in the first place for their recreation and to pass
time listening to them sing and play and narrate the ancient
stories of Japan. And secondly, to send them out with their
messages, as they are generally very discreet and skilled in taking
care of affairs”.5
II
1.
The missionaries’ first contacts with the Japanese troubadours
Against this background of Japanese society the first groups of missionaries made their appearance. Given the popularity of the Satsuma Biwa
model, the first encounter that Xavier, Cosme de Torres and Juan Fernández
had with the itinerant musicians of Japan must have taken place as early as
1549 in the streets of Kagoshima, the main port of the lord of Satsuma’s
territories. In the Spring of 1551, then in Yamaguchi, one of these almost
blind street troubadours, called Ryósai, unexpectedly appeared, perhaps,
who knows, with his musical instrument in hand, at the doorstep of the
ruined Daidoji temple that Xavier had transformed into the first Christian
church in Japan. Xavier and Juan Fernández intuitively guessed that this
young troubadour would be an important element for their evangelical
5 “He custume dos senhores de Gokinai [la zona de la corte] serviren-se em suas casas e terem
nellas hum cego mancebo pera dous effectos: o primeiro pera sua recreação e passatempo em
os ouvirem cantar e tanger e contaren-lhe as historias antigas de Japão. O 2.º pera os
mãodarem com seus recados fora, por serem geralmente muito discretos e hábiles pera
tratarem negóceos”; Fróis, Hirado, 2nd Oct. 1587, Jap.Sin. 51, fl. 33 v.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
113
activities at the newly created church. Ryósai was born in 1525 in Shirashi,
a coastal village on the island of Hirado, facing the island of Ikitsuki.6
Xavier’s intuition soon became a reality when the young troubadour
embraced the Christian faith a few days later, taking the name of Lourenço
and joined the mission, living together with the missionaries and efficiently
assisting them in their preaching and in the catechesis. Three years later,
when Xavier had already died in Sanshoan, Brother Pedro de Alcáçova
wrote the following about Lourenço:
“[The Superior Cosme de Torres] is accompanied by a Japanese
who can barely see, who knows God’s things very well by heart,
[and] is of great assistance for the Father. Because when the
Father begins some great debate, he immediately turns to him,
and as he is very intelligent and is skilled at orating about God’s
things, the Father leaves him to debate with the Japanese”.7
In 1555 Ryósai Lourenço donned the habit of a Jesuit brother for the
first time. In 1593 Melchior de Figueiredo notified the General Aquaviva of
his death:
“The Japanese Brother Lourenço was a man of little fortune
in this world, and so deprived of vision in the one eye that he had
that he was almost blind. And in this world he earned his livelihood doing the job that the blind do, i.e. to sing and play the
ancient stories of Japan. He was a man of many talents and was
endowed with a natural eloquence, and very contemptable in the
behaviour of his limbs, who revealed himself to be a great
preacher of the cathecism and thus gave sermons throughout the
year… A Japanese nobleman, lord of a village, who converted and
became a Christian because of Lourenço’s preaching, said in
praise of the faith that he had embraced: «One of my main reasons
for embracing the law of God as the true faith is the splendour and
grace that God gives to the words of Lourenço’s preaching.
Because it is not possible, humanly speaking, that I would change
6 J. Ruiz-de-Medina, Mon.Jap. II, doc. 127 §, p. 103.
7 “Está em sua companhia [do superior Cosme de Torres] hum japão que vê muito pouco, o qual
sabe muito bem as cousas de Deos de cór, que hé grande ajuda pera o padre. Porque como o
padre começa alguma disputa grande, logo a elle toma, e por ter grande juiso e língoa pera
falar as cousas de Deos, deixa-o o padre disputar com os japões”; Mon.Jap. II, p. 428.
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Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
my life and subject myself in all affairs and advice to Lourenço, as
he is such a low and despicable man in this world»”.8
Cosme de Torres had trusted him completely right from the very beginning, and in 1555 entrusted him with matters of great importance, such as
the Superiors’ visit to the Buddhist monasteries of Tonomine and Momonoo
in Yamato, and Hieizan to the north of Kyoto, for which purpose he
provided him with a companion in the form of Barnabus, who had been a
Buddhist bonzo in Tonomine.
Lourenço of Hirado was not the only one who lived with the missionaries in Yamaguchi, right from Xavier’s time. Later accounts narrate that
Tobias, an 8 or 10 year old blind boy, also lived with them, “a poor blind boy
who was a Christian since the time when the Father Master Francisco
baptised him”, in 1551, and that “he was raised in the house from childhood”, a stereotypical phrase to indicate that he lived under the same roof
as the Jesuits.9 Reading the events and vicissitudes of Tobias’ relatively brief
life, it is obvious that the blind boy was one of the first Christian disciples of
the Biwa Hóshi Lourenço, being instructed both in the field of music as well
as in the art of narrating epic and biblical stories.
2.
The musical ambience inside and outside the church
We have mentioned the names of two blind Christians who flourished
within the church as if by spontaneous generation. However, reality was
very different. The European missionaries who arrived in Japan carried
with them a rich liturgical tradition expressed in melodies that were accessible to the people, both inside and outside the temple. These melodies and
popular hymns, so exotic to Japanese ears, were very well received in
the newly created church, right from the very beginning. On Christmas day
8 “O irmão Lourenço jappão foi no mundo homem de pouca sorte, e tão caresido da vista de
hum só olho que tinha que era quasi cego. E no mundo ganhava sua sustenção em executar o
officio dos cegos, que hé cantar e tanger as antigas histórias de Jappão. Foi homem de muita
habildade e eloquencia natural, e mui desprezível na compostura de seus membros corporais,
o qual sahio grande pregador do cathecismo, e assi pregaçõis de todo o anno … Hum nobre
jappão e senhor de huma villa, que se converteo e fez christão por as pregações de Lourenço,
disse em louvor da fee que recebeo: «Hum dos principais argumentos que tenho para receber
a lei de Deos por verdadeira hé o esplendor e graça que Deos dá às palavras da pregação de
Lourenço, porque não hé possível, humanamente falando, que eu ouvera de trocar minha vida
e sogeitarme em todo negócio e conselhos a Lourenço, por ser hum tão baixo e vil homem no
mundo»”; Figueiredo, Goa, 20th Nov. 1593, Jap.Sin. 12 II, fl. 134.
9 Francisco Carrión, Jap.Sin. 46, fl. 28 v; Fróis, Jap.Sin. 51, fl. 33 v.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
115
1552 Baltasar Gago, Pedro de Alcáçova and Duarte da Silva, who had
recently arrived in Japan, met with Cosme de Torres and Juan Fernández in
Yamaguchi and decided to celebrate a sung Mass, despite the lack of sacred
vestments and the absence of an organ. It was probably the first sung Mass
that was ever held in Japan. Alcáçova described the occasion in a letter:
“The Midnight Mass was sung, in this manner: Father Cosme
de Torres said the Mass, and Father Baltasar Gago the Gospel and
epistles, dressed in an alb, and stole, as the deacon, and we [the
three brothers] answered in the refrain… Even though our voices
were not good, the Christians took great solace from hearing it…
And even though the Japanese say that our singing is very tedious,
it would appear that the love that the Christians have for God’s
things made them like our singing. And, thus, they listened to the
Mass with great devotion”.10
Years later, Fróis described, rather jocularly, how European and
Japanese music was different and how its interpretation had few points in
common:
“For us, the melody of the harpsichord, viola, flutes, organs,
pipes etc. are soothing to the ear. To the Japanese, all our instruments are unpleasant and disagreeable … Amongst us, the music of
different voices is pleasing and sonourous; the music of Japan, as
everyone shrieks in one voice, is the most horrendous that one can
imagine. In all the nations of Europe there exists a throat. Amongst
the Japanese, nobody trills. The harmony and proportion of our
music of organ chants [polyphony, as opposed to plain or Gregorian
chants] is held in great esteem. The Japanese consider it to be caximaxi [kashimashi, commotion] and do not like it at all… In Europe,
boys sing eight notes higher than men. In Japan they all sing in the
same note, shrieking in the note in which the treble is at rest”.11
10 “A Missa do Galo se dixe cantada, desta maneira: o padre Cosme de Torres dizia a missa, e
o padre Baltasar Gago o evangelho e ipístola, revestido em huma alva, e estola, como diácono,
e nós [os três irmãos] respondiamos as cousas do canto… Ainda que não forão com boas vozes,
consolarão-se muito os christãos com na ouvir… E ainda que os japões dizem que hé enfadamento nosso cantar, parece que o amor que os christãos têm às cousas de Deos lhes fazia
gostarem do nosso canto. E assi ouvirão a missa com muita devação”; Pedro de Alcáçova, Goa,
March 1554, Mon.Jap. II, doc. 88 §§ 16-17, p. 56.
11 “Antre nós hé suavissima a melodia do cravo, viola, frautas, orgãos, doçainas etc. Aos japões
todos nossos instrumentos lhe são insuaves e desgostozos… Antre nós a música de diversas
116
3.
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
Indigenous forms of music accepted by the Church
Fortunately, the proverbial predisposition of the Japanese to assimilate
novel elements without losing sight of their traditions paved the way for
musical innovation. In their turn, the foreigners showed an inclination to
accept the melodic and recitative genre that was so typical of the Japanese,
even though both Fróis as well as José Maria Gironella found it to be far
from pleasing to the ear. In his daily interaction with Ryósai Lourenço,
Cosme de Torres saw that popular Japanese music had faithfully transmitted mythical and profane legends and stories from generation to generation, and took his first steps to adapting himself to his new environment in
this land. From the very beginning of the mission some Christians had
begun to write pericopes from the Gospel and from the Bible in general, in
their own hand, translated into their language by brother Juan Fernández,
with the help of native experts. Brother Duarte da Silva 12 soon followed in
his footsteps as did, from 1559 onwards, Father Gaspar Vilela.13 Native
masters of the art of poetry went one step further, transforming biblical
episodes into verses. However, the main form of diffusion was by oral
means. The scarcity of books, produced by xilography, was efficiently substi-
vozes hé sonora e suave; a de Japão, como todos se esganisão em huma só vox, hé a mais
horrenda que se pode dar. Antre as nações d’Europa em todas há garganta. Antre os japões
nenhum gargantea. A consonansia e proporsão da nossa múzica de canto d’orgão [polifonia,
en contraposición al canto llano o gregoriano] estimamos em muito; os japões a têm por caximaxi [kashimashi, alboroto] e não gostão nada della… Em Europa os meninos cantão 8 pontos
mais alto que os homens. Em Japão todos em igual ponto, esganiçando-sse no ponto em que o
tipre está descansado”; Fróis, Contradições.
12 “We never knew him to be idle for even an hour, due to which he not only dominated the
Japanese alphabet, but also that of China, that are very difficult. He invented the art of Japan,
and compiled very copious language vocabularies [Nunca o soubemos huma ora estar ocioso,
donde veo não somente alcançar as letras de Iapão, mas as da China, que são muito difficultosas. Elle enventou a arte de Iapão et fez vocabularios da lingoa muito copiosos]”. [Luís de
Almeida, Bungo, 14th October 1564, on the death of Duarte da Silva, Cartas de Évora 1598,
Vol. I, fls. 154 ss.].
13 “At forty years of age, his hair is completely grey, as though he were sixty… He speaks the
language of this court, that is the main and cleanest one of all Japan… And has been transcribing some devotional books and the good doctrine in this same language. Now he is in the
process of doing the Flos Sanctorum for the consolation of the Christians, a lot of which has
already been done [Com ser de 40 anos, está já todo branco como se fosse de sesenta… Fala a
lingoa desta corte, que hé a principal e mais pulida de todo Japão... e tem tresladados alguns
livros devotos e de boa douctrina na mesma lingoa. Agora vay fazendo o Flos Sanctorum pera
consolação dos christãos, que já está meyo feyto]”. [Fróis, Miyako, 25th January 1565, Jap.Sin.
5, fl. 204 v]. “This year he transcribed the Frol Sanctorum and other devotional books into the
[Japanese] language for the benefit of the souls [Tresladou este anno na lingoa o Frol Santorum
e outros livros devotos pera proveito das almas]”. [Fróis, Sakai, 30th June, 1566, Cartas de
Évora, Vol. I, fls. 206 v-207].
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
117
tuted by rhythm and the recitation of ballads and songs composed by Christian converts “in their own manner”, as one frequently reads in the letters
dating from the early years of the mission and in subsequent periods. The
use of this indigenous music ensured that the texts of the Scriptures permeated the memories and hearts of these new Christians:
“The festival of the birth of our Lord is celebrated here with
grand solemnity, because many mysteries of the Old and New
Testament are enacted, such as the story of Adam to that of Noah,
which has been translated into verse in the Japanese language, and
almost all the Christians know these verses by heart and sing them
while they walk and are in their festivals. We found that this was
one of the best ways with these people, so that they stopped
singing their heathen songs and sang those of the Lord. And in this
manner they come to know much of the Scriptures by heart,
which greatly helps them to have more faith”.14
“The [Christmas] repast was not like that which one normally
has in other lands, but at night, accompanied by many stories
from the Scriptures that the nobles in their devotion and discernment render into verse to be sung”.15
4.
Music in theatre
The introduction of a dramatic technique with spaces for ballads was a
well-known feature in the Christian history of Japan from the very beginning. This initiative, first witnessed in Yamaguchi and shortly after in
Bungo, was the brainchild of Cosme de Torres, a former professor and tutor
of adolescents and youngsters in the Estudios Generales of Randa (Mallorca,
where he even reminded one of Raimundo Lulio), Valencia and Ulldecona
(Tarragon). Cosme knew how to set new ideas into motion and characteris-
14 “A festa do nacimento do Senhor se celebra cá com grande solenidade, porque se representão muitos mistérios do testamento velho e novo, como hé a história de Adam até Noe, a
qual está traduzida em verso em lingoa de Japão, os quaes versos quasi todos os christãos sabem
de cor e os cantão quando caminham, e estão em suas festas. Foi este hum dos melhores modos
que se podera achar pera com esta gente, e pera deixarem seus cantares gentilicos, e cantarem
os do Senhor. E desta maneira ficão sabendo grande parte da escritura de cor, o que não
poucos os ajuda pera terem mais fé”; J. B. de Monte, Bungo, 9th October 1564, Cartas de Évora,
Vol. I, fl. 154.
15 “A consoada [do Natal] não foi como se costuma a fazer em outras terras, mas á noite,
acompanhada de muitas historias da escritura que os fidalgos por seu gosto e devação fazem
em versos pera os cantarem”; Fróis, Sakai 30th June 1566, Cartas de Évora, Vol. I, fls. 206 v-207.
118
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
tically left the choice of theme, its development and realisation to his disciples. Brother Juan Fernández elucidated upon the activities of the Christians of Bungo in the following words:
“About 20 days before last Christmas [1560] the Father said to
two or three Christians that they should enact some kind of a play so
that everyone could rejoice in our Lord on Christmas night, not
telling them what they should do, but leaving it up to them. When
Christmas night came around, they came up with so many inventions with regard to the things that they had heard about the sacred
scriptures, that one should praise the Lord. First, they enacted the
fall of Adam, and the hope of redemption: and for this purpose they
placed an apple tree with some golden apples in the middle of the
Church, beneath which tree Lucifer tricked Eve, and all this with
their songs in Japanese… And after the fall they were cast out from
Paradise by the Angel: which was the cause of much lamentation and
weeping, because the material was so moving, and the figures were
so devout and graceful that there was no one in the audience who
was not moved. Shortly afterwards, Adam and Eve left with the
clothing that God had given them, and an Angel immediately
appeared comforting them with the hope that they would be
redeemed… After this they enacted the two women who went to seek
justice from Solomon: this enactment was good and caused much
confusion amongst the women who in this land kill their children…
And in the same way, many passages from the sacred scriptures…
And they said all this in song, and the Christians would reply to them
from the other side, helping them to say these songs”.16
16 “Obra de vinte dias antes do natal passado [1560] disse o padre a dous ou tres christãos que
fizessem alguma representação com que a noite do Natal se alegrassem todos em o Senhor, e
isto não lhe determinando o que avião de fazer, mas deixando-o nelles: os quaes quando veo a
noite do Natal sayrão com tantas invenções ao propósito de cousas que elles tinhão ouvidas da
sagrada escritura, que era pera louvar a Deos. Primeiramente representárão a cayda de Adam,
e a esperança da redenção: e pera isso poserão em o meo da Igreja huma maceira com huns
pomos dourados, debaixo de qual árvore enganou Lucifer a Eva, e isto com seus motetes em
japão... e depois da cayda forão polo Anjo lançados do paraiso: o qual foi causa de muito mais
choro e pranto, porque com a matéria tomàrão causa pera isso, e erão as figuras tão airosas e
devotas que nam avia quem não chorasse. Dahi a pouco sahio Adam e Eva com a vestidura que
Deos lhe dera, e apareceo logo hum Anjo confortando-os com a esperança que avião de ser
remidos… Depois disto representárão aquellas duas molheres que pedirão justiça a Salamão:
a qual representação foi boa pera confusão das molheres que nesta terra matão seus filhos… e
assi outros muitos passos da sagrada escritura… E isto tudo dezia hum em cantigas, e
respondião-lhe da outra parte os christãos, ajudando-lhe a dizer as mesmas cantigas”; Jap.Sin.
4, fl. 21 v, Portuguese version from Cartas de Évora, Vol. I, fl. 79.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
119
The imagination of the Christians of Hirado was not just limited to the
Bible. On Christmas day 1564 they “staged a play in which they enacted the
arrival of the fathers from Rome in Japan, moved by piety, considering the
blindness in which the Japanese were subject to the demon in ignorance of
their Creator” 17 and, as a grande finale to this one act play, “finished by
singing the Ten Commandments and the general confession in their language.
And later, in another play, they depicted the shepherds, who upon hearing the
news of the birth went to adore the Redeemer…. playing instruments and
dancing, with songs of Our Lady and Jesus Christ in their language”.18 That
night must have been a spectacular success because the lords of the region,
“Koteda Don António and his brother Don Juan… were singing
and playing instruments with the other Christians in a very familiar
fashion. And Don António presented one Christian, who is a good
singer, with a Japanese costume in silk, as a sign of his happiness,
for which he first asked the Father, who was there watching them
sing and play, for permission”.19
5.
Vernacular accompaniments to the Latin liturgy
Even the Liturgy, dominated by Latin in those early years, was abundantly complemented by hymns and melodies in the Japanese language,
accompanied by European instrumental music from 1561 onwards, when
the Portuguese master Aires Sanches arrived in Bungo:
“On Saturdays, one sings Salve [Regina], with violas d’arco,
and on Sundays and Saints’ days they also play the viola during
Mass; and they say some songs, all of which is done with great
solemnity and devotion”.20
17 “Fizeron hun auto en que representarão la vinida de los padres de Roma para Japão,
movidos de piedad, considerando la cegera con que los japones estavão sujeytos al demonio
ynorando a su Criador”; Juan Fernández, 10th February 1565, Jap.Sin. 5, fl. 207.
18 “Acabavão cantado los dez mandamentos y la confición geral en su lengoa. Y luego, en outro
auto, representarão los pastores, que oyendo la noeva del nacimiento yban adorar al Redentor…
tanjendo e bailando, con canticas de Nosa Señora y de jesu Christo en su lengoa”; Ibidem.
19 “Koteda don António e su hermano Koteda don Juan… estuvieron cantando e tanjendo con
los outros christianos muy familiarmente. Y a hun cristão que es buen cantor, dio aly Dom
António un vestido de seda achara japán, en senal de alegria, para lo quoal pidió primero
licencia al Padre, que se alló allí viéndolos cantar y tanjer”; Ibidem.
20 “Aos sábados Salve [Regina] cantada, com violas d’arco, e aos domingos e santos também
tangem as violas á missa; e disem alguns motetes, o que se faz tudo com muita solemnidade e
devação”; Juan B. de Monte, Jap.Sin. 6, fl. 101.
120
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
On other occasions the role of musical instruments was reduced to
a minimum:
“Brother João Fernández… led the way, dressed in a surplice,
with his cap on his head. He is so thin that he could barely stand,
merrily singing: “Dic nos [sic] Maria, quid vidisti in via?”. And an old
Japanese man responded with a bowl and stick, which he played, as
there were no other musical instruments in that land… They organised themselves in the same church [Takushima] in two choirs, that
of the men on one side and the women on the other… and performed
some stories from the Old Testament rendered in prose… incorporated in the mystery of that night [Christmas, 1563]”.21
In 1566, the main protagonist was a famous doctor of Miyako (Kyoto),
a very cultured man who Gaspar Vilela “recruited” for the Church. He was
“a man of great standing [nobleman], from Sakai, the main city of
the kingdom of Miyako, a man who was about 50 years of age, very
good humoured and well versed in Japanese letters. He had been
married in his land, and after converting he left his wife and house
and children, desirous of serving our Lord, and came to find
Father Cosme de Torres… He helped me [writes Figueiredo] in
Ximabara [Shimabara] to catechise the heathens and preached on
Sundays and festivals with great devotion and zeal for the benefit
of the others as well as himself ”.22
During Lent, 1566 and for the festival of the Resurrection
“our companion Paulo, had rendered into the Japanese language,
in a certain kind of verse that the Japanese habitually sing, the
21 “O irmão João Fernández… Hia diante vestido em huma sobrepelis, com sua capela na
cabeça. Hé elle tam magro que se não podia ter em pé, muito alegre cantando: “Dic nos [sic]
Maria, quid vidisti in via?” E da outra parte lhe respondia hum japão velho com huma bazia e
hum pao com que ia tamgendo, por na terra não aver outros estromemtos músicos… Puserão-se na
mesma igreja [Takushima] en dous choros, hos homens ha huma parte, e as molheres da outra…
e registaram por maneira de prosas algumas estorias do Testamento Velho… accomodadas ao
mistério daquela noite [Natal, 1563]; Fróis, Hirado 3rd October 1564, Jap.Sin. 5, fl. 116.
22 “Hum homem honrado [fidalgo] natural de Sacay, principal cidade do reino de Miaco,
homem de idade de 50 annos, muito bem disposto e grande leterado nas letras japonicas, o
qual sendo casado em sua terra, depois de se converter deixou a molher e casa e filhos com
deseio de servir o nosso Senhor, e se veyo a buscar o padre Cosme de Torres… Ajudava-me
[escribe Figueiredo] em Ximabara [Shimabara] a cathecizar os gentios e pregava aos domingos
e festas com muita devação e zelo de aproveitar a sy e aos outros”; Melchior de Figueiredo,
Shimabara, 13th September 1566, Jap.Sin. 6, fl. 124.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
121
entire story of the burial of Christ, and that of the Angel’s answer
to the Marias who went to visit him; which… the young sons and
daughters of the Christians enacted, to the great satisfaction of
everyone”.23
This doctor and scholar was called Yóhó Paulo, and in 1580, at the age of
64, he entered the ranks of the Society of Jesus as a brother along with one
of his sons, Hóin Vicente, who was also a well known doctor in the capital.
In short, before the written word was defused on a large scale, the
echoes of the spoken word, recited and sung, went well beyond the confines
of the handful of churches in those initial years of the Japanese mission.
“These songs were ordained in order that they forget their
songs that they continually sing. To such an extent that in this land
already one does not hear any songs other than those that they are
taught in the church”.24
6.
The catechesis in song
The European missionaries, particularly those from the Iberian Peninsula, who were used to the catechetical pedagogy of easy rhythms and
popular melodies taught the native catechists the fundamentals of what was
at the time known as “the doctrine” by means of a catechesis in song,
complete with questions and answers, as a complement to the liturgy. The
learning of this catechesis facilitated the well-known retentive capacity of
Japanese adults and children. Or at least that was the case according to
what brother Luis de Almeida wrote in November, 1563 to the Jesuits in
India about their activities in Kuchinotsu and Yokoseura, towns in the
province of Nagasaki:
“In this place there must be around 200 children, of whom 60
or 70, and sometimes more, come to the doctrine, and all of them
23 “Nosso companheiro Paulo, tinha feito na lingoa de Japão, em certo modo de verso que
costumão cantar os japões, toda a historia do sepulchro de Christo, e a da reposta do anjo aas
marias que o forão visitar; a qual… representarão os meninos e meninas filhas dos christãos,
com muita satisfação de todos”; Melchior de Figueiredo, Shimabara, 13th September 1566,
Jap.Sin. 6, fl. 124.
24 “Estas camtigas se ordenarão pera que se esquecesem das suas que comtinuamente camtão.
Hé de maneira que já neste lugar se não ouvem outras cantiguas senão as que na igreja lhes
insinão”; Luis de Almeida, Jap.Sin. 5, fl. 97.
122
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
are very clean as they are the children of well to do men… The
songs that they continually sing are those of the doctrine, or of the
Passion, or those of stories from the Old Testament, and everything
is rendered in ballads, in their style… I, along with the three
Portuguese, left for the port of Cochinochu [Kuchinotsu]… Once
the doctrine was over I ordered that the boys sing some songs – for
love of the Portuguese – from the Sacred Scripture, and some 7 or
8 of them began to sing the story of Adam and the evils that
resulted from sin, with so much feeling that one could not hope for
more in boys of such a tender age. And in the same way the girls
sang the mysteries of the Passion with great devotion… On Easter
day, after dinner, the Christians came to church, dressed in fine
clothes, in the manner of men from Miyako, and everyone began
to say, each in their turn, much prose in praise of God and of the
Virgin, that gave us all much to rejoice in the Lord”.25
7.
The soloists
At the time, ailing and handicapped individuals were always well
received in the Christian communities in Japan. We have already dealt with
this topic on several occasions, particularly in our article “Charity and the
Jesuits”,26 where we have dwelt upon this subject in much detail.
The missionaries’ attention to those who were physically or spiritually
in need was recompensed by the positive contribution that these individuals
made to the mission’s evangelical activities. From remote fiefdoms, many
well to do individuals as well as bonzos or ex-bonzos came to Bungo,
seeking the salubrious environs of the Misericórdia of Bungo’s hospital, and
25 “Averá neste lugar 200 mininos, dos quaes vem 60 ou 70, e ás vezes mais, á doutrina, e todos
muito limpos por serem filhos de homens abastados… As cantigas que comtinuamente cantão,
ou hé da doutrina, ou da Paixão, ou das Histórias do Testamento velho, e tudo em trova, à sua
maneira… Eu com os três portugueses nos partimos pera o porto de Cochinochu
[Kuchinotsu]… Acabada a doutrina mandei aos meninos que camtasem algumas cantigas – por
amor dos portugueses – da Sagrada Scriptura, e começarão alguns 7 ou 8 a camtar a historia
de Adão e dos males que vierão do pecado, com tanto semtimento que se não podia dizer mais
em mininos de tão pouqua idade. E pola mesma maneira as meninas cantarão com muita
devação os mistérios da paixão… O dia de Páscoa, depois de jantar, vierão os christãos á igreja
mui bem vestidos, á laia dos homens do Meaco [Miyako], e começarão a dizer todos por seu
ponto muitas prosas em louvor de Deos e da Virgem, que a todos nos deu muita alegria no
Senhor”; Almeida, Ibidem.
26 “Los jesuitas y la beneficencia”; Mon.Jap. III (Rome, 1996) p. 657.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
123
often returned to their homes transformed into proselytisers of the religion
of the foreign missionaries.
Today, we shall discuss the role of those individuals who were practically normal, lacking only the sense of sight, a shortcoming that was
compensated for by an enviable memory and a well-known ability to
communicate with others by means of their voices and the sounds of the
Japanese Biwa. The welcoming environment of the church encouraged the
recently converted Christians to spontaneously present their recitative and
musical talents within the confines of the church. Some, such as Ryósai
Lourenço, were accomplished masters, and many others began to familiarise
themselves with the requirements of this art, such as the child Tobias in
Yamaguchi and an exceedingly young 8 year old Christian troubadour from
the city of Hita, who was in complete possession of his five physical senses.
The artists themselves prepared the narratives dealing with Christian
themes. Although these very same neophytes habitually took the initiative,
on other occasions, however, the missionaries were responsible for the
impetus. Amongst them, the personality of the Portuguese Gaspar Vilela,
born in 1526 in Aviz, near Évora, stands out. From a tender age he was
educated in the monastery of St. Benedict by the monks of the Order of Aviz,
and later specialised in liturgical ceremonies and vocal music.
Right from his first days in Japan, as far back as 1566, at a time when
he did not understand the language, he had the opportunity of hearing the
ballads sung by Ryósai Lourenço, by then a Jesuit brother. From September
1559 onwards, Lourenço was his companion who assisted in the foundation
of the mission in Miyako, the capital, as well as in the installation of a
modest oratory, in 1561. Attracted, perhaps by Vilela’s voice, and no doubt
by the somewhat harsher voice of brother Lourenço, a blind troubadour
who was interested in the Christian doctrine appeared at the doorstep of
this humble chapel. Thus was found a new Biwa Hóshi for the mission’s
evangelical activities, to whom Vilela gave the name Joseph upon baptism.
We find the following reference to him in a letter penned by Figueiredo:
“There are always new catechumens, not only from the same
region [Bungo] but even from other Kingdoms, from amongst
whom it is of interest to note two individuals from Miyako who
converted to Christianity, Lucas and Joseph… Joseph is a blind
man who came from Miyako to earn his livelihood by singing and
playing instruments, as is the blind habitually do in these lands.
He is the son of a well respected citizen of Miyako… and because
there was an obstacle to his becoming a Christian, namely that the
blind sing stories in praise of their own sects, he took care of this
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Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
matter in such a way as to avoid the problem altogether. Thus, he
ceased to travel throughout all these kingdoms that he had
traversed earning his living, and was baptised and returned
shortly after to his hometown, fervently desiring to persuade his
father and relatives of the truth that he had received”.27
One often wonders if some of the texts and the music of these songs
have been preserved but, alas, the answer is negative. Nevertheless, we do
know with a fair degree of certainty that the majority narrated biblical
stories and the lives of saints. In 1611, referring to the beatification of
Ignatius de Loyola, Rodrigues Girão wrote about the
“songs that were again composed in praise of the saint, and were
sung between psalms to the sound of musical instruments, the
singing prevailing in the interval that was made specifically for
this purpose”.28
But Cosme de Torres and Vilela were not the only ones who took an interest
in the blind troubadours who converted to being catechists. The annual
letter of 1586, penned by Fróis, also refers to the non Christian blind troubadours and later mentions that,
“in some of our churches we also make use of them after they
become Christians, but for a different purpose, namely, to teach
the Christian doctrine from village to village, to preach to some
heathens and recount the lives of saints and matters of God to the
Christians”.29
27 “Sempre de novo há cathecumenos, não somente da mesma terra [Bungo] mas ainda de
Reinos estranhos, entre os quaes se fizerão dous christãos do Miáco, convem a saber, Lucas e
Joseph… Joseph hé hum cego que do Miáco veo à ganhar sua vida por cantar e tanger, como
costumão os cegos nestas partes, o qual hé filho de hum homem honrado do Miáco… E porque
pera se fazer christão avia hum empedimento, que hé cantarem os cegos as historias de suas
seitas em seu favor, elle se preparou de maneira que evitaria todo o inconveniente, e por isso
deixaria de correr todos os reinos pera que vinha determinado de andar ganhando, e se
bautizou e tornou logo pera sua terra, muito desejoso de mover seu pai e parentes á verdade
que recebeu”; Figueiredo, Bungo, 27th September 1567, Jap.Sin. 6, fl. 195.
28 “Cantigas que de novo se composeram em louvor do santo, e se cantaram entre psalmo e
psalmo ao son dos instrumentos músicos, precedendo-lhe seu descante na pausa que pera isso
se fazia”; Girão, Nagasaki, 10th March 1612, Jap.Sin. 57, fl. 137 and Jap.Sin. 64, fl. 98.
29 “Em algumas igreias nossas tambem uzamos delles depois que se fazem christãos, mas pera
outro fim differente, que hé andarem insinando pellas aldeas a doctrina christãa, pregarem a
alguns gentios e praticarem aos christãos as vidas dos sanctos e cousas de Deos”; Jap.Sin. 51,
fl. 33 v.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
125
In 1591 other itinerant artists approached the church. In Katsusa in
Arima, according to Fróis, two or three blind sorcerers converted to the
Christian faith who influenced a certain number of Christians.30 Perhaps
Francesco Pasio had these troubadours in mind when he wrote in 1594 that
“Seeing that since September ’93, after Quanbaco dono [Kanbaku]
became lord of Miyako they were freer, they began to assiduously
cultivate the Christian communities under their care… Instructing some blind [troubadours] so that, instead of teaching the other
frivolities and stories that such blind [troubadours] habitually
teach and sing, now, after being converted, they become masters
of the Christian doctrine and go about teaching it from village
to village”.31
The blind troubadours’ preaching resulted in a large number of conversions from amongst the masses, though they did not limit themselves to
popular audiences, as we shall see later in this article.
8.
The hierarchy of the blind: The academy of blind graduates
Christian documents of the time speak of a large number of Japanese who
had lost their sense of sight and, in general, one can state that their life
depended upon their particular family situation. The blind troubadours of a
lesser social status were in the habit of turning to the goodwill of the populace,
but it would be incorrect to equate them with the musicians that we nowadays
see busking in the corridors of the Underground Metropolitan stations in large
capital cities. A blind musician accompanying his ballads with a Biwa was a
troubadour by circumstance who was widely accepted in Japanese social life
in the 16th and 17th centuries. Some were more fortunate than others, and,
quite naturally, there existed jealousies and rivalries amongst them with regard
to the payments and contributions made by their audiences.
30 Fróis, História V, p. 148.
31 “Viendo que desde el setienbro de 93, por aver tornado Quanbaco dono [Kanbaku] al Miaco
[Miyako] quedavão más libres, começaron a cultivar muy de propósito las cristiandades que
tenían a su cargo… Instruyéndose algunos ciegos para que, en lugar de enseñar otras
vanidades y historias que comúnmente en Japón los dichos ciegos suelan enseñar y cantar,
ahora, después de convertidos fuesen maestros de la doctrina cristiana y la fuesen enseñando
por las aldeas”; Pasio, Nagasaki, 20th October 1594, Jap.Sin. 31, fl. 92.
126
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
The conversion of the troubadour Joseph of Miyako, to whom we have
referred earlier, was fortuitous and enabled the missionaries to come into
contact with another peculiar feature of Japanese life. Luis Fróis, Francesco
Pasio, Organtino Soldo, Lourenço Mexia, João Rodrigues Girão and many
others referred to this phenomenon.
Fróis wrote that,
“In Japan, the blind are held in great esteem, and have a
certain kind of monarchy amongst themselves, based upon
ancient laws and privileges. Due to the fact that the individual
who is the head of all the others lives in Miyako, and they recognise his as their prince and superior, he is a very respected dignitary. Because in their monarchy, the blind have different
hierarchical degrees, according to which they can rise, being
ranked according to their skills and the favour in which this blind
individual, who is the head of them all, holds them. In order to
rank them according to this hierarchy, he examines them and
ranks them as he sees fit. And thus, in accordance with the hierarchical ranks that he confers, the blind who receive them find that
their reputation and the benefits they receive from all the lords of
Japan increase correspondingly. And they also have authority over
the other blind who are inferior to them. For this reason, these
hierarchical ranks are very sought after and eagerly desired by
them, and they give many tributes in order to obtain them. The
highest hierarchical rank to which they can aspire is that which
amongst themselves they call Quenguio [Kengyó]. Because apart
from the fact that those who attain this rank have greater access
and are honoured by all the lords of Japan, they have many other
blind disciples under their protection and command, who rise to
the ranks that they desire by their grace and favour… And, apart
from the honour and respect that the Japanese lords bestow upon
them, and the interests that they have with the other blind, they
are great negotiators and are involved in very important dealings
by these very same Japanese lords, with whom they live, enjoying
much hospitality and great prestige. One of these Quenguios
[kengyó] became a Christian in Meaco [Miyako], and is a man of
great respect and very well known and held in great esteem by the
Japanese lords, and it is said that he has close to three thousand
blind – there are many blind in Japan – under his protection. He is
a very prudent man and very well versed in the laws and sects of
Japan… We hope by the grace of our Lord that by means of this
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
127
man we shall reap many fruits, because he has great access to and
influence with the Japanese lords and speaks boldly and very
favourably of our affairs”.32
In 1595 Organtino wrote that in Miyako alone there were 40 or more of
these blind dignitaries, and Lourenço Mexia (c. 1545-1599), secretary to the
Visitor Alessandro Valignano, explained that those who aspired to the rank
of Kengyó were obliged to visit at least once a year
“this supreme head and master resident in Miyako, and are examined in his presence, and according to the knowledge that they
have acquired, thus climb the rungs of the different ranks. For
which they are given certain insignias, caps and tassels, by which
they are known. They spend four hundred and five hundred
cruzados on this dignitary, and then they are accredited”.33
32 “Em Jappão são os segos tidos em grand reputasão, e por privilegios e leis antigas tem entre
si huma certa maneira de monarchia. Porque tem no Meaco [Miyako] quem hé a cabeça de
todos os outros, e a este reconhesem como o seu principe e superior, o qual hé pessoa de grande
dignidade. Porque nesta sua monarchia tem os segos diversos graos de dignidades pollos quais
vão sobindo agradoando-sse nellas conforme ao saber e favores que tem com este seguo, que
hé cabeça de todos. O quall, pera dar estes graos de dignidades, os examina, e agradua como
melhore lhe parece. E porque, conforme aos graos de dignidades que elle da, fiquão os segos
que as recebem cresendo em reputação, e proveito, diante de todos os senhores de Jappão.
E tem tãobem mando sobre outros segos que lhe fiquão inferiores. Daqui vem que estes graos
de dignidades são mui procurados e cubisados delles, e pera os alcansar dão muitas peitas. Ho
maior grao destas dignidades a que chegão hé hum que entre elles chamão Quenguio [Kengyó].
Porque alem de os que chegão a este grao tem grande entrada e lugar honrroso com todos os
senhores jappõens, tem muitos outros segos como seus discipulos debaixo de seu mando e
protesão, que por meio delles vão subindo aos graos que elles deseião… E estes, alem da
honrra e respeito que lhe tem os senhores jappõens, e do interese que tem com os outros segos,
são grandes negociadores, e são metidos em cousa de muita importansia pollos mesmos
senhores japõis, com quem vivem mui bem acomodados e com grande crédito. Hum destes
Quenguios [kengyó] se fez agora christão no Meaco [Miyako], que he homem de grande respeito
e mui reconhecido e estimado dos senhores jappõis, o qual dizem que terá debaixo de seu
emparo perto de tres mil segos – os quais há muitos em Jappão – o qual hé homem de muita
prudencia e mui bem entendido nas leis e seitas de Jappão… Esperamos em nosso Senhor que
por meio deste homem se ha de fazer grande fruito, porque tem grande autoridade e emtrada
com os senhores jappõis e fala afoutamente e muito bem de nossas cousas”; Fróis, Nagasaki,
20th October 1595, Jap.Sin. 52, fl. 115.
33 “Esta suprema cabeça e mestre residente no Miaco, e diante delle são examinados, e
segundo a siencia que tem acquirido, ass vão subindo em differentes graos. Pera o qual lhe dão
certas insignias, barretes e borlas, por onde são conhecidos. Gastão nesta dignidade quatrocentos e quinhentos cruzados, e então ficão acreditados”; Lourenço Mexia, Macao, 15th
November 1596, Jap.Sin. 13 I, fl. 29.
128
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
8.1. Christian troubadours in aristocratic mansions
Both Organtino as well as Mexia found themselves short of funds, and
even Fróis estimated that expenses amounted to some 1,000 ducats, and
that there were some 50 Kengyó who resided in Miyako, five of whom were
Christians funded by the faithful:
“A blind man called Miguel became a Christian, a relative of
the aforementioned nobleman [Juan, the factor of Saburódono,
grandson of Nobunaga], from a good family and well versed in the
stories of Japan. Who, a few months after being baptised, attained
the rank of Quenguio with the favour and help of Saburódono…
becoming a member of the congregation of Quenguios [Kengyó],
that consist of about 50 blind men… According to what has
already been written in past Annual Letters, we have five Christians amongst this number of Quengios, who obtained the
rank with the help of the Christians themselves. But not without
substantial expense, because, in order to achieve this rank of
honour one spends about a thousand ducats. These individuals are
excellent and very convenient instruments for the propagation of
God’s Law amongst the great lords, due to the freedom which they
have to converse familiarly with them”.34
These historical letters do not deal monographically with the subject of
the Biwa Hóshi in the mansions of noblemen, but they do allude to them to
complement other narrative accounts. Thus, they tell us, for example, that
in 1574 Ichijó Kanesada Paulo, the daimyo of Tosa (Shikoku), often used to
summon the blind Tobias of Yamaguchi to his palace. In 1591 a blind catechist was in the personal employ of the daimyo Kuroda Kainokami Damião,
and that in 1596 Fukushima Masanori, the feudal lord of Kiyosu in Owari,
promised a Christian Kengyó a plot of land to erect a church.
However, this patronage by aristocrats also had less agreeable collateral effects, which occasionally resulted in ostracism and expulsion from
34 “Hízose christiano un ciego por nombre Miguel, pariente deste sobredicho hidalgo [Juan,
factor de Saburódono, nieto de Nobunaga], de buenas partes y docto en las ystorias de Japón.
El qual pocos mezes después de recibir el bautismo subió a esta dignidad de quenguio con el favor
y ajuda que le dio Saburódono… quedando miembro de la congregación de los Quenguios
[kengyó], que son algunos 50 ciegos… Segundo ya se tiene escrito en las Anuas passadas, tenemos
deste número de los quengios cinco christianos, que se hicieron con favor de los mesmos christianos. Mas no con poco gasto, pues para tomar este grado de honra gastan cerca de mil ducados.
Son estos excelentes y muy acomodados instrumentos para la propagación de la Ley de Dios entre
señores grandes, por la libertad con que familiarmente los conversan”; Jap.Sin. 52, fl. 219.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
129
the brotherhood of the blind. In 1603 the governors of Kató Kiyomasa,
the daimyo of Kumamoto, imprisoned a blind catechist who they finally
banished after confiscating his meagre belongings.
In the city of Himeji, metropolis of the lords of Harima, in which there
were numerous Christian noblemen, an incident took place that could help
us to understand the environment in which these troubadours functioned,
that was so typical of Japanese society. The protagonist was an individual
called Jómura who, a few months after being baptised, came up against the
envy of his colleagues. Let us follow Rodrigues Girão’s account of events:
“In this city, a few months ago a blind man became a Christian
along with his wife, whom the noble Christian warriors and other
people called to their houses as he was poor… and they used to invite
him, also providing him with some alms from time to time. And
because it is still a custom amongst the heathens of Japan, after the
death of a close relative, to feed the poor and distribute alms amongst
them for the departed soul, when the other poor heathen blind of this
city heard that the poor blind Christian called Jómura had been
invited frequently and had more alms than before… suddenly one day
there was an outcry at the house of the Christian Jómura with some
thirty heathen blind men, and very indignantly they asked him why he
stole the alms that were distributed for the dead without giving them
the share that was theirs… The blind Christian replied that he had not
committed any vile actions in this affair, but that as he was sometimes
invited to various houses and they gave him alms there, it was not for
the dead, but was from the Christians because he had become a Christian… they would call him, invite him, and would give him some help
from time to time to make his way through life. Upon hearing this, all
the fury of the blind heathens became directed against the law of
Christ, admonishing him for having become a Christian, and
persuading him, and even harassing him, [saying] that under any
circumstance he must recant under the threat of not giving him his
share in division of alms from that day onwards, and of casting him
out from amongst the ranks of the groups of blind, and would not
allow him to ask for alms anymore in that city… Finally, when they
saw his steadfastness, they excluded him there and then from their
group and the brotherhood of the blind”.35
35 “Nesta cidade avia poucos meses que se tinha bautizado hum cego com sua molher, ao qual
os soldados nobre christãos e os demais, por ser pobre, chamavão a suas casas… e o convi-
130
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
The vengeance of his colleagues is to a certain extent understandable,
however, another incident that took place in 1612 and involved the supreme
authority of the Academy of Blind Graduates in Miyako caused even more
consternation. This time, it was Mateo de Couros who wrote:
“In Japan, the blind… have a supreme leader [kengyó] who all
obey as their superior. When this individual came to know that a
blind Christian lived in Sacay [Sakai]… he wrote him a letter,
severely censuring him for having received our holy faith… and
that he remedy the error he had committed by abandoning the law
of Christ, under the penalty of stripping him of the rank that he
had, as well as stopping the allowance or fees that they habitually
distribute amongst them, from what those who rise to a new rank
pay; and that he would give him two days in order to think it over.
Once this period was over, the other ranked blind men of Sacay
[Sakai] who were to execute the sentence of the supreme superior
sent for him, and finally… they annulled his enrolment and
stripped him of all his privileges so that he could not longer use
any of the insignia that these people hold so much in esteem”.36
davão, provendo-o tambem de algumas esmolas de quando em quando. E porque he costume
aindo dos gentios de Japam, a quem faleceo algum parente chegado darem de comer a pobres
e repartirem por elles esmolas polla alma do defunto, ouvindo os outros cegos pobres gentios
da dita cidade que o pobre cego christão chamado Jómura era convidado a miude e tinha mais
esmollas que primeiro… hum dia, de repente, dão de assuada na casa de Jómura christão com
trinta cegos gentios, e muy indignados lhe perguntarão porque furtava elle as esmollas que lhe
davam pollos defuntos sem lhes dar a elles a parte que lhes cabia… Respondeo-lhes o cego
christão que nehuma baixeza tinha cometido naquelle negocio, mas que o ser elle as vezes
convidado em varias casas e darem-lhe nellas esmolas, não era por defuntos, senão que como
se tinha feito christão, os christãos… o chamavão, convidavão, e lhe davão de quando em
quando alguma aiuda pera passar a vida. Ouvindo os cegos gentios isto, toda a colera converterão contra a ley de Christo, reprendendo-o porque se fizera christão, e persuadindo-o, e ainda
emportunando, que em todo caso tornasse atrás sob pena de dahi em diante o não admittirem
mais na repartissam das esmollas, e de o lançarem do numero e quadrilha dos cegos, e não
consentirem que as pedisse mais naquella cidade… Em fim, vendo elles sua constancia, ahi
logo o excluiram do bando e confraria dos cegos”; Girão, 14th March 1609, Jap.Sin. 56, fl. 54.
36 “Em Japam os cegos… tem hum [kengyó] supremo a quem todos obedecem como a seu
superior. Sabendo este que no Sacay [Sakai] vivia hum cego christão… lhe escreveo huma
carta, estranhando-lhe muito ter recebido nossa santa fé… que emendasse o erro passado
deixando a ley de Christo, sob pena se al fizesse, de o depor da dignidade que tinha; e lhe tiraria
certa pitança ou propina que se costuma repartir por todos, do que pagam os que sobem a novo
gráo; que pera deliberar bem lhe dava dous dias de espaço. Elles acabados o mandaram
chamar os outros cegos agraduados do Sacay [Sakai] que aviam de executar a sentença do
superior supremo, e enfim… o riscaram de sua matricula e privaram de todos os privilegios
pera nam poder usar mais de insignia alguma das que aquella sorte de gente tem em estima”;
Couros, Jap.Sin. 57, fl. 235 v.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
9.
131
The troubadours’ activities during the persecution
In the wake of the final expulsion decreed by Tokugawa Hidetada in
February 1614, the persecution of Christians spread throughout the nation
and in some areas an interminable series of martyrdoms followed. Against
this backdrop, the preaching by missionaries and dójuku continued in a
clandestine manner. Remarkably, there were new conversions, in large
measure due to the privileged condition of the blind preachers even though
these individuals did not always have the same freedom that they had
enjoyed previously:
In 1619-1620 “Father [Bento Fernandes] went from the
kingdom of Canga [Kaga] to that of Noto, that borders it, to the
North, to visit the Christians there, who are numerous, all of
whom are subjects of Tacayama [Takayama] Minaminobo Justo,
who… gained new strength to continue in it [the faith]… with
similar assistance of ours, once every year, as well as in all of this
by means of a blind Christian who was very well versed in the
matters of our holy law… to such an extent that everyone there
looks upon him as their father. This good blind man has a chapel
inside his house, with an altar and images. The Christians meet
there on Sundays and saints’ day, praying and also listening to the
matters of God that the blind man preaches to them”.37
There was less freedom in the Christian city of Nagasaki, where the
Governor
“arrested a blind man in this dark time for singing some Christian
songs, sharply rebuking him, and ordered that from then on he
should sing nothing but Japanese songs. And he did the same with
a woman in whose house some other women had gathered to pray
and carry out their devotions, rebuking her sharply and telling her
37 “Do reino de Canga [Kaga] foi o padre [Bento Fernandes] ao de Noto, que confina com elle,
pera a parte do norte, a visitar os christãos que nelle há, que sam em bom numero criados
todos de Tacayama [Takayama] Minaminobo Justo, os quaes… aquiriram novas forças pera
comtinuar nella [fé]… com semelhantes ajudas dos nossos, de huma vez cada anno, como
tambem com as que em todo elle tem por meo de hum christam cego muito bem entendido nas
cousas de nossa santa ley… de modo que todos o tem ali por pay. Tem este bom cego no interior
da sua casa huma capela com seu altar, e imagens. Nella se ajuntam os christãos os domingos
e santos, a fazer oraçam e ouvir tambem as cousas de Deos que o cego lhes pratica”; Girão
Jap.Sin. 59, fl. 311.
132
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
that she should spend her time spinning and sewing, and not in
these matters”.38
This was possibly “a Christian youth who earned his living by singing
certain Japanese stories”, a blind troubadour whom the owner of a brothel
summoned to attend to a sick prostitute who knew the catechism and
wanted to be baptised before dying.39
In 1625, when Gonroku was the Governor of Nagasaki (1615-1626),
another blind man was temporarily imprisoned.40 In 1630 a blind catechist
from Shónai in Mogami, present day Yamagata, met the same fate, captured
in a hunt for Christians, giving himself up voluntarily to the persecutors in
order to save these Christians and was eventually set free.41
10. Some personal names
We have mentioned that most of the time the missionaries’ letters refer to
the blind preachers in an anonymous manner. Nevertheless, abundant documentation has survived about some of these Biwa Hóshi, men who distinguished themselves in the evangelising labours of the Church. We have
already briefly spoken of Ryósai Lourenço, and his disciple, the child Tobias,42
and the nobleman Ugosa dono Joaquim. There were many others, such as
Tomás, a preacher for the Franciscans in the province of Wakayama in
1606; 43 Gyuichi Andrés, from Owari, who died as a martyr in the Miyako
prisons on Friday, 20th September 1619; Shóichi Joaquim, another blind catechist of the Franciscans, beheaded on the 17th of January 1626 in the city of
Yonezawa, and Mancio of Arima, a heroic case that also took place in 1626.
38 “Prendeo neste meio tempo a hum cego por cantar algumas cantigas christãas, reprehendendo-o asperamente, e mandando que d’hai por diante não cantasse senão sô as de Japão. E
o mesmo fez a huma molher em cuia casa se aiuntavam algumas outras a rezar e fazer suas
devações, reprehendendo-a asperamente e dizendo-lhe que gastasse o tempo em fiar e coser, e
não naquellas couzas”; APT Archivo de la Provincia S.J. de Toledo, section C-286 fl. 398.
39 “Hum mancebo christam que ganhava sua vida com cantar certas historias de Japão”;
Jap.Sin. 60, fl. 6.
40 Léon Pagés, Histoire de la Religion Chrétienne au Japon, 2 Vols. (Paris 1869-1870), Vol. I, 603
41 Juan B. Porro, Jap.Sin. 62, fls. 246 ss.
42 Ebisawa, Arimichi: “Irmão Lourenço, the First Japanese Lay-Brother of the Society of
Jesus and his Letter”, Monumenta Nipponica V (Tokyo, 1942), pp. 225-233. Kataoka, Yakichi,
“Life of Brother Lourenço”, Japan Missionary Bulletin (Tokyo, 1949), pp. 122-125.
43 Friar Alonso Muñoz, Osaka, February 1607, to the head of the Franciscans of the Province
of San Gregorio in the Philippines, letter preserved in the British Museum, Catalogue Harley
3570, fls. 381-396.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
133
The story of Mancio of Arima, at the height of the bloody persecution,
further illustrates what has been mentioned before in this article about the
Academy of Troubadours in Miyako. To quote the words of Rodrigues Girão:
“A Christian by the name of Mancio… as he has a good voice
and is skilled at playing a certain kind of viola used in this nation,
and in singing some ancient prose to its music, which the
Japanese like very much, is very well received by the lord of
Takaku [Arima]. When the lord left for the court, he told the blind
man that he should go to Miyako this year, and wait for him there,
because he wished to have them bestow a certain title and rank
upon him, that is the main rank amongst the blind, like that of
doctor in our universities… The lord promised to meet all his costs
and the customary expenses that are necessary to get this degree,
and the blind man went to Miyako and shortly after went to visit
him. The lord received him well and told him that he remembered
the promise he had made him… but that he would first have to
leave the law of the Christians. The good blind man answered him
very courteously, saying that he thanked him and greatly esteemed
the good will that his lord showed him… but that even if they gave
him all the revenues of Japan, he would not recant the faith and
holy law that he professed. The lord tried in every possible
manner… to bend his will and make him submit, but seeing that
he would not budge from his position… he dismissed him disdainfully saying that he would have had him executed there and then,
but as he was outside his state he would not do so. And that if he
came to him again he would order him to be killed as he did not
obey his commands”.44
44 “Hum christão por nome Mancio… por ter boa voz e ser destro em tanger certo modo de
viola usada desta nação, e cantar a ella humas prosas antigas, de que os japões muito gostão,
he muito aceito ao tono do Takaku [Arima]. Partindo-sse o tono pera a corte, disse ao cego que
fosse este anno ap Miyako, e aly o esperasse, porque lhe queria fazer dar certa dignidade e
grao, que entre os cegos hé o principal, como hé o de doutor nas nossas universidades… O tono
lhe prometia fazer as despezas e gastos costumados pera se agraduar, e hindo o cego a Miyako
o foi logo visitar. Recebeo bem o tono e disse-lhe que estava lembrado da promessa que lhe
fizera… mas que avia primeiro de deixar a ley dos christãos. respondeu-lhe o bom cego com
muita cortezia que agradecia e estimava muito a boa vontade que sua senhoria mostrava…
porem que ainda que lhe desse todas as rendas de Japão, não faria pee atraz na crença e lei
santa que professava. Procurou o tono quanto foi possível… por o dobrar e render, mas vendo
que nenhum aballo fazia nelle… o despedió esquivamente dizendo que logo aly o ouvera de
justiçar, mas por estar for a do seu estado o não fazia. Que como tornasse pera elle o mandaria
matar, pois não obedecia a seu mandado”; Girão, Jap.Sin. 63, fl. 82.
134
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
It is not known if Mancio attained the glory of martyrdom. Twenty
years before him, Damião of Sakai, his colleague in the art of the Biwa and
in the office of the catechist, became a martyr, drawn and quartered in
Yamaguchi on 19th August 1605.45
11. The talent and personality of Damião of Yamaguchi,
Biwa Hóshi and martyr
There is a curious phrase penned by Luís Fróis that could shed some
light upon the human profile of the blind troubadours, our constant
companions throughout the course of this article. He wrote thus: “Amongst
us, the blind are very quiet. In Japan they are very pugnacious, they carry
sticks and vaqizaxis [wakizashi, daggers] and are very amorous”.46
Undoubtedly, there were many exceptions to this generalisation made
by Fróis, but it is perfectly profiles the case of the martyr Damião of Sakai,
killed in Yamaguchi, who was surely not in the habit of sheathing his dagger.
It seemed to me to be appropriate to conclude this article by reproducing
some paragraphs from the letter penned by Fróis himself, written in 1589
and incorporated almost word for word in his História a decade later:
“After the college, storehouse and fathers and brothers who
resided in the city of Yamanguchi [Yamaguchi] left that kingdom
due to the edict of the tyrant [Hideyoshi, 1587], those old Christians who were the first fruit of that land remained behind and
were very grieved and desconsolate at this separation. However,
Our Lord God consoled them in this interim by other means that
they had not expected… In that city of Yamaguchi, there lived a
married blind man who was a native of Sacai [Sakai], possessor of
many talents and a great memory, very well versed in the sects of
Japan, and he would preach to them as well as any illustrious
preacher.
A swindler well versed in witchcraft, he was well received by
the people, so much so that he was able to earn a living by this
craft, providing abundantly for his house. As he was endowed with
45 “Del martirio del ciego Damián”, Jap.Sin. 55, fls. 267-274. Relatio by Luis Cerqueira,
Jap.Sin. 21 III, fl. 99; APT Estante 2, Caja 103, nº 9-1 and 9-2. Account of the martyrdom by
Coelho-Fróis, Jap.Sin. 51, fls. 134-137 v. Cf. Fróis, História, Vol. V, Chapter 29.
46 “Antre nós os cegos são muito pacíficos. Em Japão muito brigozos, trazem bastões e
vaqizaxis [wakizashi, dagas], e são muito namorados”; Fróis, Contradições.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
such a lively intelligence, shortly before the Fathers left Yamanguchi he continued to come to our house to listen to our
preaching, and as he perceived it in its entirety he was baptised
and was given the name Damião, something with greatly
displeased the bonzos and secular heathens. The income that he
earned earlier began to cease, and he became impoverished, so
much so that the Christians of Yamanguchi, (who are poor) help
him to sustain himself… And due to his great talents and good
natural knowledge, the Viceroy [Konda dono] sends for him very
often. And beginning with the stories of Japan, in which he is well
versed, he then proceeds with stories of God, that he performs
according to the opportunities that present themselves…
A few days ago this blind man came from Yamanguchi [to
Nagasaki], that is more than a hundred and some leagues away…
In order to inform the Vice-Provincial Father what was happening
in Yamanguchi, saying that he wanted them to give him the words
of the Gospels for Sunday and the main festivals of the year and
some good, well chosen sermons, because if he heard them twice
he would learn them by heart along with their authorities [citations] in Latin… He gave us an account of some things that had
happened in Yamanguchi after the Fathers’ departure, and particularly of those in which he was involved, which corresponded to
what we had already come to know before his arrival from other
Christians who had come from those lands.
In Yamanguchi, about a hundred people got together to
amuse themselves in the countryside, amongst whom were to be
found some 12 or 15 Christians and the blind man and a youth
who was a page to the Viceroy, his personal one. And upon
arriving close to a temple, they saw a large idol with many songs
or verses in Japanese hung around it. The blind man, touching the
idol, began to make fun of it, and told his companions: “Are you
not aware that this idol, called Quannon [Kannon], is a woman,
and she can neither give you salvation nor can she gain it for
herself?”. The page went up to him, saying that Jesus Christ was
also the son of a woman whom the Christians adored. The blind
man said: “Supposing that it is as you say, this has other mysteries
that many Christians don’t understand, let alone you who are a
heathen”. And speaking about the origin of the fotoqe Quannon,
said a number of ridiculous things about her.
The page became enraged and said that he would ask the
Viceroy to expel the Christians from Yamanguchi, and if not, that
135
136
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
the blind man would not remain in the city. Damião the blind
replied: “The Sun does not rise and shine only in the city of
Yamanguchi, but throughout the universe, and in Japan alone
there are 66 kingdoms. If they don’t want to permit me in this one,
there still remain another 65, and even if I live only one year in
each one of them, that will still be 65 years of life”. The page, infuriated, unsheathed his sword, saying that he would kill the blind
man under any circumstance. A few Christians jested with him
and took his sword from his hands, and gave a number of blows
with it on a rock.
The youth, offended by this affront, went running to the
Viceroy, and without telling him of his faults in the affair, accused
the blind man of many falsehoods. The Viceroy, irritated, sent for
him, and another page who took the message, went around the
city calling his name out loud as he did not know where his house
was. The Christians, sad and distressed, said: “Poor Damião, they
are now calling him to kill him”. The intrepid blind man went
before the Viceroy who asked him if it was true that he had said
such things and suchlike. The blind man said yes, and after the
Viceroy had spoken for a while, Damião simply said: “Did the page
tell you any more than what you have told me?”. He answered that
he had not. “To be sure”, said Damião, “in what law of chivalry
and spirit of valour is it written that a young soldier, because he
does not understand what is said, unsheaths a very large sword
and attacks a blind man who, to defend himself and resist had but
a winnower in his belt? And the blows that were given with the
sword that they took from his hands upon the stone bear witness
to the fact that I am telling the truth”. The Viceroy upon taking the
sword from him and examining it arrived at the conclusion that it
had happened as the blind man had said and flung the sword out
of the window, and told the page that he would kill him with it but
due to the intervention of some reason he would not, but that he
should go away immediately and never appear before him again.
The Christians were very happy at this success, and the blind man
relieved and out of danger….
We have already mentioned how in 87 in Yamanguchi, the
college and storehouse being there, a great commotion took place on
Easter day instigated by the foqexus [Hokkeshu], whose leader was a
layman called Taketó who had earlier been a bonzo and who, even
after the Fathers had left, instigating a number of false testimonies,
would disturb the Christians and trouble them because of the hatred
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
he nurtured towards them and because he was garrulous and impudent. It so happened, by divine justice, that a bonzo nobleman who
held the title of hóin, who is a great dignitary, came to that city of
Yamanguchi. Possessor of an excellent knowledge of the main sects
of Japan, he had been driven out from the monasteries of the negoros
that this tyrant [Hideyoshi] ordered to be burnt and devastated at the
beginning of his reign. And, having heard of the law of God, he
wished to hear sermons and for many days had great altercations
with Damião the blind, who was the one who preached to him as
there were no Fathers or Brothers there until, finally convinced of
reason, he became a Christian, and it soon turned out that he was a
neighbour of this devilish Taketó. And having heard that he was an
enemy of the Christians he went to have words with him. And he
embarrassed him so much with the little knowledge that he had of
the law of God at that point and his profound understanding of the
laws of Japan that Taketó was unable to open his mouth in his presence and, as he had begun to lose his reputation and the esteem that
the foqexus [Hokkeshu] had for him, one day he disappeared from
Yamanguchi and was never seen there again, that was great cause
for rejoicing amongst the Christians, as he had greatly persecuted
and oppressed them; and for the foqexus a great sadness and feeling
of loss for one who had been a pillar and defender of their sect…
Twenty days after the Fathers’ departure from Yamanguchi,
there was an incident in which 30 women, for their amusement and
recreation, went to see the houses in which the Fathers lived, as is
the custom in Japan, which two farmers were guarding and, by
chance, the blind man was also present. The women, to make fun of
them and of the blind man, upon entering the kitchen while laughing
said that there was a strong smell of roasted human flesh there…
And with that they climbed up to the upper floor. Near this kitchen
there was an oven in which bread was sometimes baked. And a youth
who had accompanied these women… poked a stick inside the oven,
and upon smelling the tip announced that it had the smell of human
flesh. The blind man, who was already incensed by what he had
heard the women say, swelled with rage and attacked the youth, who
was standing before the oven, and, grabbing hold of him from
behind, removed the dagger that he had in his belt, and struck him in
the back a number of times with the handle, pushing him and
attempting to shove him into the oven, saying that they should immediately bring him some fire because he would roast him alive there
and then and feed him to those women… The youth, increasingly
137
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Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
convinced that the blind man was speaking in earnest, began to
scream in a loud voice. Upon hearing the noise and screams the
women who were on the upper floor quickly came running to help
him. And when the blind man perceived that they were full of weakness, fear and pusillanimity, he thundered at them even more furiously and pretended to be enraged…. This served as example to
many other people who came there later and none dared to speak
nor utter any discourtesy in our house.
In front of our house in Yamanguchi there is a monastery of
the foqexu [Hokkeshu] bonzos who worship Xaca [Shaka, the
Buddha], that is called Foncoquji [Honkokuji], and at a certain
time of the year that is known as Fingan,47 that is like Lent for
them, there is great competition to hear sermons, gather alms and
frequent the temples. And because there were going to be a great
number of sermons given at this monastery, an old Christian man
from the time of Father Cosme de Torres, called Uchinda Simão
[Uchida], a very good and god fearing man… warned the blind
man, telling him: “Do not go there, because you are wrathful, and
if you hear something that displeases you you will get enraged,
you will be bothersome to the bonzos and you will cause trouble
for us. For which reason I implore you again not to go there”.
The preacher, on the first day and first sermon that he gave,
said: “In the 8 books of the Foqeqio [Hokkekyó] that Xaca [Shaka]
preached and his disciples wrote down, it is written that: Two
thousand five hundred years later a law shall appear that will
mock and hold mine in contempt, and the prefessores of this faith,
layman, dressed in white slips, will do the funeral rites of the
dead… Now you can see how this prophecy by Xaca has come true
in the form of the Christians… adding other blasphemies against
God our Lord and insults against the Church and Christianity.
Someone soon gave an account of the entire process of this story
to Damião the blind who with each passing moment grew increasingly incensed with the bonzos.
The following day… Damião entered and very quietly sat
amongst the audience. The choro (who is a dignitary amongst the
bonzos) was already seated to begin his sermon with much
authority and ostentation… and raising his eyes, pretending that
47 Fingan: Higan, Buddhist term to denote two periods of one week each at the spring and
autumn equinoxes.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
he did not recognise him, asked who that man was. The audience
replied, “It is Damião”. The bonzo told one of his dójuku to throw
him out… Damião responded in a loud voice: “Why do you wish to
limit what Xaca expanded upon? The sermon is not just for particular individuals but for all to hear. If I want to save myself, why do
you wish to impede me from doing so? If your doctrine penetrates
my ears and my understanding, maybe fate will ordain me to
become a foqexu”! However, the listeners made him leave the
room, and the bonzo preacher ordered that the door be locked.
The blind man, affronted by the insult that they had done
unto him, went to find a stone, and when the bonzo was about to
begin his sermon, the blind man began to bang vigourously on the
door with the stone saying, “Open the door for me! I want to hear
the sermon, which was meant to be heard and not to be hidden
and concealed!”. The bonzo, annoyed by his demands, ordered
that the doors be opened for him and that they bring him to the
place where the bonzo was sitting to give his sermon, and asked
him, “What did you come here for?”. Damião replied, “To hear you
preach”… The bonzo: “Do you have anything else to say to me?”.
Damião: “Yes, I do. Yesterday during your sermon here you stated
some things about which I have many doubts. Give your sermon,
and after listening, I will ask you to resolve them. And remember
that Xaca fotoqe, whose doctrine you profess, [lived] two thousand
five hundred years ago, and was a man like any one of us, who was
not even able to save himself, let alone save mankind. And because
I fear that you will not hear me out later, I would like to resolve for
you, in the presence of these people, the doubts about your Xaca’s
prophecy, which you have misinterpreted”… And as the bonzo
was unable to answer him, he became infuriated with the blind
man, and stepped down from the pulpit and withdrew from the
hall and there was no sermon that day. And the blind man spoke to
the audience saying, “Whenever anyone preaches here against the
law of God and against the Christians, I will come to defend their
cause and argue with the preacher.” The bonzo, from inside,
repeatedly ordered that he be evicted from the room, but from that
day onwards he did not dare raise his voice against the Christians
anymore.” 48
48 See original text in appendix.
139
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Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
This has been a very long quotation, but is can help us to understand
the environment in which the Christians of Yamaguchi lived at the end of
the 16th and early 17th century. The profile of the Biwa Hóshi Damião of
Sakai is perfectly outlined. We shall leave an interpretation of his valiant
attitude, amply demonstrated by similar courage when he dismounted from
the hack on which they carried him away on the night he was quartered, for
another day. French sources used by Anesaki Masaharu 49 indicate that the
city of Hagi was the site of the martyrdom of the blind man. However, it
surely took place in Ipponmatsu, Yamaguchi, on the banks of the river
Fushinogawa, near the thermal springs of Yuda, at the site where the city
prison had recently been established. The Christian Bento found the head
and an arm of the martyr the following day and sent them to Nagasaki. Due
to the evidence of his martyrdom, he was included in the list of 188 martyrs
of Japan that was recently presented to the Holy See for beatification.
49 Anesaki Masaharu, A Concordance to the History of Kirishitan Missions (Tokyo, 1930) 5
“1605. Aug. 16, at Hagi in Nagato – Beheaded by order of Mori, Damianus the blind”.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
141
APPENDIX
Original text of note 48
“Depois que o collegio, caza de provasão e mais padres e irmãos da rezidentia
da cidade de Yamanguchi [Yamaguchi] se sairão daquelle reino polo edito do tirano
[Hideyoshi, 1587], ficarão aquelles antigos christãos que erão as primicias daquella
terra não pouqo sentidos e desconsolados deste apartamento. Porem Deos N.S. os
consolou neste interim por outros meos delles não sperados… Avia naquella cidade
de Yamaguchi hum cego cazado, natural do Sacai [Sakai], de grandíssimas abilidades e felice memória, muito versado nas seitas de Japão, e pregava nellas como
qualquer pregador insigne.
Inbaidor instruido em feitiços, aceito ao povo, de maneira que com estas industrias ganhava sua vida, sustentava abastadamente sua caza, e como era de tão vivo
engenho, pouco antes de se sairem os padres de Yamanguchi continuou em vir ouvir
pregasão a nossa caza, e fazendo inteiro entendimento recebeo o baptismo e se lhe pós
nome Damião, couza do que os bonzos e jentios sequlares muito se desagradarão.
Começarão logo a cesar os ganhos que primeiro tinha, e elle veo a empobrecer, de
maneira que os christãos de Yamanguchi, (que são pobres) o ajudão a sustentar… E por
suas grandes abilidades e bom saber natural, o manda o visorey [Konda dono] chamar
muitas vezes. E entrando com as istórias de Japão, em que está bem versado, sai depois
com as de Deos, que segundo as ocaziões do tempo lhe vai praticando…
Os dias pasados veio este cego de Yamanguchi [a Nagasaki], que são mais de
cento e tantas légoas… Para referir ao padre vice-provincial o que lá passava em
Yamanguchi, dizendo que desejava lhe pasasem a letra dos evangelhos das dominicas e festas principais do anno e algumas boas pregações escolhidas, porque se as
ouvisse duas veces as tomaria de cor com suas authoridades [citas] em latim…
Contou-nos aqui algumas couzas que lá socederão em Yamanguchi depois da saida
dos padres, e particularmente as em que se elle achou, as quais da mesma maneira
nos foram referidas, dantes que elle chegasse, por outros christãos que daquellas
partes tinham vindo.
Ajuntarão-se em Yamanguchi obra de cem pessoas para irem folgar ao campo,
em que entravão 12 ou 15 christãos e o cego e hum mancebo, pajem do viso-rei, seu
privado. E chegando perto de huma varela, virão hum ídolo de vulto com muitas
cantigas ou versos em japão, dependuradas ao redor. Apalpando o cego o ídolo
começou a zombar delle, e disse aos companheiros: “Vos outros não sabeis que este
ídolo, por nome Quannon [Kannon], hé molher, e que vos não pode dar salvação,
nem aproveitar para ella?”. Foi-lhe o pajem gentio há mão, dizendo que também
Jesu Christo era filho de huma molher a qual os christãos adoravão. Disse o cego:
“Posto que hé como dizeis, tem isso outros mistérios que muitos dos christãos não
entendem, quanto mais vos, que sois jentio”. E trazendo-lhe a origem do fotoqe
Quannon, disse della mil couzas rediculozas.
Indignou-se o pajem e disse que havia de fazer logo com o viso-rei que deitasse
os christãos for a de Yamanguchi, e quando não, que o cego não avia de ficar na
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Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
cidade. Respondeo Damião o cego: “O sol nem nace nem resplandesse somente na
cidade de Yamanguchi, mas por todo o universo, e em Japão somente há 66 reinos.
Se me não quizerem aqi consentir neste, ainda ficão 65, e hum anno somente que
viva em cada hum delles, ainda me restão de 65 de vida”. O pajem, indignado,
arrancou do traçado, dizendo que em todo cazo avia de matar o cego. Agraçarão-se
com elle alguns christãos e tomarão-lhe a espada das mãos, e derão com ella muitos
golpes em huma pedra.
O mancebo, afrontado desta injúria, foi-sse correndo ao viso-rei, e sem lhe
dizer suas culpas, acuzou ao cego com muitas falsidades. O viso-rei, agastado,
mandou-ho chamar, e outro pajem que levava o recado, por não saber a caza, hia-o
chamando a altas vozes pela cidade por seu nome. Os christãos angustiados e tristes
dizião: “Coitado de Damião, que agora o chamão para o matar”. O cego intrépido se
foi por diante do viso-rei, o qual perguntando-lhe se era verdade que tinha dito tais
couzas e tais, responde que si, e depois do viso-rei fallar hum pedaço, disse Damião
só: “Disse-vos o pajem mais do que me tem referido?”. Responde que não. “Pois –
disse Damião – em que lei de cavalaria e esforço de ánimo está escrito que hum
mancebo soldado, por não entender o que se lhe diz, arranqe de hum traçado muito
grande para hum cego, que para se defender e lhe rizistir tinha hum avano na cinta?
E os golpes que se derão com a espada nas pedras, que lhe tomarão das mãos, são
testemunhas de minha verdade”. Tomando-lhe o viso-rei a espada e vendo-a achou
ser asi como o cego dizia, lansou a espada por huma janella for a, e disse ao pajem
que com ella o ouvera de matar se não interviera alguma rezão que o detinha; mas
que se fosse logo e nunca mais aparecesse diante delle. Ficarão os christãos mui
alegres com este bom sucesso, e o cego consolado e for a de perigo…
Já escrevemos na era de 87 como em Yamanguchi, estando ali o collegio e caza
da provasão, se levantara dia de Paschoa huma grande perturbasão movida pelos
foqexus [hokkeshu], dos quaes era cabeça hum sicular que primeiro fora bonzo, por
nome Taketo, que ainda depois dos padres saidos, alevantando mil falsos testemunhos, perturbava os christãos e os dezenqietava pelo odio que lhes tinha e ser loquás
e atrevido. Socedeo depois, por justo juizo devino, que veo ter aqella cidade de
Yamanguchi hum bonzo nobre que tinha título de hoin, que hé uma dignidade
grande; excelente letrado nas principais ceitas de Japão, o qual era desterrado dos
moesteiros dos negoros que este tirano [Hideyoshi] mandou qeimar e asolar no princípio do seu reinado. E ouvindo falar da lei de Deos quis ouvir pregasão e por muitos
dias teve grandes altercaçois com Damião o cego, que era o que lhe pregava por não
aver ali padre nem irmão, até que finalmente convencido da rezão se baptizou; e
acertou logo de ser vizinho deste indiabrado Taketo. E ouvindo dizer como era
inimigo dos christãos, foi-sse disputar com elle. E tanto o apertou com o pouqo que
ainda então sabia da lei de Deos e o muito que emtendia das leis de Japão, que por
Taketo, não poder abrir a boca diante delle e ir perdendo a reputasão e conceito que
delle tinhão os foqexus [hokkeshu], hum dia desapareceo de Yamanguchi e não
tornou ali mais, que para os christãos não foi peqena matéria de alegria, pelo muito
que os perseguia e opresão que lhes dava; e para os foqexus tristeza e sentimento de
perderem nelle tal columna e defensor de sua ceita…
Passados 20 dias depois de saidos os padres de Yamanguchi, forão obra de
30 molheres por seu pasatempo e recreasão ver as cazas em que os padres se agaza-
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
143
lhavão, como hé custume de Japão, na qual estavão dous lavradores fazendo vigia, e o
cego, que acaso acertou de se achar ali. As quais, por zombarem delles e do cego,
emtrando na cozinha disserão rindo-se que cheirava ali muito a carne humana
assada… E com isto se sobirão ao sobrado de riba. Estava perto da mesma cozinha hum
forno em que se fazia algumas poucas vezes pão. E hum mancebo que vinha em companhia destas molheres… Metia huma cana dentro no forno, e cheirando a ponta dizia ter
cheiro de carne humana. O cego que já estava alterado do que tinha ouvido dizer aas
molheres, emcheu-sse de cólera e arremeteo ao mancebo, que estava na boca do forno,
e abraçando-sse por detras com elle tirou-lhe da cinta a daga que tinha, e com o punho
lhe deo algumas pancadas nas custas, trabalhando e pondo força pelo meter dentro no
forno, dizendo que lhe trouxessem logo fogo, porque o avia ali de asar vivo e dar a
comer a aquellas molheres… O mancebo hia-se-lhe metendo em cabeça que o cego
falava de sizo, começou com altas vozes a gritar. Ouvindo as molheres que estavão no
sobrado de riba o rumor e gritos, acudirão de pressa. E quando o cego entendeo nillas
mais fraqueza, temor e pusilanimidade, tanto com sembrante mais furioso lhe roncava
e se finjia indignado… Servio isto de outra muita jente que ali veo depois, não se atrever
nenhum a falar nem fazer nenhuma descortezia em nossa caza.
De frente da nossa caza de Yamanguchi está hum moesteiro de bonzos foqexus
[hokkeshu] que adorão a Xaca [Shaka, Buda], por nome Foncoquji [Honkokuji], e em
certo tempo do anno que se chama Fingan, que hé para elles como coresma, há grande
concurso de ouvir pregasões, fazer esmolas e correr as varelas. E porque neste
mosteiro avia daver muitas pregasões, hum homem christão antigo do tempo do padre
Cosme de Torres, por nome Uchinda Simão [Uchida], muito bom homem e temente a
Deos… avizou ao cego diendo-lhe: “Não vades lá, porque sois colérico, e se ouvirdes
couza que vos desagrade aveis-vos de alterar, sereis molesto aos bonzos e a nós dareis
trabalho. Pelo que outra vez vos rogo que não vades lá”.
O pregador, no primeiro dia e primeira pregação que fez, disse: “Nos 8 livros
do Foqeqio [Hokkekyo] que Xaca [Shaka] pregou e seus discípulos escreverão, estáa
escrito: Daqi a dous mil e qinhentos annos virá huma lei que desprezará escarnecendo da minha, e os profesores desta ceita, seculares, vestidos com calsões
branqos, farão as exeqias funerais aos defuntos… Agora vedes como se tem verificada esta profesia de Xaca nos christãos… Acreçentando outras blasfémias contra
Deos nosso Senhor e injúrias contra a igreja e christiandade. Não faltou quem logo
referio todo o processo desta istoria a Damião o cego, que com cada couza destas
tomou fogo contra os bonzos.
Ao dia seguinte… Entrou Damião, e muito quietamente se asentou antre os
circunstantes. Estava já o chõro (que hé huma dignidade dos bonzos) asentado para
pregar com muita potestade e aparato… E alevantando os olhos, finjindo que o não
conhecia, perguntou quem era aquelle homem. Responderão os circundantes: “Hé
Damião”. Disse o bonzo a hum dójuqu seo que o fosse deitar fora… Respondeo
Damião em vox alta: “Para que quereis coartar o que Xaca dilatou? A pregasão não
hé para pesoas partiqulares, mas para que a oução todos. Se eu me quero salvar, por
que mo quereis impidir? Se me entrar vossa doutrina nos ouvidos e entendimento,
pela ventura que me farei foqexu!” Todavia, os ouvintes o fizerão sair para fora, e o
bonzo pregador mandou fechar a porta.
144
Juan Ruiz-de-Medina, S.J.
O cego, tendo-sse por afrontado da injúria que lhe fizerão, foi buscar huma
pedra, e estando já o bonzo para dar princípio há pregasão, começou o cego de fora
a bater com a pedra na porta rijamente, dizendo: “Abri-me, que quero ouvir
pregasão, a qual se fez pera ser ouvida e não pera se esconder e encubrir!”. O bonzo,
molestado de sua importunasão, mandou que lhe abrissem e que o levassem junto do
lugar onde elle estava asentado para pregar, e perguntando-lhe: “Para que viestes
aqi?” respondeo Damião: “Para vos ouvir pregar”… O bonzo: “tendes mais
outra couza alguma que me dizer?”. Damião: “Si, tenho. Hontem dissestes aqui na
pregasão algumas couzas nas quais eu tenho muitas dúvidas. Pregai, e depois que
ouvir, vos perguntarei a solusão dellas. E lembre-vos que Xaca fotoqe, cuja doutrina
profesais, há dous mil e quinhentos annos que passou, e foi homem como cada hum
de nos, que nem a si mesmo podia salvar, quanto mais ao genero humano. E porque
temo que me não ouvireis depois, quero-vos eu, diante deste povo, solver a dúvida
de vossa profesia de Xaca mal interpretada por vos”… E não tendo o bonzo que lhe
responder, indignando-sse contra o cego, se deceó do púlpito sem aqelle dia aver
pregasão, e se recolheo para dentro. E falando o cego com os circunstantes lhes
disse: “Em qualquer ora que se aqui pregar contra a lei de Deos e contra os christãos, virei defender sua cauza e argumentar contra o pregador.” O bonzo, de dentro,
repetindo-lho muitas vezes, mandou que o fizessem ir, mas dali por diante se não
atreveo a falar mais contra os christãos”.
Fróis, Katsusa, 20th September 1589, Jap.Sin. 51, fls. 134-137,
quoted almost verbatim in his História.
The Role of the Blind Biwa Hóshi Troubadours
145
Abstract
Vocal and instrumental music in ancient Japan – Percussion instruments
– String instruments, played by plucking and picking, and wind instruments – Koto
and Shamisen – The origins of the Biwa. Different kinds of Biwa – The Biwa’s popularity – The Biwa Hóshi masters – The sightless – The missionaries’ first contact with
the Japanese troubadours – The first two Christian troubadours, Lourenço and the
Child Tobias – The musical ambience inside and outside the church – Indigenous
forms of music accepted by the church – Music in theatre – Vernacular accompaniments to the Latin liturgy – The catechesis in song – The soloists – The hierarchy of
the blind – The Christian troubadours’ activities during the persecution – Some
personal names – The talent and personality of Damião of Yamaguchi, Biwa Hóshi
and martyr.
Resumo
A música instrumental e vocal no Japão antigo – instrumentos de percussão
– instrumentos de corda e sopro – koto e shamisen – as origens da biwa. As diversas
variedades da biwa – a popularidade da biwa – os mestres biwa hóshi – os cegos – o
primeiro contacto dos missionários com os trovadores japoneses – os primeiros dois
trovadores cristãos, Lourenço e o menino Tobias – o ambiente musical dentro e fora
da igreja – as formas musicais indígenas aceites pela Igreja – a música no teatro – os
acompanhamentos vernáculos para a liturgia latina – a catequese cantada – os
solistas – a hierarquia dos cegos – as actividades dos trovadores cristãos durante a
perseguição – alguns nomes pessoais – o talento e personalidade de Damião de
Yamaguchi, biwa hóshi e mártir.
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