26 September 2023 The Future is the Product of the Past

Vase for holy oil used by ‘hidden Christians’ in Japan

After the family that had passed it down through the generations permitted the artifact to be examined, a relic from the era of the “hidden Christians” in Japan centuries ago is creating a stir here.

Although the item may seem like a simple vase, it’s a word painted on the bottom that makes it important. The word suggests the vase held fragrant oil used during Catholic Mass, and likely for a very important person.

The artifact is 25 centimeters tall and painted in three colors. It was made in China around 1600. The item is owned by a family who lives in the Sotome district, where Japanese Catholics were driven underground during the Edo Period (1603-1867) to avoid persecution.

During the Tokugawa shogunate or Edo period, Japan was effectively isolated in a rigid isolationist autarchy for 265 years. Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) supported Christianity at first but later persecuted it.

On March 24, 1603, he officially established the shogunate that bears his name (to be continued by his dynasty) in Edo (giving the name to the homonymous period in Japanese history), which is now Tokyo, Japan’s capital.

After the revolt of Shimabara in 1637, the Tokugawa shogunate and dynasty’s policy of strict isolationism became even more difficult when shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu(1604-1651) declared Japan to be “Sakoku” (“chained country”).

A Dehua porcelain "Guanyin bringing child" statue, interpreted to be "Maria Kannon" in connection with Christian worship. Nantoyōsō Collection, Japan.
A Dehua porcelain “Guanyin bringing child” statue, interpreted to be “Maria Kannon” in connection with Christian worship. Nantoyōsō Collection, Japan.

Christian converts, both peasants and swordsmen, took up arms in response to the persecution. Those who survived the carnage and others who escaped death became known as “Kakure Kirishitan,” or “hidden Christians” in the new Japanese “catacombs.”

The vase may have been used in a ceremony for Konishi Yukinaga, a Christian feudal lord in the 16th century, according to a May 16 theory by the Nagasaki prefectural government. Due to the scarcity of records from that time period, the prefectural government designated the vase as an important item, saying it provided insight into how Christian churches were run in Japan.

As a “treasured item,” only the head of the household historically was allowed to view the vase, the owner said. The vase was dubbed “Yokahito-sama” and used as an object to venerate when saying prayers.

Until now, it had not been known what the vase was for, the owner said.

While studying the vase, the prefectural government last year noticed that a foreign word, “Escencia,” is written in ink on the base. The term literally means “fragrant oil.” The prefectural government concluded the artifact was used for holy oil.

This suggests the vase featured in ceremonies such as consecration or celebration at Mass that only bishops are allowed to perform, prefectural government experts said.

Luis de Cerqueira was the bishop of Japan back then. He is said to have conducted a “confirmation” ceremony in the Amakusa Islands in 1599 to affirm Yukinaga’s religious faith.

According to Yohei Kawaguchi, an archeologist and official with the prefectural government’s arts and culture division, the vase was likely secretly moved somewhere after the Edo Shogunate banned Christianity in 1614, resulting in the expulsion of missionaries from Japan and the destruction of churches.

He believes that Christians at the time may have called the vase “Yokahito,” which means “good person,” to refer to the bishop, who was most likely the vase’s original owner.

Cover Photo: The word “Escencia” is written on the base of the vase. It means “fragrant oil.” Photo: Nagasaki prefectural government

Banner
Related Post

Evidence of textile manufacture dating back millennia was found in an area famous for the Witney Blanket

12 June 2023

12 June 2023

Archaeological excavations at the site of Oxfordshire County Council’s project to build the A40 Science Transit Park and Ride at...

Medieval double grave discovered with majestic objects inside the circular ditch

22 August 2022

22 August 2022

An early medieval double grave was discovered in Kirchheim am Neckar Friedrichstrasse, southern Germany, during excavations supervised by the State...

The Ancestors of Today’s Barbie Dolls “Coptic dolls”

23 September 2023

23 September 2023

For as long as there has been civilization, children have played with dolls. Wooden dolls with bead hair have been...

A Rock-Cut Temple and Inscriptions from the Neolithic period discovered in Saudi Arabia

6 August 2022

6 August 2022

In a project led by the Saudi Heritage Commission, a multinational team of archaeologists has discovered an 8,000-year-old archaeological site...

1.5 tons of bronze coins found in east China

19 December 2022

19 December 2022

An ancient coin hoard containing 1.5 tonnes of coins from the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties has been discovered...

Iron Age and Roman Skeletons Discovered on Alderney

19 May 2021

19 May 2021

Well-preserved skeletons from the late Iron Age and Roman periods were found in Alderney, one of the channel islands. The...

Egypt Traces Relics of Ramses III to the Arabian Peninsula

7 June 2021

7 June 2021

Following various findings showing ancient Egyptian King Ramses III had a presence on the Arabian Peninsula, an Egyptian archaeological team...

In Cyprus, an important early Christian site has been discovered

12 September 2021

12 September 2021

An important Christian settlement was discovered with mosaics bearing clear inscriptions in Greek during the excavations carried out by the...

Oldest Direct Evidence for Honey Collecting in Africa

18 April 2021

18 April 2021

Honey is an important food source that has been considered a very important healing source in the history of civilizations....

The 8,000-year-old Aslantepe in Turkey has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List

26 July 2021

26 July 2021

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Monday that a rich, 30-meter-high archaeological mound going back 8,000 years in southern Turkey has...

Chinese Paleontologists discovered a 170-million-year-old flower

29 March 2023

29 March 2023

Chinese paleontologists discovered fossils of an ancient plant dating back approximately 170 million years. The Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing...

An Elamite inscription attributed to Xerxes the Great was found at Persepolis

26 February 2022

26 February 2022

During the classification and documentation project of inscribed objects and fragmentary inscriptions in the Persepolis Museum reserves, experts discovered a...

Secrets of the Galloway Hoard Revealed

27 May 2021

27 May 2021

Experts have uncovered fascinating secrets of a Viking Age hoard discovered by a metal detector to be presented to the...

HS2 archaeologists discover Romanization of Iron Age village in Britain

12 January 2022

12 January 2022

Archaeologists have uncovered a vast Roman trading town on Britain’s HS2 high-speed rail route. Evidence found during a dig of...

“Operation Heritage” uncovers an artifact smuggling ring in Turkey

1 June 2022

1 June 2022

Turkish security forces searched locations in 38 regions on Tuesday in one of the largest operations against artifact smugglers, with...

Comments
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *