Gaspar Vilela

Gaspar Vilela or Gaspar Villela (Avis, 1526 — Goa, Portuguese India, 4 de February 1572), was a priest and missionary jesuit, and his activity in Japan influenced the portuguese and christian presence.

Early years

Born in 1526 in the village of Avis, Alentejo, Portugal ^[1] Gaspar Vilela was educated on the Military Order of Saint Bento of Avis ^[1].

When he reached the level of a veteran he travelled in 1551 with Melchior Nunes Barreto, to India, for an evangelization mission. ^[1]

He was ordered priest in Goa and entered in 1553 to the Company of Jesus, becoming a jesuit missionary. ^[1]

Background

With the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India via Indian Ocean in 1498, a portuguese expansion in Asia starts. The conquest of Cochim in 1503, of Goa in 1510, of Malaca in 1511, and the discoverment of the Molucas spices islands in 1512, consolidates Portugal as a worldwide militar and commercial power. In 1554 Portugal enters in China and gets a concession for Macau in 1557.

In China, the Ming dynasty substituted the mongols in 1368, unifying China. During Gaspar Vilela times the ruler was emperor Jiajing.

In 1453 the Ottoman Empire conquers Constantinople, finishing the Byzantine Empire, opening completly the gates of Europe to muslims. Jerusalem was lost to the muslims in 1187, being incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517. The christians kingdoms were divided by wars and only in 1492 the muslims are expelled from Iberian Peninsula. Moreover further division arises in 1517 when Martin Luther starts the protestant movement , triggering the European wars of religion.

Japan

The first reference in Europe about Japan comes from Marco Polo, with the mention of Cipango. The first portuguese / europeans reach Japan in 1543, by the hand of the pirate Wang Zhi^[2]^[3], on the island of Tanegashima, starting rapidly trade relations, mainly fire arms. The portuguese people were called nanban, the "barbarians from the south".

The portuguese found Japan in the middle of Sengoku Period, in great turmoil. With the shogun Ashikaga falling (ended in 1573), the lords of the regions (daimyo) disputed the leadership of reconquering the centralized power. Only in 1600 Japan would be reunified again under shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, which expells the missionaries in 1614.

With the formidable portuguese expansion the king John III of Portugal in 1539 asks the Pope Paul III to send missionaries to embark on the portuguese sea ships to evangilize the overseas lands. The Pope sends some jesuits, among them is Francisco Xavier ^[4], which arrives in 1541 at Goa. In 1549 Xavier reaches Japan where he starts the first congregations in Hirado, Yamaguchi and Bungo. In 1551, with the arrival of new missionaries Xavier departs for new missions.

Tanegashima and Hirado were under the rule of the daimyo Matsura Takanobu, ally of Wang Zhi. Hirado was the first sea port used by the portuguese. In 1561, after several attacks, the portuguese choose to change the regular trade to the sea port of Yokoseura, dominated by daimyo Omura Sumitada. A buddhist revolt in 1564 forces the portuguese to change again, this time to a small fishing village called Nagasaki. In 1580 the portuguese get a concession over Nagasaki, similar to Macau, that endures until Tokugawa Ieyasu invades it in 1586, keeping it however as the main port of entry to european trade.

Mission to Japan

Gaspar Vilela was selected to integrate the japonese missionary mission in 1554, disembarking in Bungo in 1556, in the east side of Kyushu island ^[1], under the supervision of Cosme de Torres ^[5], with the protection of daimyo Otomo Yoshishige, one of the first converts (baptized in 1578 with the name D. Francisco). The mission follows Francisco Xavier guidelines, seeking many and rapid conversions of the common people. Vilela belonging to a second wave of missionaries naturally employs Xavier methods in the beginning.

Vilela had the sensibility to understand the particularities of Japan, changing the methods to a Catechesis activity, taking advantage of the japonese superior knowledge and educated ways.

The people on these lands have interests in literature, if they were christians and live peaceful, wisdom would flourish here^[6]

One of the most important and useful things Vilela did, was to learn the Japanese language giving him the ability to talk directly to the people, without interpreters and frustations. He turns also to the aristocracy, mainly daimyos, seeking their protection and funding.

The language is not that difficult to understand, because being myself rude by nature I know plenty of it, at least listening, and even if it was difficult we have already plenty of things written by God, which satisfy those who want to listen^[7]

Vilela also identifies the main buddhist sects present in Japan, the Zen ("shaka") and the Amitaba ("amida") ^[8].

Between 1558 and 1559 at Hirado Vilela baptized more than 600 people ^[1]. Over the next 2 years, more than 1300 people have been converted on the Tokushima island and others places ^[1]. In 1563 Omura Sumitada converted (with the name D. Bartolomeu) to please the portuguese and acquire their preference to pick his sea port and enrich with the commcerce.

However, the aggresive activity of Vilela provokes the demolishing of 3 buddhists temples ^[1], building christian temples in their place. He also throws buddhists objects into the sea, and destroyed pagodes replacing them with crosses. This triggered many conflits and antagonisms with the buddhists. In 1558 daimyo Matsura Takanobu expells the jesuits from Hirado, including Vilela, the main character of the fury.

In 1564, the buddhist community infuriated by the conversion of the daimyo Omura Sumitada are instigated by the buddhist monks and leaders to revolt, destroying Yokoseura, including the sea port, forcing the portuguese residents and sea ships to move elsewhere. A small fishing vilage called Nagasaki is choosen, on which Vilela participates.

In Nagasaki a church is built, probably called São Paulo, where Vilela gave mass.

In 1559 he travelled to Miyako (or Meaco), in the center of Japan, ruled by daimyo Oda Nobunaga, a potencial shogun and rival of Tokugawa Ieyasu. He welcomed and guided Luís Fróis in this period, founding the first mission in the region in 1560. In 1563 he has a dispute in Nara with the astronomer Yûki Yamashiro and the confucionist Kiyohara Ekata, which makes the later to convert. He also debates with the masters of the court, making him very popular and respect. Because of the instabilities in Japan, the missionaries are expelled also from Miyako in 1565. Vilela also extends his activity to Sakay.

Final years

Vilela is finally called by his hierarchy, returning to Cochim in 1571.

He leaves to Goa where he retires and dies on 4 February 1572, with 47 years old.

Literature Works

"Controversias contra todas as seytas do Japão. Nellas refutava concludentemente todos os argumentos pelos Mestres da Corte de Meaco"
"História das vidas dos Santos"
"Documentos Espirituais"

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Escritores Lusófonos - Padre Gaspar Vilela
^ Galvão 1563.
^ Boxer 1951.
^ Boscariol 2013, p. 32.
^ Boscariol 2013.
^ Letters from Vilela from Sacay
^ Letter of 1561, "Exemplo da relação do português com outras línguas no séc. XVI" de João Balula
^ Rocha 2014, p. 158.

Bibliography

Machado, Diogo (1741). "Biblioteca Lusitana". Biblioteca Lusitana. Vol. 2.
Boscariol, Mariana (2013). No que toca à língua e adaptação na metodologia de trabalho jesuíta no Japão: Gaspar Vilela, Alessandro Valignano e João Rodrigues (1549-1620) (PDF) (Thesis). Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.
Rocha, Helena (2014). "O Oriente no Ocidente : o Japão na cultura portuguesa do século XVI - a visão de Luís Fróis nas Cartas de Évora" (PDF). Repositório das Universidades Lusíada. Universidade Lusíada, Portugal.
Galvão, António (1563). Tratado de António Galvão, escrito em 1563. Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
Boxer, C. R. (1951). The Christian Century in Japan (in inglês). University of California Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)