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1543
Portuguese opened Trade Relations with Japan
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1547
St. Francis Xavier meets with 3 Japanese at Malacca
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1548
First Japanese Converts are accepted into Church
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Period: 1548 to 1551
St. Francis Xavier found Christian Communities
Located in Kagoshima, Hirado, Yamaguchi and Funai (oita) -
Aug 15, 1549
St. Francis Xavier arrives to Japan
As a missionary sent to Japan, St. Francis Xavier hoped to spread Catholic Christianity to other areas around the world including Japan. - Accompanied by Father Cosme de Torres and Brother John Fernadez. -
1551
St. Francis Xavier departs
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Period: 1556 to 1557
Brother Luis d'Almeida establishes buildings
Establishes Foundling homes and hopsitals -
1562
Lord of Omura Baptized
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Period: 1562 to 1563
Missionaries sent to Different Regions
Sent to Omura, Shimabara Peninsula, Goto and Amakusa Islands and Nagasaki -
1567
Newly constructed Church in Kyoto
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1570
30,000 Christians
The rough estimate of the amount of Christians at this time -
Period: 1579 to 1582
Alessandro Valignano visits Japan as Jesuit visitor general
Found Novitiate and college for spiritual and scientific training of Jesuits - ordered European missionaries to study Japanese language to better adapt. -
Period: to
300,000 Christians
Rough estimate of the amount of Christians -
Hideyoshi orders missionaries to leave Japan
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150,000 Christians
Rough estimate of how many Christians in Japan -
Christians to be put to death
6 Franciscans, 3 Jesuits and 17 Japanese lay persons were put to death in Nagasaki after boat was stranded (Later martyred/canonized in 1862) -
Christian lords urged to renounce their faith
Many Christian lords abandoned their faith after 1600 -
Franciscans allowed to build church in Yedo
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Many Churches rebuilt and 70,000 Converts added
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Franciscans allowed to build church in Uraga
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140 Jesuits, 26 Franciscans, 9 Dominicans, 4 Augustinians and 400,000+ Christians
Rough estimate of the number of Christians in Japan at this time -
Christian Persecution edict
Strong support for national religions of Buddhism and Shintoism
All churches and missionaries ordered to be destroyed -
Result of Christian Persecution edict
Most missionaries had to leave
37 priests remained
4,000 Christians sacrifice their life for faith -
Father Theodore Forcade - Paris Foreign Mission Society disembarks at Naha in Ryukyu Islands
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Period: to
U.S Navy induced Japan to open doors to foreigners
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Period: to
Paris Foreign Mission priests allowed to dwell in Yokohama, Hakodate and Nagasaki
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Sisters of St. Maur come to Japan
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First regional seminary for Japan established in Nagasaki
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Pope Leo XIII establishes Japanese Hierarchy
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Congragation for the Propagation of the Faith invites other religious institutes to send members to Japan
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Franciscans return to Japan
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Jesuits return to Japan
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Kyoto Diocese - Notre Dame Women's College established by the School Sisters of Notre Dame from St. Louis
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Pope John Paul II visits Japan