Portrait of Pope Paulus V

Materials Related to the Keicho-era Mission to Europe: Japan and Spain.

Materials related to the Keicho-era Mission to Europe are composed of two parts and refer to a mission from Japan sent by the lord of the Sendai-han in 1613. One part consists of three objects brought back to Japan after seven years of travel, namely a Certificate of Citizenship of Rome for Hasekura Tsunenaga - who led the mission to Europe, and portraits of Tsunenaga and Pope Paulus V. The other includes letters from Hasekura Tsunenaga to the King of Spain and detailed records of their stay in Spain and Rome. They’re testimony of East-West exchange in the early 17th century in the fields of diplomacy, trade, religion, and fine arts during the Age of Discovery.