Book review of Historia cultural de los hispanohablantes en Japón by Araceli Tinajero.

No abstract

This article examines the conversion to Christianity of the prince Tayco in the comedia de santos Los mártires del Japón by Lope de Vega and the creation of the Dominican missionary Alonso de Navarrete as a dramatic character. Lope portraits Tayco as a young prince who has to learn how to become a king, having Navarrete as a role model. Lope characterizes Japanese people in ways that are easy to understand for the Spanish public, he also defends the Christianization of Japan.

ResumenEste ensayo propone una lectura de Conquista de las islas Malucas (1609) del poeta, historiador y eclesiástico Bartolomé Leonardo de Argensola (1562-1631) como un gabinete de curiosidades textual lleno de narraciones y objetos maravillosos. El autor emplea sus propias ideas sobre la escritura de la historia para crear una crónica de conquista con la intención de promocionar la labor mesiánica del imperio español. Su obra actualiza los conocimientos de un área del globo sobre la que permanecían los mitos clásicos y medievales sobre Oriente.

Bernardino de Ávila’s Relación del Reyno del Nippon is the only secular Spanish account of the martyrdoms of Nagasaki that took place between 1614 and 1619. Opening as a depiction of Japanese history and society, Ávila’s portrait of Japanese women develops from the admiration of physical beauty and marital qualities to the praise of female courage during the persecution of Christians. Whether narrating events he witnessed or copying and reinterpreting European missionaries’ texts or Japanese Christians’ reports, Ávila creates the idea of heroic wives and virgins who endure torture and martyrdom without apostatizing. As a layman, his interpretation of the events lacks the deep knowledge of learned churchmen, yet his narrative adds the point of view of a commoner who struggled to live and understand the failure of Christendom in kingdoms not ruled by Spain. The article analyzes the development of the representation of Japanese women in Ávila’s work and the influence of religious writing in his narrative.