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Paper short abstract

This paper examines how the missionaries who arrived in Japan in the sixteenth century quickly adapted to its natural environment. It also traces the evolution of their discourse, shifting from an emphasis on its harshness in the early decades to a gentler portrayal by the end of the century.

Paper long abstract

The Southern European missionaries who arrived in Japan in the middle of the sixteenth century adapted to Japanese society and way of life in many different manners: etiquette, dietary habits, church architecture, language, etc., in a process that has been termed “cultural accommodation.” However, the Europeans who settled in various “New Worlds” also had to adapt to new natural environments. While in some places, like tropical Africa, this adaptation proved almost impossible, in others, like Mesoamerica, the mildness of the climate facilitated European penetration. Japan occupied an intermediate position. Although the newcomers had to face more extreme weather and frequent natural disasters, the course of the seasons was not dissimilar to that of Europe. The absence of new pathogens also facilitated the settlement of the missionaries. Nevertheless, we can observe an evolution in the discourse on the Japanese environment that parallels, on one hand, the advances in missionary work, and on the other hand, the pacification of the country. In this way, the harshness of the Japanese environment is emphasized in the first decades of the mission, while by the end of the century, the missionaries seem to have “tamed” the nature in Japan. They feel more comfortable and convey a softer vision of its environment, a vision that aligns with a more assertive position after decades of missionary work and accumulation of knowledge.