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Paper short abstract

This study explores youth conversions in Kirishitan Japan, using Chikatora Simão as a case study. Based on an examination of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Jesuit annual letters, I argue that these accounts shed light on both Ignatian rhetoric and children's experiences in the mission.

Paper long abstract

In the scholarly examination of early modern Catholic missions in East Asia, the functions assumed by local actors have attracted interest. While the contributions of these individuals to the advancement and preservation of such initiatives have been a focal point, the emphasis has predominantly been on adults, thereby marginalising the role of youth.

Against this backdrop, this paper will analyse Jesuit accounts of youth conversion found in the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century annual letters of Japan, using as a case study the narrative of the conversion of Chikatora Simão (the adopted son of Tawara Chikakata, an important vassal of daimyo Ōtomo Sōrin of Bungo and his brother-in-law) around 1577.

Building on Pia Jolliffe’s work, I identify recurring motifs associated with children to discuss the rhetorical instrumentalisation of these testimonies. However, I will also move beyond this to retrieve markers of youth agency in this context. By juxtaposing Chikatora Simão’s case with other episodes, I aim to demonstrate how these descriptions functioned simultaneously as evidence of local conduct and as persuasive devices targeting European readers.

With this, I propose a synthesis between perspectives emphasising Jesuit rhetoric and those recovering children’s experiences, capable of offering a more comprehensive view of the proselytising enterprise and a richer understanding of the nature and impact of the narratives intended to describe it. By repositioning youth as historical actors in the Japanese mission, I also demonstrate the value of “age” as an analytical category alongside “gender” and “social status” in studying global Catholic missions. Finally, I argue that Chikatora Simão’s case operates as a missionary microcosm, condensing the Ignatian ideals and the local responses to the surrounding sociocultural landscape through which Christian belonging was created in early modern Japan.