Letter written by early Japanese Christians to Pope Paul V | Photo and story via The Asahi Shimbun

Researchers at Sophia University in Tokyo have uncovered a previously unknown letter of appreciation sent by Christians in Japan’s northeastern Tohoku region to Pope Paul V during the early Edo Period (1603-1867).

The letter was sent in reply to a missive from the Pope, who wrote to offer encouragement to Japanese Catholic converts who faced persecution from feudal authorities at the time.

It was discovered at the Dominican Convent’s library that belongs to a church in Florence. It is the first discovery of its kind since no documents had previously been found outside the Vatican.

The discovery was a result of an on-site study for the programme called, “Vatican & Japan: The 100-Year Project” organised by the Kadokawa Culture Promotion Foundation and sponsored by The Asahi Shimbun.”

Shinzo Kawamura, a professor of history at Sophia University, headed the research. The details of their discovery, which was based on information provided by Timon Screech, a history professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, were unveiled at a symposium held at Sophia University on 12 November.

The contents of the letter are the same as the two letters from the Tohoku region that are stored at the Vatican Apostolic Library. They include the name of Goto Juan (1578-1623), who believed in Christianity as a retainer of famed warlord Date Masamune (1567-1636), among other individuals.

The word “first” is written in Latin on the back while the ones in the Vatican refer to themselves as “second” and “third,” additional research showed.

“The one at Florence is very likely the original letter,” Kawamura said.

“Multiple copies were apparently made in an attempt to defend the Society of Jesus, which was then blamed for not having prevented the religious ban, against a range of critics,” he also said. [The Asahi Shimbun]