Renaissance Culture and Japan’s Christian Century

From the fifteenth to the seventeenth century, Europe underwent a dramatic intellectual transformation, often called the Scientific Revolution. Meanwhile, Japan experienced its first direct encounter with Western culture and science.

Renaissance Culture and Japan’s Christian Century (1550–1650) is a project that aims to explore European intellectual history during this period and its impact on Japan. Its main targets are early modern concepts of nature and the human being, which provided the foundation of modern Western civilization, namely:

  1. the transformation of the medieval tradition,
  2. the formation of a new type of knowledge and learning, and
  3. their influence on Japan.

Through this project, we seek to advance the discipline of intellectual history in Japan and help young researchers gain international exposure.

Japan had a Christian Century?

Yes, Christianity’s journey through Japan began in the summer of 1549.
Read more about Japan’s Christian Century and its important figures and texts, including Pedro GomezAlessandro Valignano, and Fides no Quio.

Special thanks

Renaissance Culture and Japan’s Christian Century was made possible by a KAKEN Grant from the Japanese Ministry of Education.