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was an early Japanese Christian convert of the 16th century, born in
Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...
, and the first Japanese person to set foot in Europe. Bernardo was one of the first converts of Saint
Francis Xavier Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December ...
, and one of his two disciples.''Asia in the making of Europe: volume I, the century of discovery'' Donald Frederick Lach p.672''ff''
/ref>''Remembering Iñigo: Glimpses of the Life of Saint Ignatius of Loyola'' by A. Eaglestone p.20
/ref> Bernardo was baptized in 1549. He followed Xavier in Japan and
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.


Biography

Bernardo left Japan for Portuguese India with Xavier in 1551, together with another Japanese person, Mathias, born in Yamaguchi. They arrived in India in February 1552. Mathias died in
Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
however.''Goa and Portugal: their cultural links'' Charles J. Borges, Helmut Feldmann p.103
/ref> Bernardo, with Brother Andreas Fernandes, then left for
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, where he arrived in 1553, with a letter written by Francis Xavier in Goa, dated 8 April 1552. The objective was for Bernardo "to see the Christian religion in all its majesty", so that he could share his experience back in Japan. In his letter, Xavier also commented that "Japanese intellect asas sharp and sensible as any in the world". Bernardo is thought to have been the first Japanese person to set foot on European soil. In Portugal, Bernardo applied to and entered the
Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
. He also studied at the College of Coimbra. After two years, Bernardo left to visit
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
on 17 July 1554, going through
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
to
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, to take a ship to
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
. He was present in Rome during a period of 10 months. He met with Loyola and probably attended the election of
Pope Marcellus II Pope Marcellus II ( it, Marcello II; 6 May 1501 – 1 May 1555), born Marcello Cervini degli Spannocchi, was a Papalini Catholic prelate who served as head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 April 1555 until h ...
. Bernardo was highly valued, and gave great hope to the Papacy about the prospects of
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in Japan. Bernardo left Rome on 23 October 1555, and took a ship in
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
. Bernardo died however upon his return to Portugal in February 1557.


See also

*
Tenshō embassy The Tenshō embassy (Japanese: 天正の使節, named after the Tenshō Era in which the embassy took place) was an embassy sent by the Japanese Christian Lord Ōtomo Sōrin to the Pope and the kings of Europe in 1582. The embassy was led by ...
(1582) *
Hasekura Tsunenaga was a kirishitan Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyō of Sendai. He was of Japanese imperial descent with ancestral ties to Emperor Kanmu. Other names include Philip Francis Faxicura, Felipe Francisco Faxicura, and Phi ...
, who visited Europe from 1613 to 1620


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernardo The Japanese 1557 deaths Japanese Roman Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism University of Coimbra alumni Year of birth unknown Japanese expatriates in Portugal Japan–Portugal relations People from Kagoshima