This Island Of Japon Chapter Summary

When João Rodrigues (c. 1561-c. 1633) arrived in Japan in 1576, there were no extensive works detailing the history, culture, language, and geography of Japan. He lived in Japan working as a Jesuit priest and translator for thirty years before his exile at the beginning of the Edo Period (1603-1868). During his time there, he became fluent in Japanese and accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge about Japanese culture, history, literature, poetry, and language, ultimately resulting in his authorship of This Island of Japon. Rodrigues’ This Island of Japon was an influential cultural comparison that helped Europeans understand medieval Japanese traditions and customs. It is not exactly clear why Rodrigues wrote the book. In the preface …show more content…
As helpful as it is to have a Western author give his understanding of the culture, there are inherent biases within the book that affect how the audience interprets it (his explanation of Buddhism, for example, is prejudiced since he was a Jesuit priest). Rodrigues also left Portugal at fifteen years old and never returned, so his recollection of European society and mannerisms that he gave at sixty may not be accurate. Additionally, the copyist who transcribed This Island of Japon “made mistakes and omissions due to his carelessness”. Michael Cooper, the translator, believes that these errors had little effect on the accuracy of the text, yet there were enough errors to note that they were made in the first place. Finally, Cooper said that he had taken “liberties with the length of the text,” greatly shortening Rodrigues’ work. These omissions were deemed unimportant to the translator, but to a reader may be essential. Despite the biases Rodrigues would likely have had when producing his book and the textual changes made by the copyist and translator, This Island of Japon remains a valuable primary source when examining late medieval Japanese culture and