Japan on the Jesuit Stage: Two 17th-Century Latin Plays with Translation and Commentary

This volume presents Latin texts of two Jesuit school plays, Martyrs of Japan and Victor the Japanese, alongside English translations, commentaries, and an introduction. The plays were performed in 1625 and 1665 and based on specific events in Japan in 1597 and 1613. The juxtaposition of the Latin texts and original English translations makes the plays newly accessible to a wide readership, shedding light on the ways in which Western classical humanism became intertwined with historical developments across the globe.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 15 December 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

From the late 16th to the early 17th century, the Jesuits were a significant source of European knowledge about Japan. They were not only active missionaries but also produced linguistic, religious, and cultural tracts, regional chronicles, and hundreds of Latin plays written in imitation of classical Greco-Roman theatre but set in Japan. An intriguing yet underexplored segment of Jesuit school theatre is that which stages non-classical, non-Western subjects such as Japan, and this volume is the first to present Latin texts of two of these plays alongside full English translations, commentaries, and an extensive introduction. The plays in question, Martyrs of Japan and Victor the Japanese, were performed in Koblenz and Munich, respectively, in 1625 and 1665. They are collated from original 17th-century manuscripts for this edition. They were based on specific events that took place in Japan in 1597 and 1613, and their main characters are historically attested Japanese Catholic converts and their pagan peers. The juxtaposition of the Latin texts and original English translations makes the plays newly accessible to a wide readership, shedding light on the ways in which Western classical humanism rooted in ancient Mediterranean theatre became intertwined with momentous historical developments across the globe to produce these unique spectacles. The introduction and commentary examine the historical, cultural, and literary contexts and provide guidance on interpretative and stylistic issues, allowing for a full appreciation of the plays in which pagan classical, Christian, early modern European, and Japanese elements come together.

Weight: 468g
Dimension: 144 x 223 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350217201