Sophia Magazine vol.10
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One such initiative is the Japan-Vatican Cultural Exchange Project. “I carry out research inquiries in the libraries, ar-chives, and museums of the Vatican,” explains Kawamura. “In my research, I came across a record of the Tensho Embassy making a gift of a folding screen to Pope Gregory XIII. If that folding screen were to be found, it would be a major find of the century for Japanese history. Living in Japan while being in the position to access the Vatican is truly exciting, as the example of the folding screen demonstrates.”Kawamura’s other projects vary widely, but recently he has found great satisfaction in the study of ancient texts. By using modern technologies, information can be gleaned from these texts beyond simply what is written. The origin of materials such as paper and ink can be traced, while the dyeing method can be used to deduce the status of the author. “It is fascinating research. I analyze the background of texts written by missionaries. There is also a team that studies the global flow of goods or paper materials, so members’ work on ancient texts takes multifarious approaches based on each individual’s specialty.”The research by Kawamura into fraternal religious organiza-tions deserves special mention. How on earth could people hold together in their faith in a land bereft of churches or priests? “The origins lay in the emergence of confraternities in Europe, around the 13th century. These were organiza-tions of equals who set their own goals and chose their own leaders, forming independent and self-directing groups. It is generally accepted in Kirishitan research to date that Ja-pan’s hidden Christians based themselves on that model.” The same types of fraternal organizations have been found in Europe, India, and Southeast Asia. Kawamura continues to undertake research on the subject both in Japan and in those regions. Kawamura says the world once had boundaries that religions could not cross.“In the time of Francis Xavier, it was said that eastern Bud-dhists could not go west of around 75˚ E or 76˚ E longitude, along the west coast of India, and that Christians could not go east of that. However, Francis Xavier crossed the bound-ary quite easily. His travels in today’s terms were equivalent to being onboard the Space Shuttle or exploring Mars. Not only is Xavier a model for missionaries today, but he is also a figure who transcended karma, or the nature of humanity. Petro Kasui Kibe too was someone who showed that Chris-tians did not have to be European, and he demonstrated that in his person. Behind my activities across various fields, I find that my identity as a Jesuit and all of the tradition it entails is very important. I hope that younger generations will under-stand for themselves how much these giants of the past can illuminate who we are.”Jesuit Self-Determination and Frontier Spirit12Research

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