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Thursday | 06:15 PM | The Material Culture of Japan’s two Early-Modern Embassies Ishibashi Foundation Special Lecture Prof. Dr. Anton Schweizer, Ishibashi Foundation Visiting Professor, Universität Heidelberg / Kyushu University Two famous missions were sent from Japan to Catholic Southern Europe, respectively, in 1582-1590 and 1613-1620. The fi rst (Tenshō mission) was orchestrated by the Jesuits as a public relations stunt. It was designed to highlight their success in proselytizing among the ruling samurai elite and also meant to overwhelm the four young Japanese emissaries with the grandeur of some of Europe’s largest urban centers. The second (Keichō mission) was, in contrast, sent by the warlord Date Masamune with knowledge and logistical support from the just consolidating Tokugawa shogunate in an attempt to open direct trade connections between Japan and New Spain (Mexico). This lecture traces the material culture invested in both undertakings and raises the claim that both should be seen as formative moments in early European conceptions of East Asia and Japan. Address CATS – Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies, Gebäude 4010 CATS Auditorium R.010.01.05 Voßstraße 2 69115 Heidelberg Organizer Institut für Kunstgeschichte Ostasiens Homepage Organizer Contact Institut für Kunstgeschichte Ostasiens Contact URL |