Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress with the Annual Message of the President, December 5, 1870
No. 288.
Mr. De Long to Mr. Fish.
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith Inclosure No. 1, copy translation of a document, alleged to be a report of the officers who executed the decree of deportation of the native converts to Christianity from Urakami near Nagasaki.
Whether true or not, this report as yet stands uncontradicted. The closing sentence correctly embodies the views held by the educated classes in Japan of missionary efforts; only a few Protestant missionaries are now employed, at very high salaries, by the government in their public schools, and others, I have learned, will also be offered similar employment at an early day, the principal object of this measure being to put a stop to proselytism as far as possible.
memorandum by the officer who went from nagasaki to urakami.
First paragraph.—Sentence 2.—Reply.
The removal of the Christians was completed by the 8th of January, and in the letter we wrote on the morning of the 9th, the words up till yesterday occur. We could not know what would take place afterward, the ships on which the Christians were embarked left the port, but two of the steamers received some injury at sea, and this together with other difficulties caused them to return to harbor. The arrival of other vessels was awaited and to these the Christians were transferred; some persons who had been absent in some other place when their relatives were removed now came forward and begged to be sent to the same place.
So many houses at Urakami being left vacant at the same time, it was necessary, in order to prevent robberies, that officers should be sent there, but as the search for the Christians had been already completed there was no reason for any further search now that they had been removed.
Sentence 2.—Reply.
All of them were aware that the practice of Christianity is most strictly prohibited, and that the offenders against this law are liable to be severely punished. Therefore when they were informed that in distributing them among the Hau families would not be separated, and that the han had received instructions to provide them with facilities for gaining a livelihood, they received the announcement with gratitude, for they learned that so far from being punished with the severity demanded by law, they were on the contrary to be treated with the greatest consideration. As natural-born subjects of Japan, they were bound to obey the Japanese laws; what doubt therefore can there be that they appreciated the indulgence with which they were treated on this occasion.
Sentence 3.—Reply.
Every head of a family, without exception, received an allowance for buying straw hoes. The sick were told that they might go into hospital and receive treatment, [Page 476] but most of them preferred to go abroad with the others. In the same day one pregnant woman asked to accompany her family, and she as well as the others were removed in accordance with their own wishes. As the pregnant woman, just spoken of; seemed close to her confinement, her case was a very pitiable one, and she was recommended to stay behind and be attended to, but she persisted in her desire to go on board ship with the rest, which was accordingly done; she was certainly not urged by the officers to go on board.
When the Christians were removed the officers went to Urakami on the previous day and visiting all the houses in every village, where large families lived, informed them in a kind way of the Emperor s will; on the following morning they made their preparation for embarking, and assembled at the house of their respective shoyal, (head of village.) These persons were offended against a law of the empire, and the Japanese practice is to summon such before the proper officials and treat them like yetae, who are the lowest of the people, but in the present case the officials have proceeded themselves to their houses, and taken most exceptional measures in regard to them. This will convince every one that no cruelty has been practiced on them.
Second paragraph.—Reply.
There were, also, some weak from old age, but they too were removed in compliance with their own wish. In order that there might afterward be proof that they were not compelled by the officials to embark, they were caused to make their request in writing. As the distance from Urakami to Nagasaki is but short, some who were embarked from the latter place were carried on the backs of coolies, but of those who were sent to Tokitsu for embarkation, some were allowed kagi, (sedan chairs,) owing to the distance many of them were accustomed to go barefoot, and the reason for not wearing straw shoes was, because they preferred to go without.
Third paragraph.—Reply.
The statements that families were divided, seems founded on false reports. First of all, the heads of families in all the villages were sent on board, and their destination determined. The families were then distributed in such a way as to be sent to the same Hau as the heads. Their number rendered it impossible to send the families also in the same ship, but even though placed on board another ship, this only made a difference of one or two days: and there is no doubt but that in every case the members of each family arrived at the same han. Those were, however, parents and children, brothers and sisters, of the present emigrants, who were removed during last year: but when an offer was made to them to send them to the same han, the relations of persons who had gone to Choshü, with one consent expressed their unwillingness to go there. The reason of this was, that they had heard that the Christians who had been sent to Choshü last year had, one after another, retracted their errors; hence they earnestly begged to be sent to some other han, and in some cases this request was granted. In their case it might be said that families have been separated, but in no case have families been separated by our act. If, through any mistake, separation had occurred, much time would have been lost in ultimately sending the separate families to the same place. The object was to send every family to the same place; and as several ships were employed, and a distribution made among the many different han, we were very anxious lest there should be any confusion which might cause the separation of families, and all the officials from the chikenji downward went to Urakami and to the landing stairs, and attended to all the proceedings until they were embarked on board ship. All suspicion will be removed if the true account of these facts is inquired from the people of Nagasaki.
Fourth paragraph.—Reply.
No such thing as arresting the Christians and bringing them along in custody really occurred. Their names were perfectly well known to the authorities beforehand, and, as was said above, the officers went to each house in all the villages and gave them notice. A certain number of Christians were placed in charge of each officer, who gave each of his party a yellow handkerchief, or some other mark, by which they might be distinguished; and they were told that when they came next day, having made their preparation, if they brought with them the handkerchief or other token, they would avoid becoming mixed up with people from other villages, and means would be taken to transport not, only persons of the same family, but even neighbors, to the same destination. They accordingly assembled at the places named by the officials, and at the time appointed, bringing with them the handkerchief or other token, in the intention of all going on board at the same time. It may be remarked, that even before being ordered by the officials to bring this token, some had already provided themselves with white cotton handkerchiefs as tokens to distinguish them. Those were certainly not [Page 477] given by the officers in order to distinguish the Christians from the heathen sect. We have, however, not been able to discover that there is any sect in Japan denominated “heathen.”
Fifth paragraph.—Reply.
The families of the Christians were informed beforehand that they might bring with them their clothes and other articles for present use. Consequently some of them carried bundles and others put on several suits of clothes; some of the poorer classes had not any clothes, and money was lent them for their purchase, their farming implements being deposited with the shoja as security. The property which was left behind, consisting of horses, cattle, poultry, and vegetables, was sold by public auction. The proceeds were deposited with the authorities. Their household property was placed under seal, and their houses shut up. Military was placed over them by night and day to guard against fire and robbery, and effectual precautions were taken against their loss. Some time was necessary before all the property left behind in the houses of the different villages could be collected.
Sixth paragraph.—Reply.
On the day that the heads of villages were first of all sent on board ship, it was stormy with snow, and as they suffered a great deal from the cold the authorities provided them with sake and rice; if inquiries are made from the merchants who sold the sake, and from the messenger who fetched the sake and rice, the truth of this will be plainly shown. Again, when the families were about to be sent on board ship, as night had fallen and anxiety was felt lest the confusion should cause families to be separated, we were obliged to put them up for the night in public storehouses near the landing stairs. On this occasion, the night venders of eatables were admitted within the inclosure and the Christians were allowed to purchase whatever they chose. As most of them were women and children, no sake was provided by the authorities, but no half-boiled rice was served out to them; on this occasion clerks from the accountant’s department were present and superintended the distribution of the rice. Both the officers detailed for this duty and the Christians ate the same rice, and the food of both was identical.
Seventh paragraph.—Reply.
With regard to the traveling arrangements, general instructions were given both to the guards sent from the Nagasaki kia, and to those officials of Hau, who were to receive them, and certainly nothing improper has taken place.
Eighth paragraph.—Reply.
Strict injunctions were given beforehand to the Hau, by government, to employ the Christians upon their arrival in their general avocation, to allow them personal freedom, and by instructions to make them loyal subjects, so that there is no reason to doubt that after their arrival at their destination they enjoyed repose.
Concluding sentences.—Reply.
If the Christians had been violently siezed and brought along, it would have been easy to employ the services of police officers to make them embark; so far from this being done, high officers went about in every direction and informed them what was to be done. Not one person was arrested by the authorities; on the contrary, they came of their own accord.
First of all, on the 1st of January, 1870, the heads of families all received notice from the authorities to come at 9 o’clock the next morning, but of those summoned only a few presented themselves.
The uniform practice in Japan has always been to punish all who, when summoned, refuse to come, and even those who appear later than the time indicated to them. In this case, however, special measures were taken, and on the night of that day officers went to Urakami and summoned the Christians together to the shoya. They were then asked why they had not obeyed the commands of the authorities, when they made all sorts of excuses, and pleaded urgently for a delay of two or three days. The officers saw that the Christians, expecting to be sent to other provinces like those who were removed last year, wanted a delay of three days for collecting their household property, and granted their request, as their families were not removed until afterward. They made use of the interval to arrange with their friends in the villages to make some sort of disposal of their property.
It was in the above way that things were managed, and no resort whatever was made to. military force. What forcible reason could there have been for them to run [Page 478] away and hide in the hills? The officers who were to accompany them to the various hau took charge each of his own party at Urakami, and accompanied them on board. Many houses were left uninhabited, but patrols were dispatched thither to prevent evil-disposed persons from other places from coming and doing mischief. The escort of the Christians, unlike officers with other criminals in their custody, were unprovided with fire-arms, and this is a proof that military force was not resorted to. The Christians appear to have conjectured that when they were summoned on the 1st of January, it was for the purpose of being removed to some other province, for about thirty persons ran away. The reason for this was that there were among the Christians badly-behaved men who had brought their household to ruin, and neglected the tilling of their farms, preferring to make a living by giving religious instructions to old women and young girls. Those men know that if this measure of the government were carried out their means of livelihood would be at an end, and so they spread reports of cruel treatment by the authorities, and created distrust in the minds of the people. This induced some to take flight from fear.
The passage in which it is said that the people of Nagasaki pitied all the Christians, must mean that those who happened to see them walking along the muddy road pitied them, not remembering that they were accustomed to it, and did not much mind it The weather was unfortunately cold and rainy, and the road was in a bad state. The officers themselves pitied them, because the weather was so bad. This, however cannot be attributed to the cruelty of the government.
Since the foundation of the Japanese empire it has been the national custom for high. or low to venerate, as the ancestors of our Emperor, the god worshipped by them, and the people who show no honor or veneration for the deities who were the parents of our race, no matter how industrious in their occupations they may be, commit a grave breach of the law by which the entire nation is ruled. How can these persons be called civilized, no matter how great an eagerness they may profess to learn (teach) European civilization, if the only result of their efforts is to produce national dissensions?