(Continued from Part 1)
Digital archives of ancient documents are being actively developed in cultural institutions such as the National Diet Library and museums around the world.
Furthermore, with the advent of cutting-edge technologies such as AI-based automatic translation and Optical Character Recognition (OCR), we can now easily access the valuable records left behind by our ancestors, transcending language barriers and time periods.

The document I would like to introduce this time is a play script that was performed at a Jesuit seminary in Augsburg, Germany in 1698. The cover of the script, shown in the opening photo, is written in both Latin and German.

According to an AI-assisted translation, the title reads, “Nobunaga, the Emperor of Japan, Lost His Kingdom and Life for Despising Religion.”
At the end of the script, the names of the characters, such as Oda Nobunaga and Akechi Mitsuhide, as well as the names of the students who performed, including their noble titles, and the names of the members in charge of stage direction, along with their departments and grades, are meticulously listed, indicating that it was a large-scale production involving approximately 70 people.

On the first page after the cover, there is a quotation that summarizes the main theme: “Through disputes between the missionaries who came to Japan and the Japanese monks, Nobunaga, the Emperor of Japan, understood the truth of Christianity (Catholicism) and showed great goodwill. (1) However, due to an abundance of good fortune, he desired to be worshiped as a god. As a just punishment for this arrogance, Nobunaga was betrayed by his most powerful vassal, Akechi Mitsuhide, and lost his life at (2) Azuchi Castle. Azuchi Castle was reduced to ashes, and he disappeared without a trace. From ‘The Church History of Japan’, Volume 5, by Cornelius Hazart.”

The script, which begins on the second page, is structured and developed based on this quotation.
In other words, in this “European version of the Honno-ji Incident,” the focus is on “why (1) and where (2) Nobunaga was killed,” based on a Christian worldview, rather than on “who killed Nobunaga.”

From the perspective of modern people who value objective facts, (1) cannot be understood without hearing the motives of the mastermind, Akechi Mitsuhide (thus, the Honno-ji Incident remains an eternal mystery), and (2) is clearly incorrect (Nobunaga was attacked at Honno-ji Temple, and only the main tower of Azuchi Castle was burned down after Nobunaga’s death). Moreover, there is little evidence in Japanese historical records to support Nobunaga’s self-deification, making its credibility questionable.

However, given that this is both a work by a Jesuit priest and a script for a play performed at a seminary, some degree of embellishment is to be expected in order to promote the doctrine.
By slightly adjusting our viewpoint, we, who live in the modern era, can cultivate a more global outlook and gain a deeper understanding of diverse historical perspectives and values.

For example, why was a play about Nobunaga’s death performed at a German seminary about 100 years after the Honno-ji Incident? What are the differences between this script and the related materials of the Jesuit and Dutch East India Company that were referred to by the author, Cornelius Hazart (1617-1690), a Jesuit priest from Belgium? How was Nobunaga’s death perceived in Japan at the same time?
Seeking answers to these questions will not only deepen our understanding of history but also provide us with opportunities to think deeply about politics, religion, our connection to the world, and the meaning of our own existence.

Generative AI is a valuable partner in enriching and streamlining this process of exploration and discovery. In the next article, I would like to continue to explore 17th-century materials related to Nobunaga, along with generative AI, while introducing illustrations of Japan imaginatively drawn by European painters who never visited the country.

Image Source: Münchener Digitalisierungs Zentrum (MDZ)
Script title (German), “Nobunanga Kayser in Japon Wegen Verachtung der wahren Religion deß Reichs und Lebens beraubt”, 1698, Bavarian State Library collection