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Tokugawa Ieyasu and his personal correspondence with James I of
England:
King James I of England, the son of Mary Queen of Scots
and Lord Darnley was the successor of Elizabeth I for the
rule of England. (1566_1625)
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James I of Engalnd was the son of and successor
of Mary Queen of Scots to the Scottish Throne and selected by his
cousin Elizabeth I of England as the successor to the throne of
England following her death. James ruled Scotland from the time
of his mothers execution in 1587 until 1603 when he became the King
of England. He ruled England from 1603 until the time of his death
in 1625 when his son Charles I became the new King of England.
Mary Queen of Scots
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Henry Stuart, (Lord Darnley) James I father |
Mary Queen of Scots and her son James VI of Scotland , James
I of England 1545 |
The historical reviews of the effectiveness of
James I rule over England see varied opinions of his success. He
actively sought to re-establish diplomatic relationships with Spain
and was in effect a Catholic English Monarch.
He is credited with being the patron for the compilation
of the King James version of the Bible although the translations
of the Bible into English from the Greek, Hebrew and Latin had been
given a major boost by Henry VIII who had hired the linguist Desiderius
Erasmus to translate entire sections of the Bible into English for
his personal use. The translations of the Bible used for the Kings
James version were made and compiled over many decades of scholarship
and the completed translations were finalized, compiled and officially
published as the King James Version of the Bible during his reign
as the King of England. Most of the linguists and scholars responsible
for this effort were associated with Cambridge and Oxford Universities.
The rule of James I and his relationship with the
Japanese ruler Tokugawa Ieyasu marks an important historic timeline
in the relationship between the Christian World, the Rule of Kings,
constitutional governments and Japanese society and culture. It
should be noted these two men were both rulers at watershed moments
in their perspective countries governments and histories. England's
fate was to go on to become an effective leader of the world in
commerce and class justice and Japan would indulge in an extended
period of isolationism imposed by a rural elite that lead to its
social irrelevance as a world society by the end of the Edo period
and the re-establishment of commercial and governmental contacts
with Western European cultures.
It is noteworthy that James I conducted correspondence
with Tokugawa Ieyasu in personal letters carried to and from the
Shogun through the English East India Company. These letters are
important historic documents of great significance that are still
available for our scrutiny. The exchange of gifts and letters between
the two leaders has become the focus of a recent exhibit by the
Royal Armouries in Leeds in cooperation with the Nikko Toshogu shrine.
During the time of James I rule England's' parliament
was dealing with the Catholic influences in its society in much
the same way as Ieyasu was dealing with the influences of Catholic
Priests and missionaries in his own country. Both came to regard
the priesthood of the Catholic Church as a fifth column of Spanish
influence in their countries and sought to eliminate the possibility
of its success by suppressing the effectiveness of catholic influences
in their individual countries.
Ieyasu would begin to actively aswage the influences
of the Catholic Faith in his country by direct intervention and
the wholesale persecution of the Christian influences in Japan.
Ieyasu would promote his own diefication and create the Tokugawa
dynasty that would last another 250 years throught he end of the
Edo period.
In England the the movement against the Catholic
influences would take the form of the Puritians removing Charles
I from rule and trying him for treason against his countrymen and
substituting a parlimentary government under Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell's
poliical and military campaigns would effectively unite the United
Kingdom for the first time in its history.
Although James I advocated the concept of "The
Divine rule of Kings" and published his own treatise on the
concept by the end of James I rule in England the differences between
the effects of the protestant reformation and the Catholic Church
were more than apparent, entirely new concepts of an individuals
personal responsibility and social rights were beginning to be formulated.
England's puritan movement, the protestant reformation
and Oliver Cromwell effectively removed the concept of "The
Divine Right of Kings" by putting Charles I (James I son) on
trial for high treason against his own countrymen.
James I, pushed for the concept of the divine rule of Kings
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Anne of Denmark Queen Consort of James I of England and mother
of Charles I of England
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An English Sea Captain and Privateer of the time Sir John
Hawkins |
Japan on the other hand chose rule
by a rural elite buddy system organized around Ieaysu's personal
inner circle while England reorganized its government around the
new ideals of free trade in commerce, humanism and scientific
thinking. England through the Puritan movement deposed the concept
of "The Divine Rule of Kings" and established a constitutional
government ruled by a parliament. This concept was to be carried
to America by these same Puritans and the concept of Constitutional
Government run by elected officials of the people was to become
the cornerstone of the American political system.
With the arrival of William Adams
to Japan in 1600 and the assumption his advisory relationship
with Ieyasu the body politic of the European Community became
a topic of discussion between the two men. Adams favor with Ieyasu
was in part because of his unique perspective and his willingness
to reveal this information to the Japanese ruler.
When John Saris showed up to negotiate
trade agreements with Japan for The English East India Company
Ieyasu already knew who to send his correspondence to and the
two rulers would begin their personal relationship conducted through
letters sent by couriers transporting the documents and gifts
between the two rulers.
Besides the written correspondence
on a personal level there were items of interest still in existence
today in both England and Japan that changed hands during these
political processes. Suits of armor were exchanged and James I
sent a clock to Ieyasu that was built in Spain in 1581 which had
found its way to into his possession during his political exchanges
with Spain. These items are prime examples and remain a testimony
of the beginnings of the globalization of trade that has continued
to create significant changes in both directions to this day.
17th Century Japanese painting
showing Nanbam influences in Japan |
Tokugawa Ieyasu's statue at the Toshogu Shrine built in
1617 as the mausoleum of the Tokugawa Ieyasu |
17th Century Japanese byobu ( folding screen ) showing
Nanbam arrivals in Japan
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To
assist in putting Kanayama's art objects into historical Context
See:
The
life and times of St. Francis Xavier, 1512- 1552
Page: 1
Xavier
meets Otomo Sorin the King of Bungo,1550
Page: 2
William Adams arrives in Japan, 1600
Page: 3
The
Epic Journey of Hasekura Tsunenaga, 1613-1620
Page: 4
James I king of England (1603-1625) and his personal
correspondence with Tokugawa Ieyasu Shogun of Japan ( 1600-1616)
Page: 5
The life and times of Hosokawa Sansai.
(1564
- 1645)
Page 6
This Page was co-authored
by Chester Comstock in co-operation with Kanayama, For additional
information on Kanayama and his collection of Japanese Antiquities
from the 16th and 17th Centuries see Kanayama
Discusses Sukashi Tsuba.
Chester Comstock is the Publisher and Editor of Artsales.com
and the founder and owner of
Comstock Sculpture Studio.
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