Nation's oldest Christian tombstone is unearthed

OSAKA -- A Christian tombstone that dates back to 1581, making it the oldest found in Japan, has been unearthed in Osaka Prefecture, where it was believed buried to prevent persecution, local board of education officials said.

The tombstone, discovered in the city of Shijonawate, is believed to be that of Tawara Tsushimanokami, a local 16th century warlord.

Tawara was identified by his Christian name, which was written in kanji and pronounced "Reiman." The name, along with characters referring to the year 1581 and a Greek letter, and a symbol of the cross, were engraved on the tombstone. No other remains were found.

The headstone is shaped like a "shogi" (Japanese chess) piece, and measures 44 by 26 cm. The find predates by one year a Christian tombstone found in Yao, also in Osaka Prefecture, that dates to 1582.

Unearthed from the remains of the Tawara family temple, the tombstone was believed buried to hide it because the Tokugawa shogunate banned Christianity in 1613. Tawara was baptized around 1564, the officials said.

In an epistle stored at a Rome-based archive for Christian articles, Luis Frois (1532-1597), a Jesuit missionary from Portugal, wrote that Tawara had paid his respects to warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582).

Nobunaga, known as the prime mover who almost unified Japan after 100 years of strife, was believed to have been sympathetic toward the missionaries.

Christianity was introduced to Japan in 1549 by Spanish Jesuit missionary Francisco Xavier. Jesuits propagated Roman Catholicism outside Europe to counter the Reformation by the Protestants.