The history of the encounter between the West and Japan in the sixteenth century is full of fascinating episodes in which seemingly mundane objects take on extraordinary meanings. One such memorable moment occurred in 1551, when the Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier presented the powerful daimyo Ōtomo Sōrin with a European mechanical clock—an act charged with symbolism, strategy, and technological innovation.
The Context
In 1543, the Portuguese arrived on the island of Tanegashima , and introduced the first European firearms and objects into the Japanese archipelago. This event is documented in several Jesuit sources and in Japanese chronicles, and has been studied by Charles R. Boxer in The Christian Century in Japan (1951) and by Jorge Santos Alves in Nagasaki, 1550–1650 .
A few years later, in 1549 , Saint Francis Xavier landed in Kagoshima with the aim of evangelizing Japan. Their initial mission was difficult, but the missionaries quickly realized that, in order to be accepted, they would need to win the sympathy of the daimyos (大名) — local feudal lords.
Ōtomo Sōrin: Christian Daimyō and Lord of Funai
Ōtomo Sōrin, lord of Bungo province , was one of the first daimyos to welcome Christian missionaries. He is also a figure studied by Michael Cooper in They Came to Japan (1965), where his role as protector of the missions is highlighted. It is known that he maintained close contact with the Jesuits and later converted to Christianity under the name of Dom Francisco .
It was in this context that, in 1551 , Francis Xavier offered him a European mechanical watch . The existence of this episode is mentioned in the work of Luís Fróis , História de Japam (16th century manuscript), which narrates in detail the first years of the mission in the archipelago. The Annual Letters of the Society of Jesus (particularly that of 1552) also allude to the impact of the gift.
The Clock as an Object of Wonder
In sixteenth-century Europe, mechanical clocks were objects of high prestige, produced by master clockmakers in cities such as Augsburg or Nuremberg. They were, according to Cooper (1965, p. 88) , “technological marvels” and were often used as diplomatic gifts.
Luís Fróis ’ account describes the daimyo’s astonishment at the automatic functioning of the mechanism, and the way in which the Japanese referred to the clock as a “divine” instrument. This fascination with the autonomous functioning of Western mechanisms is a recurring theme in the Jesuits’ descriptions.
A Strategic Gesture
The gift of a watch was not just an act of goodwill: it was a calculated diplomatic strategy . As Charles Boxer (1951, p. 95) explains , the Jesuits quickly understood that Western objects—especially precision instruments—could facilitate access to the feudal courts.
The offer had an effect: Ōtomo Sōrin authorized the construction of churches and the free preaching of missionaries in his province. Decades later, he would officially convert to Christianity, becoming a key figure in the so-called "Christendom of Japan".
Legacy
Although the watch offered by Xavier did not survive , its symbolic impact is undeniable. As Jorge Santos Alves (1994, p. 112) points out , this gesture represents the beginning of the long relationship between European technology and Japanese curiosity, particularly in the field of watchmaking.
In the years that followed, Japanese craftsmen began to build their own mechanical clocks, the wadokei , adapting the European system to traditional Japanese timekeeping. This transition is documented in studies of the history of Japanese technology, such as those published by the Seiko Museum in Tokyo.
Sources used:
Frois, Louis. History of Japan (manuscript, c. 1583–1597).
Boxer, Charles R. The Christian Century in Japan 1549–1650 . University of California Press, 1951.
Cooper, Michael. They Came to Japan: An Anthology of European Reports on Japan, 1543–1640 . University of California Press, 1965.
Alves, Jorge Santos. Nagasaki, 1550–1650: The Portuguese Era in Japan . Lisbon: Vega, 1994.
Society of Jesus. Annual Letters from Japan and China (16th century, various critical editions).
Seiko Museum Ginza – Documentation on wadokei and Western influence on Japanese watchmaking.
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