Abstract
Abstract This chapter examines the cultural translations and materiality that underlay the early modern Japanese acceptance of Christianity, which the Japanese recipients of this new faith developed into their own religious system, called Kirishitan. It emphasizes the agency of Japanese locals (both the elites and commoners) in this acceptance, and the specific historical and cultural settings in which it occurred. Within the process of cultural translation, non-written or non-textual translation played an important role, especially for commoners. For its Japanese recipients, Christianity was engaged with—sensed and felt—via specific materials, which included songs, performances and rituals, in addition to physical objects.