Abstract
Abstract The chapter reconstructs transnational relations between early modern Japan and England, through the translation of three texts written by Jesuits who, because of the persecution of Christianity in early seventeenth-century Japan, had relocated to Mexico, Manila, and Macao. The chapter unpicks how these texts travelled to Europe, and how they were then translated into English, before crossing the channel to England. I draw attention to how the Jesuit translators of these texts emphasized the similarities between Japan and England, in terms of the persecution and martyrdoms of Catholics in both countries in the early seventeenth century. I argue that translators thus became cultural transmitters, introducing Japan and the Japanese people to an English readership. Although the target readership of these texts were persecuted Catholics in England, our knowledge of collectors suggests that Anglican clergy and scholars also received copies of these texts.