Tokugawa Ieyasu
Relations with Catholics

As Ōgosho, Ieyasu also supervised diplomatic affairs with the Netherlands, Spain, and England. Ieyasu chose to distance Japan from European influence starting in 1609, although the shogunate did still grant preferential trading rights to the Dutch East India Company and permitted them to maintain a "factory" for trading purposes.

From 1605 until his death, Ieyasu frequently consulted English shipwright and pilot, William Adams. Adams, a Protestant fluent in Japanese, assisted the shogunate in negotiating trading relations, but was cited by members of the competing Jesuit and Spanish-sponsored mendicant orders as an obstacle to improved relations between Ieyasu and the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1612, Nossa Senhora da Graça incident occurred at Nagasaki, where bugyō official of Sakai Hasegawa Fujihiro has trouble with Portuguese captain André Pessoa. The conflict between them increased as Pessoa and the merchants from Macau petitioned Ieyasu directly to complain about Hasegawa and Murayama Tōan, magistrate of Ieyasu. As the Jesuits learned of this affair, they were horrified when they found out about Pessoa's petition as they knew that Hasegawa's sister Onatsu was a favorite concubine of Ieyasu. Later, Pessoa ceased his decision as he learned the intrigue of shogunate. However, Fujihiro refused to forgive Pessoa's action to petition him. Fujihiro encouraged Arima Harunobu, who wanted to retaliate for the prior Macau incident, to petition Ieyasu for the capture of Pessoa and the seizure of a merchant ship. Ieyasu, who had entrusted Harunobu with the purchase of Agarwood, was initially concerned that a retaliatory act would cut off trade with Portuguese ships. Thus, the shogunate took lenient attitude to Pessoa, as Honda Masazumi, with authorization from Ieyasu, gave Pessoa's envoy written assurances that Japanese sailors would be forbidden to travel to Macau, and any who did could be handled according to Portuguese laws. However, later Ieyasu gave Harunobu permission after he guaranteed that Manila ships of Spanish merchants, who had a personal alliance with Portugal, would replenish the raw silk and other goods carried by Portuguese ships, and he also expected Dutch ships to continue arriving. Then ultimately Ieyasu gave authorization to Hasegawa and Arima Harunobu. After several days battle which resulted in death of Pessoa, the remaining Portuguese merchants and missionaries were naturally concerned about their fates, especially since Ieyasu had personally ordered their execution. Harunobu, as a Catholic daimyo, interceded on the behalf of the Jesuits. Ieyasu changed his decision, and eventually, the merchants were allowed to leave for Macau with their properties. However, Ieyasu's Jesuit translator João Rodrigues Tçuzu was replaced by William Adams. João Rodrigues then was expelled from Japan by Ieyasu.

In 1612, the Okamoto Daihachi incident occurred where Okamoto Daihachi (岡本大八, baptismal name Paulo), a Christian aide to the rōjū Honda Masazumi, and Arima Harunobu, were implicated in series of crimes such as bribery, conspiracy, forgery, and attempt to murder Hasegawa Fujihiro. Ieyasu angered when he heard that Catholic followers had gathered at Okamoto's execution to offer prayers and sing hymns.

in 1614, Ieyasu was sufficiently concerned about Spanish territorial ambitions that he signed a Christian Expulsion Edict. The edict banned the practice of Christianity and led to the expulsion of all foreign missionaries. Although some smaller Dutch trading operations remained in Nagasaki.
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