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Guillaume Courtet (1589-1637) was a French Dominican priest who has been described as the first Frenchman to have visited Japan.
Career
Courtet was born in Sérignan, near Béziers, in 1589 or 1590. In entered the orders in the city of Béziers, and then entered the Capucines in Toulouse.
Courtet was active in the diplomatic flied durinh the Thirty years war, and was remarked by the French statesman Richelieu.
In 1636, Guillaume Courtet, penetrated into Japan in clandestinity, with the objective of pursue Western efforts at developing Christianity in the country. He was accompanied by a Spanish friend named Miguel de Ozaraza.
Entering Japan was a very dangerous endeavour, as Christianity had been prohibited in the country since 1613. Courtet entered the country under the Spanish name Tomaso de Santo Domingo. He disembarked in Ishigaki-jima, but a few days later he was caught, and brought to Kagoshima and then Nagasaki.
He was tortured, so that he would apostize, and was submitted to the "Torture of the water", the "Torture of the alênes" (needles under the fingernails) and the hanging torture of Tsurushi. As he did not apostize, he was decapitated with his friends on September 29, 1637.
Guillaume Courtet became a saint on Octobre 18, 1987.
See also
Notes
References
- Polak, Christian (2001) Soie et Lumieres. L'Age d'or des échanges franco-japonais (des origines aux années 1950), 日仏交流の黄金期（江戸時代～１９５０年代）, (French and Japanese), Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie Française du Japon, Hachette Fujingaho.
External links
- Association of the fiends of Guillaume Courtet (French)
- Association of the fiends of Guillaume Courtet (English)