Yajiro

　　I'm going to write about a Japanese guy called Yajiro who had lived in 16th century in Malacca. To start off, let me explain the historical background of Japan. During the nearly three centuries of the isolation policy, Japan had rejected diplomatic ties with other countries other than the Netherlands. When Japan was forced to open its ports toward the U.S. in 19th Century, how did they go about getting interpreters? Actually, Japan and the U.S. talked through the Dutch, but there were a few Japanese who were able to understand English.
　　Mr. Manjiro Nakahama, a 14-year-old Japanese fisherman, met with a storm in the Pacific Ocean and was rescued by an American whaler. He was taken to the U.S. and was educated there supported by the captain of the whaler. Finally he came back after 10 years. It was 2 years before the arrival of Commodore Perry, who threatened Japan to open the nation. Naturally, Mr. Nakahama worked hard as one of the interpreters. About other interpreters, I wrote in this entry(link).
　　Now, let's date back 300 years to the period of Yajiro.
　　It was St. Francisco Xavier who first spread the doctrine of Christianity to Japan in 16th Century. How was he able to communicate with Japanese people? When I dropped in at Rishiri Island on the way to Karafuto Island and knew about Ronald MacDonald, such a question came up. Additionally, why did he come over to Japan? The key to solving these questions was in Malacca.
　　Yes, it's Yajiro, who is hardly known in Japan and his life is still shrouded in mystery. The historians only know about his action of the 2, 3 years while he attended St. Francisco Xavier. I assume that he should have been a pirate, taking into account that he was able to freely move between Japan and Malacca in those days.
　　After his mission in southeast Asian countries, Xavier came back to Malacca in December 1547, and met Yajiro. It's a mystery why he was in Malacca then and what he was doing there. Anyway, Xavier saw Japan through him, and discovered the conscientiousness of Japanese. It is said that the encounter with Yajiro became his motivation to do his mission in Japan. Yajiro would have possessed excellent scholarship and linguistic ability.
　　I wanted to look for some information on him in Malacca, but I wasn't able to visit any archives. I just took pictures of his statue for my consolation, which stood in the yard of the Church of St. Francisco Xavier. It was actually prohibited to step in the yard, but I was permitted by asking a person through the fence who happened to come out of the church. Look at the picture. The left statue is Yajiro and the right one is Xavier.
　　This church was out of our regulation tour route and I asked my tour guide and other tour members to give me 15 minutes for this church. I had to do a jog between the church and the Dutch Square, and I wasn't able to talk with the priest enough who allowed me in. I just said, "Thank you".
　　When I talked about Yajiro to my guide, he told me that he had once guided a researcher of Yajiro from Japan. I apparently was the second Japanese who asked him about Yajiro. Hearing some comments from him, I was surprised again at his knowledge on Japan's history. To tell the truth, an hour later, something really astonished me. Wait for the following entries.

(Vocabulary)
be shrouded/veiled in mystery　 謎に包まれている