SUBINDO NO CÉU DO ORIENTE升華於東方的天空

The article "Rising in the Sky of the Orient" (升華於東方的天空) proposes an interpretive reading of the Luso-Jesuit presence in Japan as a process of cultural and religious "elevation," evidencing how martyrdom and missionary action became symbolic mediations between diverse universes. Drawing upon the iti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Review of Culture
Main Author: Jorge de Abreu Arrimar
Format: Articles
Published: Instituto Cultural de Macau 2016
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Online Access:https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40053/2279
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Summary:The article "Rising in the Sky of the Orient" (升華於東方的天空) proposes an interpretive reading of the Luso-Jesuit presence in Japan as a process of cultural and religious "elevation," evidencing how martyrdom and missionary action became symbolic mediations between diverse universes. Drawing upon the itinerary associated with the work and legacy of Father Benjamim Videira Pires, SJ, the author articulates the historiographical value of the sources (administrative records, imperial instructions, and testimonies linked to the "Martyred Embassy") with a reflection on the transition of ideas in contexts of conflict, coercion, and death. Methodologically, the text combines documentary analysis with a historical-cultural approach, situating the Macau–Japan episodes within the broader framework of the dynamics of the era: political decisions, financial management of the missions, criteria for selecting envoys, and strategies of symbolic survival. As main findings, it is highlighted that the persistence of the mission, despite prohibitions, produces lasting effects on memory and on the manner of narrating the inter-civilizational encounter; furthermore, martyrdom functions simultaneously as a political event and as a device for the circulation of meaning. It is concluded that the "ascent" to the Orient may be understood less as a linear triumph and more as a mutual transformation mediated by extreme risk, faith, and cultural reinterpretation.
ISSN:1682-1106