Vasco da Gama cross around the Cape of Good Hope, and arrives to India

Francis Xavier is born Born in Navara

Portugal occupation Malacca

Portuguese fleet reaches Ternate in Moluccas Islands

The Spaniard Balboa discovers the Pacific

Portuguese occupy Hormuz in the Persian Sea

Pope Paul III publishes the encyclical letter Sublimus Dei, stating the human rights of American Indians

St. Ignatius and companions found the Society of Jesus in Paris

Gerhardus Mercator (1512-94) publishes the Typus Orbis Terrarum, first World Map to include Japan.

The first Portuguese Chinese junk drift down to Tanegashima. Firearms are introduced to Japan.

The first Jesuit Missionaries, Xavier, Torres and Fernandez arrive in Kagoshima. Bernardo is baptized.

Xavier arrives at Goa. From Goa he leaves for China and in November dies of illness in Sancian. Father Gago arrives to Funai

Portuguese Merchant (then Jesuit) Luis de Almeida opens a Child Care Board in Funai.

The Portuguese are allowed to reside in Macao by the Ming government. The first Japanese to reach Europe, Bernardo,sj dies in Portugal.

Vilela starts preaching in Kyoto

Shogun (General) Ashikaga Yoshiteru, issues warrant to Vilela

Huguenot war begins in France (till 1598)

Omura Sumitada, lord of Hizen, Takayama Dario, lord of Higa convert to Christianity. Yokoseura is given to the Jesuis, but burns soon after.

Takayama Ukon converts to Christianity.

Organtino and Cabral arrive to Japan. Torres and the lord of Omura start talks about opening the new port of Nagasaki

Omura Sumitada and Torres open Nagasaki Port. The first Portuguese ship arrives to Nagasaki

Nobunaga gives audience to Cabral in Gifu Castle

A Jesuit Church (Nanbanji) is built in Kyoto. Nobunaga builds Azuchi Castle (finished in 1579)

Visitator Valignano arrives to Japan

Nobunaga gives audience to Valignano in the temple Honnoji.

The Four Japanese Envoys (Mancio Ito, Miguel Chijiwa, Martin Hara, Julian Nakaura) and Valignano leave Nagasaki. Nobunaga is killed in the Honnoji Rebellion

The Four Japanese Envoys meet Pope Gregory XIII, who dies soon. They take part in the Enthorinzation of the new Pope, Sixtus V

Hideyoshi gives Fr. Coelho land close to Osaka Castle

The Envoys arrived in Goa from Lisbon with Mezquita. Omura Sumitada and Otomo Sorin die. Hideyoshi issues the first Christian Prohibition Edict (1587 July 24, 2007).

The Pope established the first Diocese in Japan.  Gracia Hosokawa converts to Christianity.

Valignano Mesquita arrived in Nagasaki with the Envoys. Sande publishes Japan's envoy dialogue, issued in Macao

Hideyoshi presses the Philippines requesting submission.  Christian Books by press printing start.

Governor-General Juan Cobo,OFM arrives from The Philippines, has audience with Hideyoshi in Hizen Nagoya Castle

Hideyoshi gives audience to Fr. Peter Baptist,OFM (as ambassador from the the Philippine Governor) at  Nagoya Castle. Fr. Cespedes and Hankan are sent as chaplains of the Yukinaga Konishi's soldiers sent to Korea.

Bishop Pedro Martins meets Hideyoshi in Fushimi Castle. The Ship Saint Felipe from Spain drift and get stranded in Urado (Shikoku)

Difficult negotiations on the issue of the San Felipe. Hideyoshi orders the execution of 26 Christians in Nagasaki (26 martyrs)

Hideyoshi dies in Fushimi Castle. Bishop Martins dies traveling near Malacca. Bishop Luis de Cerqueira arrives in Nagasaki with Valignano

Jeronimo de Jesus O.F.M. is allowed to build a church by Tokugawa Ieyasu in Edo (Tokyo)

Battle of Sekigahara (the Tokugawa family gets control of Japan). Death of Gracia Hosokawa.

Mateo Ricci Arrives to Beijing.

Takeda Family martyred in Yatsushiro. (Beatified 2008)

The Tokugawa Shogunate published an edict to control the trade in raw silk yarn. Ieyasu gives audience in Fushimi Castle to Fr. MENA,OP (Dominican)

Clement VIII dies, followed by Pope Leo II (died 25 days later). Paul V is appointed

Ieyasu gives audience to Bishop Cerqueira in Fushimi Castle

Fr. Pasio,SJ visits Ieyasu in Sumpu and the Shogun Hidetada in Edo

Officials from the vermilion-seal certificate sent Arima, and civil conflict that killed 53 people in Macao

The shogunate allows Dutch ships to enter the port of Hirado, opening a new (non-Catholic-Missionaries related) trade style.

Portuguese ship Nossa Senora da Graca strands off the coast of Nagasaki. Arima Harunobu is obliged to commit suicide (Okamoto Daihachi case), Don Rodrigo  and William Adams retur to Mexico.

Based on the case of bribery of Okamoto (Christian), the Bakufu enforce the persecution of Christianity

Eight Christians are executed in Edo. Date Masamune, lord of Sendai receives Baptism and sends Fr. Sotelo and Hasekura Tsunenaga as Envoys to the Pope.

Bakufu deportes missionaries and Christians from Japan. The churches in the city of Nagasaki are destroyed. Fr. Luis Niabara,SJ dies in a shipwrek

Takayama Ukon dies in Manila. Hasekura Tsunenaga receives Baptism in Madrid, meets Pope Paul V in Rome. Bl. Peter Kibe and others travel to Manila

Ieyasu's death. The shogunate restricts the foreign ships entrance to  Nagasaki and Hirado enforcing prohibition of Christianity. Hasekura Tsunenaga leaves Rome.

Pope Paul V sends letters addressed to Christians in Japan

Canonization of Xavier and Ignatius. Bl. Spinola, Sebastian and Leonardo Kimura's martyrdom. (Genna Great Martyrdom)

Bl. Peter Kibe goes to Goa from Lisbon. the Netherlands, the Japanese massacre the people in the United Kingdom ANPOINA

Bl. Diego Carvalho and other 41 are executed in Sendai and Akita. Four executions in Omura

Nagasaki Christian residents barred from the city

The Trampling Ceremony (Fumie) starts.（till 1858)

The 3 Jesuits (Paul Miki, John Goto, Jacob Kisai) among the 26 Martyrs are beatified.

Peter Kibe and Miguel Matsuda return to Japan from the island of Lupang (Philippines).

Under the direction of the Shogunate, Merchants build Dejima (artificial, trade-zone island) in Nagasaki (finished in1636)

The Shogunate expels 287 Japanese and mixed-race Christian people to Macao. Martyrdom of Bl. Diogo Yuuki in Osaka.

Shimabara Rebellion (ends in 1638. About 35.000 Christians die)

Bl. Peter Kibe's Martyrdom in Edo. The Shogunate bannes any Portuguese ships (complete isolation period begins)

A Portuguese Embassy from Macao arrives. The envoys are arrested, many of them martyred. Inoue Masashige assumes the role of main Christian enquirer

Fr. Rubino,SJ and other Ambassadors are executed.

Siqueira, Portuguese royal envoy reaches Nagasaki, but Japanese Government sends him back to Portugal

Period of national isolation.  No Jesuit missionary in Japan (in 1714, martyrdom of Fr. Sidotti, diocesan priest). Hidden Christianity Period

Russo-Japanese war.  Pope Pio XII requests from the Jesuits the establishment of a the Catholic University in Japan

Father Hoffman and companions start their work in Japan

Sophia University officially starts

Great Kanto Earthquake. Missionary Work started in Hiroshima

Rokko Junior High School established in Kobe

Eiko High School founded in Kamakura

Elizabeth College of Music founded in Hiroshima

St. Francis Xavier Memorial Cathedral in Yamaguchi Consecrated.

Rokko Catholic Church consecration in Kobe

Theological institute founded in Tokyo.  World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Hiroshima consecrated

Tanoura for founding membership in the Japanese school overseas

School founded in Hiroshima

The Jesuit Novitiate was founded in Hiroshima Nagatsuka

Vice Province of Japan promoted to Japanese Province

Foundation of the Twenty-six Martyrs Museum in Nagasaki

Sophia College in Hatano (Kanagawa) starts classes

Fukuoka Taisei School in Fukuoka entrusted to the Society