Jesuits and Western Clock in Japan's "christian Century" (1549-c.1650)

Abstract

This paper explores how the Jesuits in Japan’s “Christian Century (1549-c.1650)” used Western mechanical clocks in missionary activities and how this new technology was received and transformed in the country. Sources show that it was a common practice for the missionaries to present clocks as unusual gifts to gain access to the ruling class. This policy eventually led to the production of mechanical clocks by local craftsmen by around 1600. Although Christianity was strictly prohibited after 1614, the technology survived and found its way into the secular world.