opagandists. But the shogun extended his protection to
Vilela, by issuing a decree which made it a capital punishment to
injure the missionaries or obstruct their work. The times, however,
were very troublous, so that Vilela and his fellow workers had to
encounter much difficulty and no little danger. Nothing, however,
damped their ardour, and five years after their arrival in Kyoto they
had not only obtained many converts but had organized churches in
five towns within a radius of fifty miles from the capital. Two
incidents may be specially mentioned illustrating the loyal spirit
with which the Japanese of that time approached controversy. Among
Vilela's converts were two Buddhist priests who had been nominated
officially to investigate and report upon the novel doctrines, and
who, in the sequel of their investigation, openly embraced
Christianity though they had originally been vehemently opposed to
it. The second incident was the conversion of a petty feudatory,
Takayama, whose fief lay at Takatsuki in the vicinity of the capital.
He challenged Vilela to a public discussion of the merits of the two
creeds, and being vanquished, he frankly acknowledged his defeat,
adopted Christianity, and invited his vassals as well as his family
to follow his example. His son, Yusho, became one of the most loyal
supporters of Christianity in all Japan. He is the "Don Justo
Ukondono" of the Jesuits' annals.

NOBUNAGA AND CHRISTIANITY

At the time of Vilela's visit to Kyoto civil war was raging. It led
to the death of the shogun, Yoshiteru, and to the issue of an
Imperial decree proscribing Christianity, Vilela and his two comrades
were obliged to take refuge in the town of Sakai, and they remained
there during three years, when they were invited to an interview with
Oda Nobunaga, who, at this time, had risen almost to the pinnacle of
his immense power. Had Nobunaga shown himself hostile to
Christianity, the latter's fate in Japan would have been quickly
sealed; but not only was he a man of wide and liberal views, but also
he harboured a strong antipathy against the Buddhists, whose armed
interference in politics had caused him much embarrassment. He
welcomed Christianity largely as an opponent of Buddhism, and when
Takayama conducted Froez from Sakai to Nobunaga's presence, the
Jesuit received a cordial welcome. Thenceforth, during the fourteen
remaining years of his life, Nobunaga steadily befriended the
missionaries in particula