Portuguese Missionaries in Samurai Japan | Assassin's Creed Shadows Explained

Amid the war-torn Japan of Assassin's Creed Shadows, the arrival of Portuguese traders from Europe ignited political intrigue throughout a samurai nation in chaos. When Jesuit missionaries began to convert samurai warlords from Shintoism and Buddhism to Christianity, the new technologies - guns and steel armour - brought by Portuguese merchants combined with the new faith of Rome to give these humble priests a political influence that made them a new faction in the Sengoku era wars. Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Fredrick Cryns, historical advisor on the hit TV show Shogun, to uncover how a 1543 landing on the Japanese Isle of Tanegashima sparked half a century of religious transformation and manipulation of warring political ambitions, leaving a lasting and estranged impact on samurai warfare and society. SUBSCRIBE - https://bit.ly/ACEoHsub ---------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Matt Lewis! • Facebook -   / mattlewisauthor   • Twitter - https://x.com/mattlewisauthor • Instagram -   / mattlewishistory   • History Blog - https://mattlewisauthor.wordpress.com... -------------------------------------------------------------------- About Assassin's Creed - Echoes of History: Echoes of History is a Ubisoft series brought to you by History Hit. Listen to the full episodes here: https://lnkfi.re/1YFL0t Hosted by: Matt Lewis Edited by: Blu Posner Produced by: Robin McConnell Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett ---------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us!   / historyhit     / assassinscreed   https://x.com/historyhit https://x.com/assassinscreed ---------------------------------------------------------------- Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at [email protected] 00:00 - Introduction 00:46 - Japan's first contact with Europeans 03:31 - Why did Jesuits go to Japan? 07:43 - What did the Japanese think of Europeans? 15:37 - Who were the key Christian players? 19:44 - Did European influence change Japan? 23:23 - How the Jesuits converted the Japanese 26:30 - Did samurai warlords convert to Christianity? 28:10 - Christians vs Buddhists 29:45 - Why was Christianity banned in Japan? #assassinscreed #history #samurai