Evangelical Mission (1)
The Transmission of Christian Teachings through Print
Lithograph Supervised by Father de Rotz: “Salvation of the Soul in Purgatory”
Engraving Block for “Salvation of the Soul in Purgatory” (the former Latin Seminary)
Lithograph Supervised by Father de Rotz: “The Last Judgement and Resurrection of Humanity”
Lithograph Supervised by Father de Rotz: “Saint Mary” (the former Latin Seminary)
Like the Jesuits, who had established a Gutenberg press in late sixteenth-century Japan, missionaries such as Bernard Petitjean (1829–1884) and Marc Marie de Rotz (1840–1914) understood the importance of print in the propagation of religion. Like their Jesuit predecessors, they sought to educate the people of Nagasaki about Christianity with the help of books and images. De Rotz had studied printing technology in France and was sent to Oura Church in 1868 to start a printing office there. The moralizing publications of the Oura printing office were produced in easy to understand texts, making them accessible to many people. Their purpose was to transmit basic Christian knowledge and help people memorize prayers, while the images served as instructional materials to explain the Christian doctrine.