![]() In his 1982 novel, The Samurai, Shusaku Endo dramatized the exchange the Spanish missionaries made for such introductions, having a priest say: “In order to spread God’s teaching in Japan… there is only one possible method. But the samurai’s most pressing purpose was the establishment of trade links between Japan, New Spain (Mexico), and Europe. Sotelo and Hasekura made formal requests for more missionaries in Japan, delivering letters from from Hasekura’s lord, the daimyo of Sendai, to the King of Spain and Pope Paul V. He was accompanied by about 20 fellow countrymen - in all likelihood, the first Japanese to cross The Atlantic.” They set sail on a Japanese-built galleon - called Date Maru, then later San Juan Bautista by the Spanish. “The expedition spent seven years traveling one-third of the globe,” notes PBS in a description of “A Samurai in the Vatican,” an episode of Secrets of the Dead. “Seven years before the Mayflower headed to the New World,” Marcel Theroux writes at The Guardian, Hasekura “crossed the Pacific, traveled overland through Mexico, then sailed all the way to Europe. Stripped of lands and title, Hasekura could only avoid the same fate by going West, and so he did, just a few years before the period of sakoku, or national isolation, began in Japan. Traveling with Spanish missionary Luis Sotelo, Hasekura embarked from the small Japanese port of Tsukinoura in 1613 and first reached Cape Mendocino in California, then part of New Spain. In 1612, Hasekura’s father was made to commit seppuku after an indictment for corruption. His mission to the West, however, was first and foremost a chance to redeem his honor and save his life. Hasekura was a battle-tested samurai who had acted on the daimyo‘s behalf on many occasions. “He circumnavigated the globe, became part of the first Japanese group in Cuba, met the Pope, helped begin a branch of Japanese settlers in Spain (still thriving today), and even became a Roman citizen.” Sent on a mission to Europe and America by his feudal lord, Date Masumune, Hasekura “set off on a quest to earn riches and spiritual guidance,” Andrew Milne writes at All that’s Interesting. Rarely, if ever, do we hear about visitors from the East to the West, especially those as well-traveled as 17th-century samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga. We learn about intrepid Europeans who sought, and sometimes even found, trade and missionary routes to China and Japan during the centuries of exploration and empire. (Hint for those whose time is short: we’ve saved the best for last.) In my opinion, at least one of them merits a firm rap on the knuckles from Maestro Sondheim for excessive wallowing. Those who are more director than diva may prefer to evaluate the performances below. If you need further inspiration, watch Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night, on which A Little Night Music is based. The song’s uncharacteristically short phrasing allowed her to shine as an actress, and deflected from any vocal shortcomings. Those of us who can’t sing can take heart knowing that the original Desiree, Glynis Johns, couldn’t either, at least by the master’s usual standards. See what you can do with Sondheim’s advice next time you’re singing in the shower, the only place private enough for me to believe I’m doing credit to his oeuvre. Her adjustments show the dividends a close reading of the text can pay. She’s a couple of decades too young to play Desiree, whose unsuccessful attempt to woo an old lover away from his teenage bride occasions the song, but no matter. His approach to musical theater continues to be exacting, no doubt nerve wracking, though the Guildhall School of Music and Drama student he’s fine-tuning in the video above bears up bravely. More tracks like Empire State Of Mind (feat.It’s misinterpretations like these that set composers spinning in their graves, but Sondheim is still very much in the game.Playlists containing Empire State Of Mind (feat.Users who reposted Empire State Of Mind (feat. ![]()
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