1. Becoming a Christian is up to the will of the individual.

2. It is a serious matter if the temples, hermitages, and peasants within the lands and territories granted as stipends are forcibly coerced into converting to Christianity when they have no inclination to do so; this is an unreasonable and serious offense.

3. The administrative assignment of provinces or districts is a temporary matter; although the retainers who receive the assignments may change, the peasants in that land do not; if any injustice takes place, the retainers will be held accountable, so please act accordingly.

4. Those with assets of 200 cho (approx. 200 acres) or more, or with an income of 3,000 kan (an amount of rice that served as income) or more must obtain approval of the government authorities before converting to Christianity.

5. Those granted less land or income than above remain subject to the rules of eight or nine Buddhist sects, and can discuss it individually with their daimyo (lords).

6. It has been said that the Christian followers are more troublesome than the Ikko Pure Land Buddhism sect. The Ikko sect established autonomous temple settlements (i.e., tax-exempt communities) in various provinces and districts, then refused to pay their annual land tax to the daimyo. All of Kaga Province became adherents of the Ikko, drove out Daimyo Togashi, and then placed Ikko priests in control of the fiefdom. They also seized control of Echizen Province. There is no concealing the fact that this poses a threat to the entire country.

7. The Honganji (Pure Land Buddhism) followers and priests were given permission to establish temples in Tenma (in Osaka), but they were not allowed to conduct affairs within the grounds as they had before.

8. It is even more unacceptable for any daimyo who govern provinces, districts, or territories to force their retainers to convert to Christianity than it is to let Honganji followers establish autonomous settlements linked to temples, as they will cause disruptions throughout the country. Therefore, anyone who lacks discretion in this matter will be punished.

9. That the intentions of the Christians are gradually becoming more aligned with the lower classes is not a problem, as that is the same as the smaller Buddhist sects.

10. The selling of Chinese, Southern foreigners, Koreans, and Japanese is a serious offense and therefore the buying and selling of people in Japan is prohibited.

11. The buying, selling, killing and eating of horses and cattle is permitted.

The above matters are to be followed to the letter, and those who commit any offenses will be punished severely.

6^th month, 18^th day of the 15^th year of Tensho (Red seal stamp)

The Expulsion Edict, 1587

1. Japan is a divine country, and it is utterly unacceptable to receive heretical teachings from Christian countries.

2. Approaching people in the territories, forcing them to become followers, and then having them destroy Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples is an unprecedented act. The granting of land or territories in the provinces and districts to a retainer is only a temporary assignment. It is expected that all matters should be conducted in accordance with the laws issued by the central government, and it is unacceptable for those of a lower rank to engage in such reckless behavior.

3. Since the Christian missionaries, using cunning methods, are thought to be converting people to their faith in secret, and since this would disrupt the Buddhist teachings of Japan as discussed above, Christian missionaries are no longer allowed to remain in Japan. Therefore, they must prepare to return to their country within twenty days from today. During this time, if any peasant makes an unwarranted accusation against the missionaries, it shall be considered a serious offence.

4. The matter with the Black Ships (western ships) concerns trade and is a separate matter. We should (continue to) buy and sell various goods over time.

5. In the future, those who do not impede the Buddhist faith, regardless if they are merchants or not, will be permitted to travel to Chirstian countries without any difficulty. Thank you for your understanding.

6^th month, 19^th day, 15^th year of Tensho (Red Seal)

Articles concerning Nagasaki

1. The departure of Japanese ships to foreign countries is strictly prohibited.

2. Japanese people shall not travel to foreign countries. If anyone secretly travels abroad, that person shall be sentenced to death, and the ship and its owner shall be detained and reported.

3. Any Japanese person who has resided in a foreign country and returns to Japan shall be sentenced to death.

4. In places where Christians are found to exist, two magistrates shall be sent to conduct an investigation.

5. Rewards for reporting Christians: Any informant reporting on high-ranking Christians will be given one hundred pieces of silver; for others of lower rank, the reward shall be determined according to their loyalty.

6. If there are any complaints about foreign ships, they must be reported to Edo; for matters regarding any patrol ships, they should be reported to the Omura domain as before.

7. Any foreign converts to Christianity or other persons of ill repute shall be confined in the Omura prison as before.

8. Thorough investigations will be conducted for any Christians on board any ship.

9. The purchasing of all goods in one place is prohibited.

10. Samurai are prohibited from directly purchasing cargo from any foreign ships of Chinese merchants in Nagasaki.

11. Even before a reply is received from Edo regarding the manifest of a foreign ship’s cargo, business shall be conducted as before.

12. As for imported raw silk on foreign ships, pricing shall be set, and it shall be distributed among the five designated locations (Edo, Kyoto, Osaka, Sakai, and Nagasaki) and other places as specified in the documents.

13. Regarding other goods besides raw silk, after determining the price of the raw silk, trade shall be conducted by mutual agreement. However, if the Chinese ship is a small vessel, an estimate should be made and reported. Furthermore, after the amount of silver for the cargo is determined, payment shall be made within twenty days.

14. Foreign ships must depart by the twentieth of the ninth month. For any ship that arrives later, the transaction deadline must be complete within fifty days upon arrival. Chinese ships should be made to depart after the departure of the Portuguese ships.

15. The practice of leaving unsold cargo from foreign ships in storage, or accepting such cargo for storage, is prohibited.

16. The representatives of merchants from the five designated locations (Edo, Kyoto, Osaka, Sakai, Nagasaki) must arrive in Nagasaki by the fifth of the seventh month; those who arrive later shall be excluded from the distribution.

17. Ships entering the port of Hirado shall also abide by the silk prices set in Nagasaki; Transactions are prohibited prior to the determination of silk prices in Nagasaki.

The above provisions must be observed. Let this document serve as notification.