Introduction
With the opening of the country at the end of the Edo period and through the Meiji Restoration, Japanese society was literally opened to the world. Many “windows” were created in the society that had previously been closed. Through the “windows” of politics and the economy, modern legal systems and scientific technologies were introduced. Through the “windows” of scholarship and the arts, foreign teachers came, and Japanese students went abroad, giving rise to modern learning of Western style and new forms of artistic expression.
Amid these developments, Catholicism also became a distinctive “window.” Through it, many people came and went, bringing new ideas into Japanese society while also giving fresh impacts on the international community.
This special exhibition, “Catholicism as an Open Window to Japanese Society,” shows four “windows”: (1) “The Impact of the Discovery of Hidden Christians,” (2) “The Vocation to be a Sister,” (3) “The Fruits of Catholic Education,” and (4) “Hope Amid Suffering.” Through these perspectives, it sheds light on how Japan and the wider world encountered each other, what kinds of human exchanges emerged, and how these interactions shaped society.