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All Italy Civitavecchia Hasekura Tsunenaga Statue

Hasekura Tsunenaga Statue

Why does this Italian coastal city have a statue of a 17th-century samurai?

Civitavecchia, Italy

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castef76
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The Tsunenaga Statue in Civitavecchia   Croquemort Nestor / CC BY-SA 4.0
The Tsunenaga Statue in Civitavecchia   Croquemort Nestor / CC BY-SA 4.0
The Tsunenaga Statue in Civitavecchia (November 2022)   castef76 / Atlas Obscura User
A portrait of Hasekura Tsunenaga in Rome, circa 1615   Archita Ricci
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About

Civitavecchia is an Italian harbor founded around the year 100. In its long history, it has hosted many important and well-known people, including many not of Italian origin. Walk along Corso Guglielmo Marconi and you may find yourself in front of a small corner with the bronze statue of a samurai.

He is Hasekura Tsunenaga, a 17th-century Kirishitan Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyō of Sendai. In 1613, Hasekura set sail from the Japanese port of Tsukinoura. Accompanied by about 20 companions, he crossed the Pacific, traveled through Mexico, then sailed across the Atlantic to Europe. They visited Spain and France before traveling to Rome for an audience with Pope Paul V. 

Though Hasekura did not spend much time in Civitavecchia, the city wanted to remember its illustrious Japanese visitor by building a monument to him. It is easily visitable with a five-minute walk from the city's beautiful promenade.

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Explorers Samurai History Statues

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The statue is very well done and atypical for an Italian location, the character history is very interesting and unique, worth reading.

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Added By

castef76

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

June 13, 2024

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Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/jun/07/hasekura-rokuemon-tsunenaga-japan-samurai-charmed-courts-europe
  • https://www.japanbyweb.com/hasekura-tsunenaga-a-christian-samurai/
  • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_Hasekura_Tsunenaga_Civitavecchia.jpg
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasekura_Tsunenaga
Hasekura Tsunenaga Statue
69 Corso Guglielmo Marconi
Civitavecchia, 00053
Italy
42.094188, 11.790313
Get Directions

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Civitavecchia

Civitavecchia

Italy

Places 3

Nearby Places

Fort Michelangelo

Civitavecchia, Italy

miles away

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miles away

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miles away

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Photo of Civitavecchia

Civitavecchia

Italy

Places 3

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