Japanese hymnody

Japanese Hymnody. The Legacy of Roman Catholic Missionaries. The Dawn of Christian hymnody in Japan goes back to 1549 when the Jesuit priest St Francis Xavier* came to Kagoshima to teach Christianity: there is some evidence that the Mass was celebrated with music in the next decade. Music was one of the major emphases in seminary education, and the students celebrated Mass every Sunday with plainchant accompanied by the organ, cravo, viola, and other string instruments. The political leaders of that time protected and helped to develop Christianity, not necessarily for the sake of the Christian faith, but because of the international business that missionaries brought from their countries,...