Is a Christian Shogunate Possible?

[MNP]

Christianity initially grew rather fast in Japan, but eventually became seen as a threat because leaders thought it would prove a vehicle for foreign domination. The Protestant European states liked to hint at this because of inter-European rivalries, there was infighting among the Christian orders for dominance, and the Catholic powers in the region were pushing for expanded power. I don't think this is inevitable--Christian clans would have no reason to put themselves under political domination of outside powers any more than non-Christian ones if they were on top.

Is it theoretically possible for a Christian clan through military prowess and standing up for Japan as an independent Christian nation to form a Shogunate in a different outcome to the warring states period?

What do you think are consequences of a Japan where autonomous Christianity has strong backing?

Note: This question was inspired by Shogun 2, but now I'm also wondering if it's possible in my own TL...

 

[Hierophant]

I played a Christian campaign as the far southern faction. After i captured the black ship, between it an my fleets of Nanban "trading" ships i dominated the seas. i used the master fletchers to build all my matchlock an cannon units increasing accuracy to ridiculous levels.
I would focus my cannons on front rank middle units so the cannonballs could cobtibue to roll through the rest of the army or focus all cannon fire on the generals. More than one daimyo died from cannon ball.

 

[Dragos Cel Mare]

Will something like Gallicanism be possible?

 

[MNP]

Will something like Gallicanism be possible?

Considering the distances involved, if Japan was be ruled by a Roman Catholic shogunate and it takes over the spreading of the faith I think the papacy could be satisfied with that turn of events. If not well, I doubt much can be done about it.

But we might be getting ahead of ourselves here.

 

[Snake Featherston]

No, not really. It would be an additional, potentially revolutionary change that the Bafukus don't need. Their claim to power was being able to beat up all the other Daimyos, so why risk something like Christianity that could completely alter the entire system under which the whole thing functions?

 

[Popvox]

Oda Nobunga attempted to christianize Japan initially. Whilst not quite becoming Shogun he certainly controlled most of Japan. I guess he'd be your best bet for a PoD

As for the effects, well it depends on the strand/who's doing the christianising. Some Japanese christians were very much moderrate and attempted to fuse christianity with shinto and buddhist teachings (buddhism wasn't really a relgion in japan at the time - more a philosophy, similar to confucianism in China). Others were more radical, Oda Nobunga, for example killed thousands of Buddhists monks, although he later reversed his decision and began attacking christians (probably more for the sake of political stability than anything else). Religion in Japan, as a rule, just isn't the big deal it is in "Abrahamic" areas. I could see a more moderate Nobunga managing to christianize large swathes of Japan, although the Christianity practised would almost ceratinly contain some references/traditions from shintoism that would be unnacceptable to missionaries. Wheteher Oda Nobungfa would have pursued such a policy, I have no idea, I'm not that well read on his personal qualities.

 

[MNP]

No, not really. It would be an additional, potentially revolutionary change that the Bafukus don't need. Their claim to power was being able to beat up all the other Daimyos, so why risk something like Christianity that could completely alter the entire system under which the whole thing functions?

Point taken. Any Christian daimyo that might actually become Shogun might return to more conventional beliefs in order to grab the prize. There might also be problems with the view towards the emperor and what position they'd have in a Christian Japan.

That said, "ass kicking equals authority" was pretty universal even in the Christian world. If one basis for the new shogunate's power was Christianity they could have potential for loyalty among the Christian subjects crossing existing political boundaries when backed up by their position. You'd need someone more daring and unconventional to do it, but Sengoku Jidai already lead to major social changes. There's an opening for a reordering of society depending on the PoD (for instance of the period continues without a clear winner for longer).

I concede it might not be possible, though not all the daimyos had the same attitude as Tokugawa Ieyasu.

 

[scholar]

There were many Christian Daimyos and hundreds of thousands of new converts coming in every few years in Japan. In just the space of a hundred years Christian Daimyos and the faith was threatening enough to the stability of the Tokugawa Shogunate (largely because most Christian Daimyo fought for the Toyotomi) that the religion was banned. Even so Christians continued to practice their faith until well after the Edo Shogunate ended. Its not impossible, its not even extremely unlikely, it requires the west (Toyotomi) to win the civil war and in time this could lead to a mostly Christian Japan.