thumb|Historia de Iapam, manuscript page.|262px
thumb|262x262px|Plaque of Luís Fróis, Nagasaki - Japan
Luís Fróis (1532 – 8 July 1597) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and missionary who worked in Asia, most notably Japan, during the second half of the 16th century. As a Jesuit, he preached in Japan during the Sengoku period, meeting with Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He is famous for writing The First European Description of Japan and History of Japan.
Biography
Fróis was born in Lisbon in 1532. He was educated at the court of King João III of Portugal, where a close relative served as a scribe. At an early age, he started working for the Royal Secretary's office. In 1548, he joined the Jesuits traveling to Portuguese India to study at Saint Paul's College, Goa. He arrived in Goa on 4 September 1548.
Fróis became a priest and confessor in 1561 after completing his theological studies in Goa, where his talents for languages and writing were highly praised. On 6 June 1563, after spending several months in Macau, he arrived in Yokoseura, Japan.
Fróis wrote a book about the history and custom of Japan, titled Historia de Iapam ("History of Japan"). In it he gave details about the Jesuit mission in Japan and its most important figures. He described the destruction of Buddhist and Shinto temples as victories over the devil.
Legacy
Luís Fróis has a monument at the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and Monument in Nagasaki.
See also
- Francis Xavier
- Gaspar Vilela
- Francisco Cabral
- Alessandro Valignano
- List of Westerners who visited Japan before 1868