Compendium Manualis Navarri (Japan,1597)
The Compendium Manualis Navarri is a rare book written by Petrus Giuvara. It was published in Japan by the Collegio Japonico de Societatis de Iesu in 1597 in the midst of a tempestuous context for Christianity. For unknown reasons the book is in the private collection of rare books from the Library of UST. Currently there is no other known copy in the world.
The controversy started when a japanese university began to be interested in the book approximately in the year 1998. This niponnese university established contact with the UST Library because they wanted to propose a deal: Requested that the book would be transferred to his collection. The answer was negative for Library Prefect’s part. Against the refusal, they proposed an exchange: two rare books for the Japanese incunabulum.
The book
There are 462 pages of text exclusive of index. Both text and index are incomplete. Part of the index is bound upside down. The book has been rebound in full vellum with rope ties. The margins have been cut, and the pages measure 4" x 6". It is badly worm-eaten and stained and is loose from the binding. Except for the wood-cut device on the title page, there are no initials or decorations. The printing is extremely poor, and the paper inferior in quality. Several early hands appear on the title page.
The famous Spanish jurist and theologian, Martin Azpilcueta, lived from 1491 to 1586. He is often referred to as “Navarus” in reference to the place of his birth. He was the uncle of St. Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary who he led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time (most notably in India, but also ventured into Japan, Borneo, the Moluccas). Navarus was a professor of canon law and taught in France, Spain, and Portugal. He was considered one of the most learned men of his day. The title page of the book at hand reads in part: “The Compendium of the Handbook of Navarrus compiled for the more convenient use of confessors and penitents, by the author, Pedro Givarra, theologian of the Society of Jesus”.
Pietro Alagona (1549-1624) was a philosopher and theologian. He published his first works under his mother’s name Givarra, and is best-known for this abridgement of Azpilcueta’s manual. In this form the work went through many editions and translations. The topics of the various chapters are: the precepts of the Decalogue, the precepts of the Church, the Sacraments, the seven mortal sins, the venial sins, confession, penitence, etc.
Why it is so important this book?
On the title page appears a wood cut of religious motif and the statement “In Collegio Japonico Societatis Jesu cum Facultate Ordinarii et Superiorum Anno 1597”. This takes us into the interesting history of the Jesuit missions in Japan.
Portuguese shipping arrived in Japan in 1543, and Catholic missionary activities in Japan began in earnest around 1549, performed in the main by Portuguese-sponsored Jesuits until Spanish-sponsored Franciscans and Dominicans gained access to Japan. Of the 95 Jesuits who worked in Japan up to 1600, 57 were Portuguese, 20 were Spaniards and 18 Italian. Francisco Xavier and Father John Fernandes were the first who arrived in Kagoshima with hopes to bring Christianity and Catholicism to Japan.
The Jesuit missionary fathers in order to spread their doctrines established presses in Japan following the instruction of St. Francis Xavier.
This book was printed with the aim to evangelize, but the most curious thing is that was not named in any reference work. The 'The Jesuist Mission Press in Japan 1591-1610' written by Ernest Mason Satow in 1888, which list the exhaustively printed books in Japan does not include the Compendium manualis Navarri.
This is because it coincided with the Decree of March 1597, which the Emperor Taicosama banished all Jesuits (save one Juan Ruiz who was retained as an interpreter). There upon the press became inactive. However, some of the Jesuits went into hiding and secretly transferred the press into the vicinity of Nagasaki where in 1604 it began printing a new. “This book printed in 1597 is obviously a production of the original press at Amacusa although that name does not appear on the title page. It would seem that it should be listed with the others and the assumption must be that it was unknown to the compiler. The fact that the paper is of very poor quality makes it reasonable to suppose that not many copies have survived the 350 years since the publication and that this is truly a very rare book”. This is not the only case of missing book, the situation was complicated because of the persecutions against Christianity in Japan. Some examples: Guía de Pecadores by Fray Luis de Granada, 1599, there are only two copies in the world, or the Dictionarum Japonicum duplex by Juan Fernández (jesuit that came with Francisco Xavier to Japan), which has not yet been found physically.
