Luís Fróis

Luís Fróis (ルイス・フロイス) is a Jesuit missionary from Portugal who wrote the first European account of life in Japan. He also served as a translator for his colleagues and was acquainted with Nobunaga Oda.

Role in Games
Erroneously called Louis Furois in Nobunaga's Ambition: Lord of Darkness, he asks the player's permission to spread western ideas throughout the land. Granting his request will raise an officer's skill level should the people accept the missionary's teachings. Otherwise, rejecting him will cause civilian loyalty to plummet. He may reward the player with a tea item if his requests are approved several times.

Luis appears in Kessen III as a minor NPC who admires Nobunaga for his hospitality towards foreigners. He helps pique the warlord's interest in the outside world by showing him a globe of the Earth.

Voice Actors

 * Hajime Kuon - Kessen III

Quotes

 * "He removed the checks. Got rid of the bad guilds. This has helped the town to prosper. Señor is a hero. And he allows us to do our work here."
 * "You are a missionary. I am a woman without a country."
 * Luis and Amalia; Kessen III

Historical Information
Polycarp Fróis (1532 - July 8, 1597) grew up in Lisbon, Portugal where he became an apprentice scribe for the Royal Secretariat at the age of 9 or 13. He left his post in March 1548 to join the Society of Jesus; accepted as a novitiate, Polycarp changed his name to Luís. During his novice years, he attended the newly-established College of St. Paul in Goa and furthered his studies at Malacca. His secretarial work in India was recognized by the congregation who placed him in charge of corresponding their progress to Rome.

Having received ordination in 1561, Luís sailed for Japan 2 years later upon hearing of Francis Xavier's experiences there. He arrived in the port town of Hirado and began learning the language and customs of the locals in an effort to understand them. Soon enough, he was able to gain a feasible comprehension of Japanese which made him a valuable asset to the Jesuits. He then accompanied Father Gaspar Vilela to the capital where the shogun Yoshiteru Ashikaga resided; with help from Sōrin Ōtomo, they convinced the shogun to let them spread their teachings throughout the city. Unfortunately, Yoshiteru's assassination forced the missionaries to leave. Luís continued his work at Sakai where he spent much time translating sacred texts for Japanese followers.

When Nobunaga took over the capital, he welcomed the Jesuits back as a sign of goodwill; Luís was among those who returned. In 1569, he and Nobunaga met each other at the construction site for Nijō Castle. The two of them fraternized with one another, but for underlying reasons: Luís sought to preserve the interests of his group by gaining Nobunaga's approval while the warlord wished to discredit the Tendai Buddhist monks for rejecting his authority. At one time, the missionary was invited to debate with a monk named Nichijō Shōnin on theological matters regarding the human soul. His responses agitated the monk so much that he threatened to attack him with a polearm until Nobunaga intervened.

Although the Jesuits were tolerated under Nobunaga's rule, they suffered immensely when Hideyoshi rose to power. Luís served as Father Gaspar Coelho's interpreter to negotiate with the regent, but their efforts led to nowhere. He eventually went to Macao after the Toyotomi regime banned Christianity. But when Luís became fatally ill, he moved back to Japan and died in Nagasaki.

As a historian, Luís authored two notable works that took much of his life to complete: Historia do Japõo and Tratado. The Historia do Japõo consisted of numerous letters and reports that chronicled the Jesuit missions from 1549 to 1593 while describing Japan's civilization. Luís was commissioned by Alessandro Valignano to record their activities within the island nation, though he received criticism for being overdescriptive and exaggerating certain facts. Nonetheless, the manuscript for this work was delivered to Europe right after his death. Tratado, on the other hand, was a treatise that focused on the cultural differences between Japanese and Europeans. It was meant to help other missionaries understand and adapt to Japan's unique customs.