ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an account of the voyage from India to Portugal by the Japanese travellers. Rodrigues was born in 1538, entered the Society in 1559, and was professed of the four vows in 1577 Although Rodrigues was given overall responsibility for the boys, his main purpose in going to Europe was in his capacity as procurator (i.e. representative) to attend a congregation of Jesuit procurators, scheduled to begin in Rome on 15 November 1584. Valignano stressed that this assignment was to take precedence over accompanying the boys. Rodrigues was to leave his charges in Lisbon and proceed in haste to Rome and Valignano requested the provincial of Portugal, Sebastião de Morais, to appoint someone suitable to replace Rodrigues.
