Alessandro Valignano

Timeline

1. 1539–1578Goa · GoaBorn in Chieti in the Kingdom of Naples, he joined the Jesuits in 1566 and was appointed visitor of the East Indies by the superior general in 1573. He arrived in Goa in 1574 to reform the Indian mission, and via Malacca reached Macau in 1577–1578, planning Far Eastern colleges and strategies for China and Japan, establishing the visitor's governance model from Portuguese India to East Asia.
2. 1579–1583Kyushu–Kansai · JapanDuring his first visit to Japan he criticized Cabral's disregard for Japanese customs, ordering Jesuits to learn Japanese, receive daimyo according to rank, and adopt Japanese living and tea customs. Around 1583 he wrote the Advertimentos e avisos and promoted seminaries and Japanese entrants. Before leaving Japan he left instructions in Macau for Michele Ruggieri to learn Chinese, then subsequently summoned Matteo Ricci to China.
3. 1590–1606Macau · MacauEscorted the Tenshō embassy home and made second and third visits to Japan, dealing with the mission crisis after Toyotomi's ban on Christianity. He founded St. Paul's College in Macau in 1594 as a safe base for training Japanese and Chinese missionaries. He continued to oversee the accommodation route into China and died in Macau on 20 January 1606, buried in the college.