The collection

A5 consists of four groups of documents held together with string, wrappers (newspaper,wrapping paper), etc. It is difficult to infer the relationship between the four of them based on their physical state. However, this file consists of items that were grouped together on a storage shelf at the Vatican Library after being sent from Japan by Marega and subsequently placed by the individual at the library in charge of preservation in a single preservation bag. Thus it appears that they were grouped together to an extent during Marega’s time and are related to each other. Almost all of these historical materials are documents used to report to the Usuki Domain’s Office of Religious Affairs about the members of five household units, the carrying out of religious inquisitions, and the population, birth, death, movement, etc. of residents of Usuki domain villages.

A5.1 was wrapped in an English-language newspaper and tied with twine. Furthermore, there are cards describing its content under the twine. On one of the cards is written “386–392.” These appear to be Marega numbers. However, A5.1 does not include 386 and 390–392.

Eleven documents are individually placed in an envelope, wrapping material, etc. All of them are related to religious inquisitions and submitted by villages to the Usuki Domain's Office of Religious Affairs. Their date ranges and villages are not the same. On A5.1.5’s wrapper we find the Marega Numbers 493–407. However, it does not include 393, 397, 398, and 400–403.

On the covers of A5.1.3.1 (“Record of Pure Land Sect Membership Investigation”) and A5.1.5.5.1 (“Record of Individuals Marrying Relatives of Former Christians") we find characters written in vermilion indicating that there content had been examined. This gives us a glimpse into the work carried out at the Office of Religious Affairs.

The entirety of A5.2 is wrapped in a piece of paper. On this paper are 230–244, which appear to be Marega Numbers. However, 231 is not included in A5.2. It contains fourteen booklets entitled “Religious Inquisition Memos Regarding Number of People in Households,” which documents the number of people in domain retainers’ households by each area a government official ruled over. Six of these historical materials are from the Bunsei period (1818–1830), and three are from the Genroku period (1688–1704).

A5.3 is wrapped in Ōsaka Mainichi’s (Tōkyō Nichi Nichi) English language newspaper, which is dated 1938/02/27. On this wrapper we find the Marega Numbers “M.277–321.” All of these documents are included therein.

These documents are: “Record of Children Born to Relatives of Former Christians” (1 booklet), records of population and production capacity from 1727 (Kyōhō 12), 1833 (Tenpō 4), and 1848 (Kōka 5) (totaling 22) and one bound bundle from 1733 (Kyōhō 18), which covers twenty-two villages units. These population and production capacity records include number of births, deaths, and illnesses, and so on. On only the document submitted in Kyōhō 18 by the Nomura Village Unit found in his bundle there is the title “Record Booklet of Fumie.” It is possible that it was used for investigations carried out before fumie.

The entirety of A5.4 is wrapped in a piece of paper. While on this wrapper are written the Marega Numbers “M90–M200,” M135 and M159 are not included.

A5.4 is comprised of a document entitled “Five Household Unit Memo,” which records the names of the household heads of the Tatamiya Town’s five household units, as well as 109 documents entitled “Christian Inquisition Five Household Unit Document,” which were made for each five person household unit. Upon them were written five rules to be followed regarding the prohibition of Christianity. The head of each household unit would affix his seal to them, and documents from temples would be attached attesting that household members were parishioners.

A5.4.2.1.1–19 consists of such documents from Higashi Kōno Village (Usuki City). There are six items with a vermilion “＋” written on their back edge, five of which include a former Christian in the five household unit appearing therein. Forty-one items are from a village that was in what is today Notsumachi, Usuki City. Excluding one of them, they all include a former Christian or the descendant of a former Christian.