Conflicts With Hideyoshi
As Superior of the mission, Coelho was the most visible leader of the Christian contingent in Japan and he was frequently consulted by Hideyoshi on matters of political significance.
Just as local daimyos encouraged the Jesuits to participate in the silver trade, so too did Japanese leaders encourage or expect their participation in politics. Just as European feudalism and religious zealotry had given birth to a number of military orders such as the Knights Templar or the Knights of Malta, so too did a number of Buddhist monastic orders focus on martial arts and participate in warfare. Hideyoshi, who was familiar with fighting these orders, not only saw the Jesuits as a path to economic wealth but potentially a source of military power as well.
Hideyoshi asked Coelho to secure him two Portuguese ships; if he could use these in an invasion of the mainland, he promised, he would "build churches the length and breadth of China and Korea." Coelho not only agreed to the deal, but also suggested that the Society could acquire more troops from Portuguese India. It was a dangerous bluff meant to curry greater political support, but it was devoid of any real truth.
Read more about this topic: Gaspar Coelho
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