noun
foreign priest; Western priest
Historical term, often derogatory, used for Christian missionaries or foreign clergy in pre-modern Japan. Rare in modern Japanese.
江戸時代、蛮僧の来航は厳しく制限されていた。
In the Edo period, the arrival of foreign priests was strictly restricted.
Standard, neutral term for a missionary or Christian priest. 蛮僧 is a historical, often pejorative synonym.
Compound of 蛮 (barbarian, foreign) and 僧 (priest, monk). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it reflects pre-modern Japanese attitudes toward Western clergy.