転ころび伴天連ばてれん

こ

ろ

び

バ

テ

レ

ン

Meanings

1

noun

apostate Christian missionary turned Buddhist (Edo period)

Historical term for a European missionary who renounced Christianity and converted to Buddhism under pressure during the Edo period's anti-Christian policies.

Kanji

転revolve, turn around, change
伴consort, accompany, bring with
天heavens, sky, imperial
連take along, lead, join

Related words

伴天連ばてれん
伴天連 (bateren) is a general historical term for Christian missionaries in Japan, while 転び伴天連 specifically denotes those who apostatized.
転ころびキリシタン
転びキリシタン refers to Japanese Christian converts who renounced their faith, whereas 転び伴天連 is used for the missionaries themselves.

Written forms

転ころび伴天連ばてれん
Standard kanji spelling using 伴天連 for バテレン.
転ころびバテレン
Mixed kanji-katakana spelling; common in modern texts.

Etymology

Compound of 転び (korobi, 'falling' or 'apostatizing') and 伴天連 (bateren, an old transcription of Portuguese padre, 'priest'). The term arose in the Edo period to describe missionaries who renounced Christianity.