CARTAS QUE LOS PADRES Y HERMANOS DE LA COMPANIA DE JESUS, QUE ANDAN EN LOS REYNOS DE JAPON, ESCRVIERON A LOS DELA MISMA COMPANIA, DESDE EL ANO DE MIL Y QUINIENTOS Y QUARTA Y NUEVE, HASTA EL DE MIL Y QUINIENTOS Y SETENTA Y UNO. EN LAS QUALES SE DA NOTICIA DE LAS VARIAS COSTUMBRES Y IDOLATRIAS DE AQUELLA GENTILIDAD: Y SE CUENTA EL PRINCIPIO Y SUCCESSO Y BONDAD DE LOS CHRISTIANOS DE AQUELLAS PARTES. ALCALA, JUAN INIGUEZ DE LEQUERICA, 1575.

      4to with quires of 8 lvs. Contemporary limp vellum with rest of ties, title label pasted on spine. Woodcut of the Crucifixion on verso of the colophon (first unnumbered lv. at the end), charming woodcut initials and woodcut characters of the Japanese alphabet in text. (10), 315, (5) lvs. First Spanish edition of 82 Portugese letters by Jesuit missionaries from Japan, first published in Portuguese, at Coimbra in 1570, with ten highly important Jesuit letters added, never published before. Cordier gives a list of these additional letters, dating from 1567 to 157, written by Luys Froys, Melchior de Figueredo, Luiz de Almeida, Juan Baptista Italiano, Gasper Vilela and Hermano Luys de Almeida. Newly added were furthermore: the life of Franciscus Xaverius, Relacion de las cosas de la India by Manuel Acosta, and Breve relacion de la Isla y Reynos del Japon. Directly after the title an extra leaf is added, not mentioned by the bibliographers, with the approbation, dated 1574. Good copy with ownership's entry of 'Joannes Fischer, 1651' on title and on last leaf.- (Lower right hand corner of title repaired in the 17th century, upper left corner of titlepage sl. damaged without loss of text, 2 double leaves misbound in quire G, one leaf with paper flaw in corner just touching the text, some sl. waterstaining and spotting). Cordier, Japonica, cols. 67-8; Alt Japan Kat. 298; Streit IV, 1519 (with a full list of all letters); Salva 3282; Palau 46311.