Dilao

Dilao was a settlement of 3000 Japanese in the Paco district of Manila during the rule of the Spaniards around 1600 . The name may come from the Tagalog word for yellow , "dilaw".

Many of the residents had left Japan because of their Christian faith and arrived on December 21, 1614 , led by the Japanese samurai Takayama Ukon (after being baptized by the Portuguese: Dom Justo Takayama ). The colony was visited by the Blessed Luis Sotelo .

The Japanese forged close trade ties with a number of coastal settlements long before the Spanish arrived. The Japanese in Manila were then placed under the spiritual care of the Franciscans (OFM) . A statue of Takayama still stands in Manila today.

Today President Quirino Avenue crosses Dilao. A branch of this street was named Plaza Dilao in memory of the once flourishing Japanese community .

Web link

• Plaza Dilao in History (English)

Coordinates: 14 ° 34 ′ 51 ″  N , 120 ° 59 ′ 58 ″  E