Prior to the introduction of European astronomy by the Jesuits, Japan followed Chinese astrology and metaphysics, specifically the gai tien theory. They believed earth was a (relatively) flat square disc. The heavens was a dome above the earth. There was in fact a temporary reverse to this stance in the early-Edo after the ousting of Christian missionaries in Japan. The Neo-Confucian scholar Hayashi Razan famously argued that a round earth does not make sense from the view of the universal order, as heaven must be above earth. But scholar of European astronomy was able to regain the upper hand by the early 18th century.