Christian Pilgrimage sites
Christianity in Japan was spread in Nagasaki region. However, unparalleled hidden Cristian history
was started from when Toyotomi Hideyoshi Shogunate proclaimed Christian ban in 1587. During ban
on Christianity, people secretly continued to faith while surviving in the midst of the conventional
society and Japanese religions. And many Christians were also martyred during this period.
Here we introduce the history of the ban on Christianity, including the places of martyrdom and
museums.
Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan, in Nagasaki
The 26 Martyrs of Japan were a group of Catholics who were executed by crucifixion on February 5,
1597. The Twenty-six Christians, including six foreign missionaries and three young boys, were
arrested in Kyoto and Osaka on the order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the National ruler, for preaching
Christianity. They were marched 800 km through the snow to Nagasaki and crucified in front of
large crowd on Nishizaka hill on Feb. 5, 1597.
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Unzen jigoku Martyrdom, in Unzen
When Matsukura Shigemasa became the new federal lord of Shimabara in 1616,
many people were Christians. Initially, he acquiesced in Christianity, because
he needed people’s cooperation to build Shimabara Castle.
However, this situation was known to Tokugawa Shogunate, and he strongly
commanded Christians in Shimabara to convert.
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Harajo Castle ruin, in Shimabara
The Christian pilgrimage site, registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site as Hidden Christian
Sites in the Nagasaki Region. The site is located in Minami-arima in Minami-Shimabara-city
and the Battle field of Shimabara Rebellion which was a peasant uprising against bakufu’s
persecution of Christians under the leadership of Amakusa Shiro in 1637.
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Hokohara Martyrdom place, in Omura
This is a place related to the Kori-kuzure incident in Omura in 1657 in which a large number of
hidden Christians were arrested. As many as 608 Christians were arrested, making it a rare
and major incident in the history of Christian oppression. 411 Christians were beheaded, and
131 of them were martyred at Hokohara martyrdom place.
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