Kurose no Tsuji, martyrdom site of Gaspar Nishi Genka

 

The site where Christian Gaspar Nishi Genka was martyred in 1609, located on

Kurose Hill overlooking Nakae no shima between Hirado and Ikitsuki.

The tomb facing the sea is called Gaspar-sama and is a revered place for Ikitsuki’s

Hidden Christians.

The cross-shaped “Kurose no Tsuji Martyrdom Monument” was erected by Catholics

in 1991, and Mass is held every year around November 14th.

 

Gaspar Nishi Genka was the first martyr of Ikitsuki and the father of Thomas Rokuzaemon

Nishi who was one of the 16 Saint of Nagasaki, dedicated in Nakamachi Church in Nagasaki.

 

Saint Filippo de Jesus Church ( Japan 26 Saints Memorial Church )

 

This is a church with Gaudi-style twin tower designed by Kenjiro Imai,

built next to the Nishizaka Martyrdom site

 

When there was a plan to build a memorial hall for the 26 Japanese Saints

next to Nishizaka Martyrdon site, a large donation was made from Mexico,

and the Church was built in 1962.

This church is dedicated to Mexican Filippo de Jesus, who is one of the 26 Saints.

Filippo de Jesus was a Franciscan Catholic missionary who became one of the

26 Martyrs of Japan, the first Mexican Saint.

 

History of Japanese Christianity

 

Christian history in Japan was started when St. Francis Xavier came to Japan as a first Christian

missionary in 1549. Then Christianity 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.

Since ban on the Christianity was lifted in 1873, new Christian history in Japan has begun.

 

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1549  St. Francis Xavier came Kagoshima Japan as a first Christian missionary and

           commenced the Christian history in Japan

1550  St. Francis Xavier came Hirado as a Christian missionary

1551  Catholic Hirado Church was constructed as first church in Japan

1557   Introduction of Catholicism to Ikitsuki, Kasuga in Hirado

1563  Omura Sumitada, feudral lord of Nagasaki who was first lord convert to Christianity

1569  Todos os Santos Church was constructed as first in Nagasaki by Gaspal Villera

1571  Nagasaki Port was opend to Portugal by feudral lord Omura Sumitada

1580   Arima Harunobu, lord of Arima convert to Christianity and the Seminario was

          established in Kuchinotsu as first in Japan

1582  Arima Harunobu teamed up with Kyushu Christian lords Otomo Sorin and ura Sumitada

          to dispatch the Tensho Mission to the Pope in Rome

1587  Shogunate, Toyotomi Hideyoshi proclaimed Christian ban

1590  The Tensho Mission retured to Nagasaki

1597  The Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan, were a group of Catholics who were

          executed by crucifixion on February 5 at Nagasaki. Their martyrdom is especially

          significant in the history of the Catholic Church in Japan.

 

1603 Tokugawa Shogunate was established and the natioal isolation policy was applied

1614 The Tokugawa Shogunate prohibited Christianity throughout Japan

1622 five Christians were martyred at Nakae no Shima in Hirado

1624 three Christians were martyred at Nakae no Shima in Hirado

1627 twenty seven Christians were martyred at Unzen Jigoku

1637 Shimabara Rebellion : a peasant uprising against bakufu’s persecution of Christians

         under the leadership of Amakusa Shiro

1637 Lorenzo Luiz from Philippines martyred at Nashizaka hill in Nagasaki

1641 Dejima, the small artificial island was opened as Dutch trading port in Nagasaki 

1644  Last Christian missionary in Japan is martyred

 

1853     Mathew C Perry came to Uraga; the Commodore of the US navy, who played a

             significant role in Japanese history, succeeded in opening Japan to foreign countries

1854    Treaty between the USA and Japan : ending the isolation policy and opening the country

1858    Treaty of Amity and Commerce between USA, Netherlands, Russia, England, France and

            Japan ; allow religious freedom in foreign residential areas

1862     The 26 Japanese Martyrs at Nishizaka Hill in Nagasaki were canonized by Pope Pius IX.

1865     Oura Cathedral was built as the basilica of Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan 

1868     Meiji Restoration, the most important event in Japanese history, which heralded a new era

             of modernization in Japan. This revolution restored the imperial rule to Japan after more

             than 250years of Tokugawa Shogunate

1873     Ban on the Christianity was lifted

1882     Shitsu Church in Sotome construction started by Father de Rotz’s design

1909     Shitsu Church was completed 

1914     Urakami Cathedral construction was completed, it was the largest Catholic church in East Asia

              at that time

1912     Yamada Church in Hirado was constructed

1917     Tabira Church in Hirado was constructed

1920     Kurosaki Church was completed by Father de Rotz’s design

1931     St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church in Hirado was constructed at the present location

1945     Atomic bomb dropped in Nagasaki on Aug. 9

　　　　The most part of Nagasaki was destroyed, and a tremendous number of lives were lost.  

              and Urakami Cathedral was completely destroyed.

　　　　About 73,000 died instantly, and up to 60,000 were injured.

 

1950     Pope Pius XII designated the Nishizaka Hill in Nagasaaki of Martyrdom of 26 Japanese

             Saints as an official Pilgrimage site for Catholics

1959     Urakami Cathedral replacement was built

1981     Pope John Paul II visited in Nagasaki

1982     Saint Teresa of Calcutta commonly known as Mother Teresa visited in Nagasaki

1987    Saint Lorenzo Ruiz was canonized by the same pope in the Vatican city on 18 October,

            making him the first Filipino Saint

2000    Ebdo Shusaku ( novelist of Silence ) Literary Museum is opened in Sotome

2018    Hidden Christian site is registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage

 

2019     Pope Francis visited Nagasaki on Nov.24 and and calls for a ‘world without Nuclear

             Weapons’ at the Ground Zero.

 

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Shimabara Rebellion

 

 

It was founded by Arima Takazumi in 1496 and was a flat castle with a fortress naturally created

both by the cliff facing Ariake Sea and the tide coming in. This Castle was abandoned since

Matsudaira Shigemasa, the load of Shimabara, built Shimabara Castle after the rupture of Arima

family ties. 

26 Saints Pilgrimage route from Tokitsu to Nishizaka

 

26 Christians arrive at Tokitsu Port by the boat on the cold night of February 4, in 1597

and stayed one night on the boat. At dawn on February 5, they got off the ship with a cold b

ody and landed at Togitsu Port. Then they began walking the 12km path to Nishizaka,

the place of martyrdom. Passed through the mountain pass, and through Michinoo, Akasako,

and Urakami, and arrived at Nishizaka at 10 o’clock.

And as soon they arrived, they were all crucified on the cross.

 

Then, Paul Miki said from the Cross

All of you who are here, please listen to me.

I did not com from the Philippines, I am a Japanese by birth, and a brother of the Society of Jesus.

I have committed no crime, and the only reason why I am put to death is that I have been

teaching the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am very happy to die for such cause, and see my death as great blessing from the Lord.

At this critical time, when you can rest assured that I will not try to deceive you, I want to stress

and make it unmistakably clear that man can find no way to salvation other than the Christian

way. The Christian law commands that we forgive our enemies and who have wronged us.

I must therefore say here that I forgive Taikosama (Hideyoshi).

 

Then they all ascended to heaven with the happy of giving the life to Christ.

 

In 1862, 26 Martyrs at Nishizaka were canonized by Pope Pius IX.

In 1950, Pope Pius XII designated the Nishizaka of Martyrdom of 26 Japanese

Saints as an official Pilgrimage site for Catholics

Unzen jigoku Martyrdom, 雲仙地獄殉教

 

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.

 

From 1627, Christians who did not convert were persecuted using the boiling water

of Unzen jigoku.

Many Christians were taken to this Unzen jigoku and martyred.

Unzen Church is dedicated to Father Antonio Ishida, a martyr of Unzen Hell, and

martyrdom festival is held every May.

 

Unzen jigoku is a tourist spot in Unzen.

Jigoku, means Hell, is the number one attraction of Unzen with a peculiar smell of sulfur

emitted from the springs, and boiled hot water and white smoke rising from the ground

over a wide area. This is a striking reminder that Unzen Volcano is still very much alive.

 

Genna great Martyrdom in 1622, 元和の大殉教

 

25 years after the martyrdom of the 26 Saints, the blood of Christians was shed

once again at Nishizaka in Nagasaki.

 

55 Christians were martyred who were arrested at Suzuta Prison in Omura and

Kurusu Prison in Nagasaki.

These included Italian missionary Carlo Spinola and Portuguese missionary

Domingos Jorge.

 

Nagasaki was a small Rome

 

Todos os Santos Church, the first church in Nagasaki, was built in 1569.

Federal lord Omura and the Jesuits made an agreement to make Nagasaki

a port for trade with Nanban. (Portugal and Spain) in 1570.

Nagasaki Port was opened and the first Portuguese ship arrived in 1571.

And development of the town of cape was started as Christian town in 1571

and the small Church of San Paulo was constructed at the tip of cape.

 

After that following Churches were constructed.

Misericordia Headquarters Church in 1583

Santa Maria Church in 1600

Santa Clara Church in 1603

Santiago Church in 1604

San Juan Petista Church in 1605

San Antonio Church in 1606

San Pedro Church in 1607

San Francisco Church in 1611

San Agustin Church in 1612

For 45 years after the first church was built, Nagasaki developed as a Christian town,

and by 1614, most of the 25,000 people were Christians.

 

It was as if Nagasaki was a small Rome.

 

However, due to the Tokugawa Shogunate’s Ban on Christianity in 1614, most of the

church buildings were destroyed within 15 days from November 3rd.

 

26 Saints are the first martyrs in Japan

 

26 Christians arrested in Kyoto who were consisted of 20 Japanese, 4 Spaniards,

1 Mexican, and 1 Portuguese.

They were forced to walk barefoot to Nagasaki for about a month.

On February 5, 1597, all 26 Christians arrived at Nishizaka and were tied to Crosses.

 

Paul Miki said from the Cross

All of you who are here, please listen to me.

I did not com from the Philippines, I am a Japanese by birth, and a brother of the Society

of Jesus.

I have committed no crime, and the only reason why I am put to death is that I have been

teaching the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am very happy to die for such cause, and see my death as great blessing from the Lord.

At this critical time, when you can rest assured that I will not try to deceive you, I want to stress

and make it unmistakably clear that man can find no way to salvation other than the Christian

way. The Christian law commands that we forgive our enemies and who have wronged us.

I must therefore say here that I forgive Taikosama (Hideyoshi).

 

I would rather have all the Japanese become Christians.

(From Luis Frois’s Martyrs Records, 1597)

 

Jan. 4, 2024

 

Causes of the Martyrdom of 26 Saints

 

In 1596, the Spanish ship San Felipe, heading from the Philippines to Mexico, washed

ashore on the Tosa-Urato coast due to a typhoon.

Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi confiscated the ship’s vast cargo.

At that time, the navigator said that Spain first send Christian missionaries to increase

the number of believers, and then eventually conquer the country.

When Toyotomi Hideyoshi heard this, he was shocked and ordered the capture of

Spanish Franciscan missionaries who were actively carrying out missionary activities

in Kyoto.

 

 

Then, he ordered Ishida Mitsunari to execute Franciscan missionaries and Christians.

This was the beginning of the Martyrdom of 26 Saints in Nagasaki on February 5, 1597.

 

Dec. 31, 2023