205 Martyrs of Japan
205 Martyrs of Japan | |
|---|---|
 Painting of the Nagasaki Martyrs.jpg | |
| Martyrs | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | Japan |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Anglican Church Lutheran Church |
| Beatified | 7 May 1867, Vatican City by Pope Pius IX |
| Feast | 10 September |
The Martyrs of Japan (日本の殉教者, Nihon no junkyōsha) were Christian missionaries and followers who were persecuted and executed for their faith in Japan, mostly during the Tokugawa shogunate period in the 17th century.
Early Christianity in Japan[]
Christian missionaries arrived with Francis Xavier and the Jesuits in the 1540s and briefly flourished, with over 100,000 converts, including many daimyōs in Kyushu. The shogunate and imperial government at first supported the Catholic mission and the missionaries, thinking that they would reduce the power of the Buddhist monks, and help trade with Spain and Portugal. However, the Shogunate was also wary of colonialism, seeing that the Spanish had taken power in the Philippines, after converting the population. It soon met resistance from the highest office holders of Japan.[1] Emperor Ogimachi issued edicts to ban Catholicism in 1565 and 1568, but to little effect. Beginning in 1587 with imperial regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s ban on Jesuit missionaries, Christianity was repressed as a threat to national unity.[2] After the Tokugawa shogunate banned Christianity in 1620, it ceased to exist publicly. Many Catholics went underground, becoming hidden Christians (隠れキリシタン, kakure kirishitan), while others lost their lives. Only after the Meiji Restoration, was Christianity re-established in Japan.
The first group of martyrs, known as the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan (1597), were canonized by the Church in 1862 by Pope Pius IX.[3]
The same pope beatified the second group, known as the 205 Martyrs of Japan (1598–1632), in 1867.
205 Martyrs of Japan (1598–1632)[]
The persecution of Missionaries and Christian followers continued after the martyrdom of the twenty-six souls in 1597. Jesuit fathers and others who had successfully fled to the Philippines wrote reports which led to a pamphlet that was printed in Madrid in 1624 "A Short Account of the Great and Rigorous Martyrdom, which last year (1622) was suffered in Japan by One Hundred and Eighteen Martyrs'.[4]
Through the promulgation of decree on martyrdom, Pope Pius IX venerated these martyrs on 26 February 1866 and beatified them on 26 May 1867.[5] This group is also known as Alfonso Navarrette Benito, Perdo of Ávila, Carlo Spinola, Ioachim Díaz Hirayama, Lucia de Freitas, and 200 companions.[6]
Ordained Martyrs[]
Augustinian[]
Foreign Missionaries[]
- Blessed – 1 June 1617
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed Bartolomé Gutiérrez Rodríguez – 3 September 1632
- Blessed – 3 September 1632
- Blessed – 3 September 1632
Dominican[]
Foreign Missionaries[]
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 1 June 1617
- Blessed Angelo of Saint Vincent Ferrer Orsucci – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 19 March 1619
- Blessed – 29 July 1627
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed Pedro of Saint Catherine Vásquez – 25 August 1624
- Blessed Tomás of the Holy Spirit – 12 September 1622
Japanese[]
- Blessed - 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 29 July 1627
- Blessed – 12 September 1622
- Blessed – 29 July 1627
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
Franciscan – Alcantarines[]
Foreign Missionaries[]
- Blessed – 16 August 1627
- Blessed – 4 December 1623
- Blessed – 16 August 1627
- Blessed – 3 September 1632
- Blessed – 22 May 1917
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
Japanese[]
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 12 September 1622
- Blessed – 12 September 1622
Franciscan – Observant[]
Foreign Missionaries[]
- Blessed – 12 September 1622
- Blessed – 16 August 1627
- Blessed – 16 August 1618
- Blessed Luis Cabrera Sotelo – 25 August 1624
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
Japanese[]
- Blessed Louis Sasada – 25 August 1624
Jesuit[]
Foreign Missionaries[]
- Blessed – 7 January 1620
- Blessed – 20 June 1626
- Blessed – 15 September 1622
- Blessed Carlo Spinola – 10 September 1622
- Blessed (Didacus Carvalho) – 22 February 1624
- Blessed – 20 June 1626
- Blessed – 20 June 1626
- Blessed Girolamo de Angelis – 4 December 1623
- Blessed – 22 May 1617
- Blessed Miguel de Carvalho – 25 August 1624
- Blessed – 1 November 1622
Japanese[]
- Blessed – 3 September 1632
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 August 1622
- Blessed – 1 November 1622
- Blessed – 20 June 1626
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 20 June 1626
- Blessed – 18 November 1619
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 25 December 1628
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 20 June 1626
- Blessed – 20 June 1626
- Blessed – 1 November 1622
- Blessed – 20 June 1626
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 4 December 1623
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 7 September 1627
- Blessed – 20 June 1626
Martyred Laity[]
Augustinian Laity[]
Japanese Religious Brother[]
- Blessed – 28 October 1630
Japanese Oblates[]
- Blessed – 28 October 1630
- Blessed – 28 October 1630
- Blessed – 28 October 1630
Japanese Tertiaries[]
- Blessed – 28 October 1630
- Blessed – 28 October 1630
Dominican Laity[]
Foreign Missionaries – Confraternity of the Holy Rosary[]
- Blessed – 18 November 1619
Japanese – Confraternity of the Holy Rosary[]
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 27 November 1619
- Blessed – 18 November 1619
- Blessed – 1 October 1617
- Blessed (Korean) – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 27 November 1619
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 27 November 1619
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 18 November 1619
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 1 October 1617
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 27 November 1619
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 27 November 1619
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 18 November 1619
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 17 August 1620
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 27 November 1619
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 27 November 1619
- Blessed – 27 November 1619
- Blessed – 17 August 1620
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 17 August 1620
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 27 November 1619
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 27 November 1619
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 17 August 1620
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 17 August 1620
- Blessed – 27 November 1619
- Blessed – 19 August 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
Japanese Tertiaries[]
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 16 August 1627
- Blessed – 16 September 1628
- Blessed – 16 August 1627
- Blessed – 11 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1628
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 16 August 1627
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 16 August 1627
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 16 September 1628
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 16 September 1628
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
Franciscan Laity[]
Japanese Tertiaries[]
- Blessed – 16 August 1627
- Blessed – 16 August 1627 Tsuji Shōbyōe
- Blessed – 3 September 1632 Iyo
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 25 August 1624
- Blessed – 7 September 1627
- Blessed – 16 August 1627
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 16 August 1627
- Blessed – 1 August 1627
- Blessed – 16 August 1627 Maria Shōbyōe
- Blessed – 16 August 1627
- Blessed (Korean) – 16 August 1627
Catechist Laity[]
Japanese[]
- Blessed Caius of Korea (Korean) – 15 November 1624
- Blessed – 1 June 1617
- Blessed – 27 May 1620
Christian Laity[]
Japanese[]
- Blessed – 2 October 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 12 July 1626
- Blessed – 1 November 1622
- Blessed – 12 September 1622
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 11 September 1622
- Blessed – 2 October 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed Ioannes Hamanomachi – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 7 September 1627
- Blessed – 12 July 1626
- Blessed – 12 July 1626
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 2 October 1622
- Blessed – 12 July 1626
- Blessed – 2 October 1622
- Blessed – 8 July 1626
- Blessed – 12 July 1626
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 12 July 1626
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 12 July 1626
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 11 September 1622
- Blessed – 10 September 1622
- Blessed – 8 September 1628
- Blessed – 12 July 1626
See also[]
- Christianity in Japan
- Kirishitan
- Martyrs of Japan
- Nanban trade
- Paulo Miki
- Roman Catholicism in Japan
- Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and Monument
Notes[]
- ^ Brodrick, James (1952). Saint Francis Xavier (1506–1552). London: Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. p. 558.
- ^ Jansen, Marius (2000). The Making of Modern Japan. Harvard University Press.
- ^ Martyrs of Japan (1597–1637) at Hagiography Circle
- ^ Seitz, Don C. (October 1927). "The Nagasaki Martyrs". The Catholic Historical Review. Catholic University of America Press. 13 (3): 503–509. JSTOR 25012455.
- ^ Martyrs of Japan (1597–1637) at Hagiography Circle
- ^ Martyrs of Japan at the All Saints & Martyrs website
External links[]
- The 26 Martyrs Museum in Nagasaki City, Japan
- Catholic Bishops Conference of Japan: Timeline of the Catholic Church in Japan
- Daughters of St. Paul Convent, Tokyo, Japan: Prohibition of Christian religion by Hideyoshi and the 26 martyrs
Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Japanese Martyrs". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.- The Japanese Martyrs
- Nagasaki Wiki: Detailed Access Information from Nagasaki Station to 26 Martyrs Monument
- 2008 Beatification of Japanese Martyrs
- Kirish'tan: Heaven's Samurai, a historical novel that includes the story of the Twenty-six Martyrs
- Britto, Francis. All About Francis Xavier
Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). 
- Catholic martyrs of the Early Modern era
- Roman Catholic child blesseds
- History of Christianity in Japan
- Executed children
- 17th century in Japan
- Japanese beatified people
- Martyred groups
- Persecution by Buddhists
- People executed by Japan
- Groups of Anglican saints
- Groups of Roman Catholic saints
- People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar
- Lists of Christian martyrs
- Lists of saints
- Beatifications by Pope Pius IX