The Brief History of Japanese Christianity

It starts with Francis Xavier who brought Christianity to Japan from Portugal. He came to Japan in 1549.

Oda Nobunaga was trying to unite Japan, and he thought he could use the growing Kirishitan movement to his own advantage to suppress Buddhist forces.

Farmers welcome the gospel of grace. And Daimyos also saw Christianity as an important link with European traders.

Then Toyotomi Hideyoshi comes along and he's not friendly towards Christianity. He saw that these people were loyal to the Pope at the Vatican.

He ordered all foreign Catholic missionaries to leave Japan.

And then 10 years later, he ordered an edict which had 9 missionaries and 17 native Japanese Kirishitan were martyred.

Then later, the successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu comes along. He saw the foreign Catholic missionaries were a threat to his power.

In 1614, his son, Tokugawa Hidetada banned Catholicism / Christianity and ordered missionaries to leave Japan. Kirishitan had to renouce their faith or face the the pain of exile or torture.

Then, there was Shimabara Rebellion where the community of Kirishitan from the Shimabara Peninsula fought against the Daimyo at the time who raised taxes and persecuted Christians.

Amakusa Shirou led the group made of up of local Ronin and Catholic farmers, but they were defeated. Amakusa Shirou died at the age of 17.

By 1650, most of the Kirishitan were exiled or executed. Some survivors went underground and became a secret Christian group called Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians).

They made various images and sculptures depicting crosses and virgin Mary and baby Jesus.

The prohibition against Christianity began to lessen by the mid-19th century. And the first Roman Catholic church was built in Nagasaki in 1864 called Oura Catholic Cathedral. And soon, almost, 20,000 Kakure Kirishitan came out of their hiding places and professed their faith.

About 14,000 people became Catholic believers as the European priests came to build relations with them. However, the rest did not abandon their various Buddhist elements that became part of the Kakure Kirishitan cultures. These people then became known as Hanare Kirishitan or Separate Christians.

Reference: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kirishitan

The image sources:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:4_Niagemachi,_%C5%8Cita-shi,_%C5%8Cita-ken_870-0046,_Japan_-_panoramio.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_Chome_Suehiromachi,_%C5%8Cita-shi,_%C5%8Cita-ken_870-0027,_Japan_-_panoramio.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:26_muchenykiv_Yaponii_03..jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oura_Tenshudo_Temple,_Nagasaki_2014.jpg
https://web.archive.org/web/20161025014216/http://www.panoramio.com/photo/87794944
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maria-Kannon_in_Museum_for_Hidden_Christians_of_Japan_in_Former_Latin_Seminary.jpg
https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:%E6%BD%9C%E4%BC%8F%E3%82%AD%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B7%E3%82%BF%E3%83%B3%E6%99%82%E4%BB%A3%E3%81%AE%E5%90%8D%E6%AE%8B%E3%81%AE%E8%87%BC%E9%A3%BE%E3%82%8A.jpg

Видео The Brief History of Japanese Christianity канала Happy Growth Works