The Veneration of the Martyrs of Ikitsuki (1609-1645) by the Japanese ‘Hidden Christians’

Abstract

Christianity came to Japan in 1549 in the person of the ‘Apostle to the Indies’, St Francis Xavier, yet in spite of initial progress both in making converts and in becoming part of the Japanese religious milieu, within a century it had virtually disappeared, harried to its demise by savage persecutions from a government convinced that Christianity was a threat to its survival. The suppression of Christianity produced many martyrs, of whom the best known are the ‘Twenty-Six Martyrs of Nagasaki’, crucified in 1597 and canonized in 1862. Of the thousands of others who perished, many are known neither by name nor date of martyrdom, but in one unique case the martyrs of a particular island are remembered and honoured by one of the world’s most secretive Christian groups, the Kakure Kirishitan, or ‘Hidden Christians’ of Japan.

Colonialism, Ethnicity, and Geopolitics in the Development of the Singapore National Library

“…And the opposition was hopelessly disunited. 40 Thus the PAP leadership must have felt relatively secure in regards to Chinese civil society and its institutions. Furthermore, the government's priorities had fundamentally shifted as a response to Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia in 1965 after a few short years of merger.…”