The martyrdom of Paul Miki and his companions

Summary:

The evangelisation of Japan began successfully in 1549 with Saint Francis Xavier. The missionaries were allowed to preach and distribute a large number of works: books of piety, training in the Catholic faith, and comparative studies between Buddhism, Shintoism and Christianity, which highlighted the richness of Catholicism in relation to Eastern philosophies. The Catholic religion quickly spread to all levels of society, and there were more than 300,000 Christians by the end of the 16th century.

The political authorities grew suspicious of this rapid expansion, and Catholicism came to be seen as a national danger. The shogun Hideyoshi Toyotomi sought to unify the country by limiting the influence of local daimyos (powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords) and foreigners. He considered Catholicism, a religion imported from abroad, to be an obstacle to the establishment of a centralised state; a number of repressive measures were therefore put in place. Japanese anti-Christianity was therefore not the product of the people, but a political construct. In 1587, foreign Christian missionaries were banished, marking the start of over two hundred years of violent persecution. Japanese Christianity went underground and gradually became clandestine.

In December 1596, several Christians were arrested and put to death. They were imprisoned in Miyako (now Kyoto) and sentenced to crucifixion. They then set off on a forced march to Nagasaki, where they were executed. For a month, they were paraded from town to town to dissuade anyone tempted by the Christian faith. On this long way to the cross, despite being insulted and mocked, the condemned men showed admirable constancy, continuing their prayers and songs.

In Nagasaki, the twenty-six Christians were crucified on 5 February 1597, facing the sea and the West. Paul Miki, Japan's first Jesuit and a passionate preacher, saw the crowd watching his execution and seized the opportunity to bear witness once again and proclaim the Gospel. The executioners finished off each of the martyrs with a spear.

Twenty-six martyrs were crucified in Nagasaki that day: three Jesuits, six Franciscans and seventeen lay Christians, Tertiaries of Saint Francis and members of the Miyako community, including two young altar boys. Their names are:

Foreign Franciscan missionaries - Alcantarines

• Martin of the Ascension
• Pedro Bautista
• Philip of Jesus
• Francisco Blanco
• Francisco of Saint Michael
• Gundisalvus (Gonsalvo) Garcia

Japanese Franciscan tertiaries

• Anthony Dainan (13)
• Bonaventure of Miyako
• Cosmas Takeya
• Francisco of Nagasaki
• Francis Kichi
• Gabriel de Duisco
• Joachim Sakakibara
• John Kisaka
• Leo Karasumaru
• Louis Ibaraki (11)
• Matthias of Miyako
• Michael Kozaki
• Paul Ibaraki
• Paul Suzuki
• Peter Sukejirō
• Thomas Kozaki
• Thomas Xico aka Thomas Danki

Japanese Jesuits

• James Kisai
• John Soan de Goto
• Paul Miki

Paul Miki and his companions were beatified by Pope Urban VIII on 14 September 1627 (thirty years after the events, an exceptionally short time) and canonised by Pius IX on 8 June 1862. During his apostolic visit to Japan in November 2019, Pope Francis visited Nishizaka Hill to pay tribute to them.

Beyond reasons to believe:

"We are not destined for death but for the fullness of life. This was the message the martyrs proclaimed. Yes, here we see the darkness of death and martyrdom, but also the light of the resurrection, as the blood of the martyrs becomes the seed of the new life that Jesus Christ wishes to bestow on us. Their witness confirms us in faith and helps us to renew our dedication and commitment to missionary discipleship." (Pope Francis, 24 November 2019, Nagasaki).

Going further:

The film The 26 Martyrs of Japan, a Japanese silent film directed by Tomiyasu Ikeda, produced in 1931 by the Japanese company Nikkatsu.

More information:

• Victor De Buck, Les Saints martyrs japonais de la Compagnie de Jésus : Paul Miki, Jean Soan de Gotto et Jacques Kisai, 1863, available online.
• The chronology of the Jesuits in Japan, produced by Hanna Wells for the University of Waterloo (Canada).
• A History of Jesuit Missions in Japan: Evangelization, Miracles and Martyrdom, 1549–1614: Alonge, Guillaume. Oxfordshire: Routledge, December 2023

• The Japanese and the Jesuits : Alessandro Valignano in sixteenth-century Japan by Joseph Francis Moran, London ; New York : Routledge, 1993

• The resources available on the Missions Étrangères de Paris website on the subject of Japanese martyrs.
• The biography of Saint Paul Miki on the website www.jesuites.com.
• The Vatican News report on the tribute paid by Pope Francis to the martyred saints of Japan in November 2019. The Holy Father's speech is available online.

• Saint Paul Miki and Companions (The First Martyrs of Japan): Discover the Remarkable Life and Legacy of Saint Paul Miki Kirishitan and Companions by Charles S. Walton,  Independently published (February 7, 2024)