St Paul Miki and the 26 Martyrs
When we think of the Japanese city of Nagasaki, we think of the atomic bomb Fat Man which was dropped on the City towards the end of WWII. That's how war history fans see it but to religious people, especially Catholics, the city is the site of the martyrdom of 26 people who were killed for being Christian. This occurred in the late 16th century, 1597. During this time, Europe was exploring and colonising the world and this scared Japan as these colonialists were Christians while Japan at that time was mostly Shinto, a polytheistic religion indigenous to the island nation. Shinto and Buddhism are still the most dominate religions in Japan to this day. Protective of their religion, Japan went after the nation's Christians, and these included 26 Jesuits like Paul Miki.
St. Paul Miki was from Japan and was a Jesuit tutor. He was attracted to his spiritual life and joined the Society of Jesus. He became known as a great preacher and helped convert many to Catholicism.
A Japanese layman, St. Paul Miki was born into a Japanese aristocratic family in Osaka and inherited a great legacy and status in Japanese society. He was converted to Christianity by the great Saint Francis Xavier. When Christian missionaries first started evangelizing in Japan, there was initially no resistance. Their presence not only opened the door to new faiths, but also to trade andeconomic expansion. An eloquent speaker, Paul Miki joined the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and was due to be ordained when he was arrested for practicing a religion now associated with European colonialists.
This was in 1597 and by this point, the tide had turned when Taiko-sama became the de facto ruler of Japan under the Emperor. He launched a brutal campaign of persecution aimed not only at suppressing the further spread of Christianity, but also at wiping out all signs of Christianity's existence. Taiko-Sama had his men force Paul-Miki and 25 other Japanese Catholics March 966km to Nagasaki from Kyoto (the modern day home city of Japanese game developer and publisher Nintendo) while singing the Te Deum. When they got to Nagasaki, Paul Miki and the 25 Catholics were placed on crosses and were martyred. Following similar incidents, Japan sealed its borders in 1603 from outside traffic as well as preventing people from leaving Japan which last for over 250 years until 1868 when they were forced to open up by American traders. By this point, the 26 Martyrs were now canonised saints in the Catholic Church with Paul Miki becoming the patron Saint of Japan in 1862. The 26 martyrs are commemorated every year on 6th February, just 5 days before the Japanese Foundation Day (celebrating the birth of the island nation in 660BCE). Today, Christianity is seen in a positive and respected light in Japan but Christian holidays like Christmas are not public holidays in Japan.
Also on this Day (6 February)
