Today, I write about “The Christian in Nagasaki “.
The middle of the 16th century, Christianity arrived in Japan.
1562, Omura Sumitada, the lord of Nagasaki, approved propagation of Christianity.
Missionaries did the propagation activities of Christianity.
However, people did not accept.
The missionary distributed sweets and got together people.
And they built the hospital and the orphanage and managed for nothing.
“Love your neighbor”
Christianity spread.
Christian increased by about 320,000 people.
The 1590s, the dispatch of troops to Korea by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The one girl was brought from Korea.
She became an adopted daughter of Konishi Yukinaga (Hideyoshi’s subordinate).
She was named “Ota Julia”.
Konishi Yukinaga was a Christian.
He helped a poor person.
She also became a Christian.
1600 ,Tokugawa Ieyasu won the Battle of Sekigahara and unified Japan.
Konishi Yukinaga was executed.
Ota Julia was taken prisoner.
She was beautiful.
She became Ieyasu’s handmaiden.
Ieyasu had a thing for her.
Ieyasu took her anywhere.
An incident in which 40 Japanese are killed by Portuguese occurred.
The rumor spread.
“A Christianity missionary is an aggressor’s instrument.”
1612, Tokugawa Ieyasu issued a ban on Christianity.
Ota Julia was told to abandon Christianity.
She refused it.
She was exiled to distant island.
She walked barefoot like Christ to the harbor.
1637, 37000 farmers fought for freedom of religion in Nagasaki.
37000 farmers were altogether destroyed.
It seemed that Christianity was exterminated.
1639,the shogunate closed country.
1854, The Shogunate accepted the arrival in port of the foreign ship.
And Only the foreigner was allowed religious freedom.
About 230 years from Christian oppression,
1865, the church was built in Nagasaki.
Several villagers have called at a church.
They said like this.
Where is image of the Virgin Mary?
They worshipped the “image of the Virgin Mary” for the first time.
Almost all villagers were Christian.
For 230 years, they hid and have believed in Christianity.
1873, allowed religious freedom.
People were glad.
August 9, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.
Urakami Cathedral was destroyed.
The wooden head of image of the Virgin Mary was found miraculously.
Then, the church was rebuilt and the Virgin Mary’s head was also displayed.
Now, “Churches and Christian Sites in Nagasaki” has been on Japan’s Tentative List of World Heritage Site.
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