#26 Martyrs of Nagasaki

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINTS OF THE DAY (February 6)

On February 6, the Catholic Church honors the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki, a group of native Japanese Catholics and foreign missionaries who suffered death for their faith in the year 1597.

During the 16th century, the Catholic faith reached Japan by the efforts of the Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552).

Jesuit outreach to the Japanese continued after his death and around 200,000 Japanese had entered the Church by 1587.

Religious tensions led to a period of persecution that year, during which many churches were destroyed and missionaries forced to work in secret.

But few episodes of martyrdom took place during this time, and within a decade, 100,000 more Japanese became Catholic despite the restrictions.

During 1593, Franciscan missionaries came to Japan from the Philippines by order of Spain's King Philip II.

These new arrivals gave themselves zealously to the work of charity and evangelism, but their presence disturbed a delicate situation between the Church and Japanese authorities.

Suspicion against Catholic missionaries grew when a Spanish ship was seized off the Japanese coast and found to be carrying artillery.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a powerful imperial minister, responded by sentencing 26 Catholics to death.

The group was comprised of three native Jesuits, six foreign Franciscans, and several lay Catholics including some children.

Sentenced to die by crucifixion and lancing, they first marched 600 miles to the city of Nagasaki.

During the journey, they underwent public torture meant to terrorize other Japanese believers in Christ.

But all of the 26 held out courageously, even singing the hymn of praise “Te Deum” when they arrived at the hill where they would be crucified.

Three of the best-known martyrs of Nagaki are Saints Paul Miki, John of Goto, and James Kisai.

Though none were priests, all were associated with the Jesuits: Miki was training for the priesthood, Kisai was a lay brother, and John of Goto was a catechist preparing to enter the order.

Paul Miki offered an especially strong witness to his faith during the group's month-long march to Nagasaki, as he joined one of the captive Franciscan priests in preaching to the crowds who came to mock the prisoners.

The son of a wealthy military leader, Miki was born in 1562 and entered the Church along with the rest of his family.

He joined the Jesuits as a young man and helped many Buddhists to embrace Christianity.

His last act of evangelism took place as he hung on his cross, preaching to the crowds.

“The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ,” he announced. “I thank God it is for this reason that I die. I believe that I am telling the truth before I die.”

“After Christ's example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.”

St. Paul Miki and his 25 companions were stabbed to death with lances on 5 February 1597, at the site that became known as “Martyrs' Hill.”

The Martyrs of Nagasaki were beatified by Pope Urban VIII on 14 September 1627 and canonized by Pope Pius IX on 8 June 1862.

[whencyclopedia]

In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians: A Story of Suppression, Secrecy and Survival

“In Search of Japan’s Hidden Christians” documents the arrival, flourishing, stifling, and eventual prohibition of the Christian faith in Japan's Edo period. It was survived only through those known as “Kakure Kirishitans” (Hidden Christians), whose secret ceremonies and home-grown rituals persevere even today.

Dougill writes about the history of Christianity in Japan writ large, before focusing more precisely on the history of Hidden Christians and their existence today. There is much for both the casual reader and the academic to enjoy here, as the author interweaves his own perspectives and experiences (particularly those he had while traveling in Japan to research the topic) into the narrative. Dougill leaves little room for interpretation as he explains his thoughts and emotions throughout the book, which may sometimes conflict with the reader’s own. As such, the book reads as more a journey of the author's understanding of the topic, factually and emotionally, rather than the work of an impartial academic who seeks nothing but the cold truth without a hint of bias.

Chapters One and Two chart the arrival of the first Jesuit missionaries, the difficulties they initially faced, and the eventual conversion of some Japanese people. Chapter Three shows the reader that the Christian faith experienced some significant success in its early days, as the missionaries found favour with then Shogun Oda Nobunaga. However, in Chapter Four, we see a shift as the Christian faith that was spreading throughout the nation was seen as a potential threat by the new shogun, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and expulsion edicts were put in place. Chapters Five and Six are about the intensification of the prohibition of the faith, as well as persecution, including the crucifixion of the 26 Martyrs at Nagasaki.

Then, in Chapters Seven and Eight, the Shimabara Rebellion is explained, as well as some of the circumstances that came about after the incident such as how the Christians would attempt to hide their religious symbols in plain sight. Chapter Nine is dedicated to Endo Shusaku and his widely-known work Silence, which leads into Chapter Ten, where the history of the faith in Japan is harboured and sometimes transformed by Japanese thought in the Goto Islands, off Kyushu. Chapter Eleven explains the Dutch connection in Nagasaki and how some of the first Hidden Christians started to emerge into public view as the country began to open itself up to the world after its period of isolationism. Finally, Chapter Twelve explains the Protestant and Catholic connections to the country a bit more and reveals to the reader that the Hidden Christians of Japan were more akin to a Japanese folk religion rather than the Christianity that first arrived on their shores. Additionally, the book includes a short bibliography, as well as many images of what Dougill writes throughout the book which helps to lend a sense of realism to what can sometimes feel like an otherwordly topic.

While Dougill, who currently teaches British Culture at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, at times shows a limited understanding of Christian doctrine, the discerning reader might be able to find what the author misses through his discourse. Regardless, this book is a fascinating tale of hope amongst harrowing circumstances and the determination of the human spirit, and anyone who seeks to learn more about this little-known part of Japan’s history should see this book as a window into a much larger world.

For those wishing to look further into this topic, Ann M. Harrington's Japan's Hidden Christians (1993) which, written from a Catholic point of view, focuses more on the beliefs of Hidden Christians may be of interest. Some more contemporary analyses are Kirk Sandvig's Hidden Christians in Japan: Breaking the Silence (2019) and Christal Whelan's documentary Otaiya: Japan's Hidden Christians. Finally, The Beginning of Heaven and Earth: The Sacred Book of Japan's Hidden Christians, written by Hidden Christians during their years of persecution and edited and translated by Christal Whelan, would give the reader an insight into the beliefs that these particular Christians held and regale the reader with Bible stories with intrinsically Japanese themes.

Continue reading...

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT PAUL MIKI AND 26 COMPANIONS Feast Day: February 6

"I am not from the Philippines. I am a Japanese and a Jesuit Brother… Having arrived at this moment of my existence, I believe that no one of you thinks I want to hide the truth. That is why I have to declare to you that there is no other way of salvation than the one followed by Christians. Since this way teaches me to forgive my enemies and all who have offended me. I willingly forgive the king and all those who have desired my death. And I pray that they will obtain the desire of Christian baptism." -St. Paul Miki

The first martyr of Japan, Paul Miki was born to a wealthy Japanese family circa 1562 in Settsu, Osaka Prefecture in Kansai region. At a young age, he entered the Society of Jesus and preached the Gospel successfully.

The church had been implanted in Japan fifty years earlier, and counted over 200,000 Christians. In 1588, the Emperor claimed that he was 'God,' and ordered all Christian missionaries to leave the country within six months. Some of them obeyed, but Paul and many others remained secretly behind.

In 1597, Paul was discovered and arrested along with twenty-five companions. They endured tortures and derision through several towns, with their left ears cut off, before being taken to Nagasaki. After making their confession, they were fastened to their crosses, with iron collars around their necks.

Their valor and bravery were wonderful to behold. They gave thanks to God by singing Psalms 25 and repeating: 'Into your hands, Lord, I entrust my life.'

Standing in the noblest pulpit of the cross, Paul said to the people: 'I am a Japanese by birth, and a Jesuit by vocation. I am dying for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I do gladly pardon the Emperor, and all who have sought my death. I beg them to seek baptism and be Christians themselves.'

Then, four executioners unsheathed their spears and killed all of them in a short time. Their faces were serene, while they kept repeating: 'Jesus, Mary!'

On June 8, 1862, Pope Pius IX canonized him and his twenty-five companions.

[silvestromedia]

SAINTS SEPTEMBER 19 "There is only one tragedy in this life, not to have been a saint."- Leon Bloy

Bl. Thomas Akafuji, Roman Catholic Japanese martyr. A Japanese nobleman and devoted Christian, Thomas served as catechist to Blessed Leonard Kimura until his arrest by government authorities. Condemned for being a Christian, he was burned alive at Nagasaki. Feastday Sept 19

St. Theodore of Tarsus, 690 A.D. Archbishop of Canterbury, England, and a memorable figure in the English Church. A native of Tarsus, Turkey, he was a Greek by descent. After studying in Tarsus and Athens, Greece, he went to Rome, where he became so respected that Pope St. Vitalian (r. 657-672) appointed him to succeed to the see of Canterbury in 667. After receiving consecration on March 26, 668, he set out for England in the company of Sts. Dominic Biscop and Hadrian the African, both of whom were to provide assistance and helped guarantee that Theodore's administration remained entirely orthodox. They arrived at Canterbury in May 669 and Theodore moved immediately to consolidate his position as primate of England and the metropolitan status of the see of Canterbury. To promote further unity, he convened two synods, at Hereford in 673 and at Hatfield in 680. Such was the success of his programs that the Venerable Bede wrote that Theodore was "the first archbishop obeyed by all the English Church."

St. Januarius, Roman Catholic bishop of Benevento during the Emperor Diocletion persecution. Bishop Januarius went to visit two deacons and two laymen in prison. He was then also imprison along with his deacon and lector. They were thrown to the wild beasts, but when the animals did not attack them, they were beheaded. What is believed to be Januarius' blood is kept in Naples, as a relic. It liquifies and bubbles when exposed in the cathedral. Feastday Sept 19

St. Maria de Cerevellon, Superior of the Mercedarians, the order of Our Lady of Ransom, also called Maria de Socos, “Mary of Help.” Mary formed a group that evolved into the Mercedarians. She labored among the Christian slaves of the Moors, and she is the patroness of sailors in Spain. Maria died at Barcelona.

[urbanhermit]

Saint Paul Miki and Companions’ Story Nagasaki, Japan, is familiar to Americans as the city on which the second atomic bomb was dropped, immediately killing over 37,000 people. Three and a half centuries before, 26 martyrs of Japan were crucified on a hill, now known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking Nagasaki. Among them were priests, brothers, and laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits, and members of the Secular Franciscan Order; there were catechists, doctors, simple artisans, and servants, old men, and innocent children—all united in a common faith and love for Jesus and his Church. Brother Paul Miki, a Jesuit and a native of Japan, has become the best known among the martyrs of Japan. While hanging upon a cross, Paul Miki preached to the people gathered for the execution: “The sentence of judgment says these men came to Japan from the Philippines, but I did not come from any other country. I am a true Japanese. The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason I die. I believe that I am telling only the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ’s example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.” When missionaries returned to Japan in the 1860s, at first they found no trace of Christianity. But after establishing themselves they found that thousands of Christians lived around Nagasaki and that they had secretly preserved the faith. Beatified in 1627, the martyrs of Japan were finally canonized in 1862. - Franciscan Media I lived for almost two years in Japan in the early 1970s, while assigned to the US Army Drug & Alcohol Suppression Activity (Impact Center). With two other former minor seminarians, we would often attend local Masses in the community. The parishes were always warm & welcoming to us. In the last picture, you can see two of the tiles on the wall in my home oratory. https://www.instagram.com/p/CoU2fBQr8Yx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[maertyrer]

Asian School The martyrdom of the Franciscans on a beach

Painting on canvas, 58 x 81 cm, 18th century

[clementianos-blog]

Fun fact: Japan has a strong Catholic history and actually has insanely holy ground, blessed by the blood of many martyrs (including some very famous ones in Nagasaki). There was also a very famous and Church-approved apparition of Our Lady in which a statue of Mary bled real human blood and cried real human tears which were confirmed in double-blind testing. This happened at different times for several years. Our Lady of Akita also gave messages that are, again, officially approved by the local Bishop, who is always the deciding voice on whether apparitions are Church-approved. This makes the apparition officially Church-approved.

This isn't exactly what the person was asking, but it is interesting to note that while Christianity isn't very common in Japan, it does have a rich and extensive history with it. God is definitely at work in Japan, and the Japanese people seem to recognize Catholicism as the True Christian Faith, even when they aren't themselves Christian.

Also, I've always thought it was so sweet that Sailor Moon (Usagi) appears to finally get married to Mamoru in a Catholic Church in the last scene of the manga. It even has a St. Damiano Cross in the background.

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/26-martyrs-of-nagasaki

Robin do you have any thoughts on Christian religious themes/imagery in Japanese storytelling? I watched enough of Tristamp before getting locked out of Hulu (lol) to pick up on the themes and imagery and now I'm reading FMA and I'm seeing it there too, and like... I'm all for it, it's very interesting, I'm just curious as to why that seems to be rather pervasive in this genre (are Trigun and FMA even the same genre...?) and if you have any Thoughts... bc if anyone was going to have something to say on the topic, it would be you my friend :)

HIIII THANKS FOR THE QUESTION <333

short answer: I don't know! I would like to find out too!

longer answer: okay I'm gonna generalize for a second, so please know none of this is true for Everyone In Japan, thank you. But Christianity is a minority religion in Japan (under 2 percent of Japanese people are Christian). It's not unknown—some Western Christian customs, such as celebrating Christmas, have trickled into Japanese culture over time, plus Christian art is widely appreciated in Japan—but most Japanese people don't know the actual doctrines of Christianity. Christianity as a practice simply is not that relevant in wide Japanese culture, so it doesn't appear that much in Japanese culture based anime as a whole.

Christian themed anime: some anime, of course, such as Blue Exorcist or Trigun, are explicitly themed around Christianity, but that's a subgroup, not typical of anime as a whole. I think that what you're seeing of the presence of Christian themes/imagery in anime is kind of... confirmation bias? Both of our friend groups have a lot of Christian presence, and of course we both tend to gravitate toward stories that deal with faith, and we tend to talk out loud about elements that are subtextual in the original work (Trigun is HEAVILY Christian coded, but isn't like, Christian Fiction TM the way Christian Fiction TM happens as a consumer culture thing in America, whereas Blue Exorcist doesn't actually present a typical or complete Christian worldview, just uses demons as generic monsters). I don't think I can speak to anime as a whole, but I don't think Christianity is either overrepresented or underrepresented there compared to the interest in Christianity in Japanese culture. shrug!!

short note about genres: FMA and Trigun are both under the (huge) umbrella of "shōnen" (boys') anime/manga. FMA is a pretty standard, if unusually sophisticated, shōnen adventure story; it was serialized in Monthly Shōnen Gangan. Trigun is specifically "DEEP SPACE PLANET FUTURE GUN ACTION!!" (that's the official uh. description.) it's a sci-fi western :] it was originally serialized as "Trigun" in Monthly Shōnen Captain, but it's meant for a more mature audience, as is clear from its subsequent publication as "Trigun Maximum" in Shōnen Gahosha's seinen manga magazine Young King OURs. Seinen is like shōnen, but marketed towards young adult men instead of boys and teens.

about the authors: Yasuhiro Nightow, author of Trigun, was apparently raised Catholic. So that's where the Christian imagery and themes in Trigun comes from! I don't know much about FMA's author (Arakawa Hiromu), but I know that it's themed around historical European "alchemy" and the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins, with the ideas of "nature", "God / Divinity", and so on, all of which are of course historically intertwined with that era's interpretations of Christianity. So obviously it's easy to apply Christian ideas to FMA's themes.

more information and a link to a good source under the cut :]

source: "A Little Faith: Christianity and the Japanese" by Ishikawa Akito, associate professor at Momoyama Gakuin University, where he teaches religion and war studies. 

[anastpaul]

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, “Sedes Sapientia” – Heilige Maagd Maria van Leuven / Our Lady of Louvain, Belgium (1444) and Memorials of the Saints - 6 February

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, “Sedes Sapientia” – Heilige Maagd Maria van Leuven / Our Lady of Louvain, Belgium (1444) and Memorials of the Saints – 6 February

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany “Sedes Sapientia” – Heilige Maagd Maria van Leuven / Our Lady of Louvain, Belgium (1444) – 6 February:HERE:https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/06/our-lady-of-louvain-belgium-1444-sedes-sapientia-and-memorials-of-the-saints-6-february/ St Paul Miki SJ (1564/65-1597) & Companions/Martyrs of Nagasaki – 26 saints (Memorial)Their…

[divinesilverdingo]

I think the church needs some way to honor those killed in the Urakami Cathedral in Japan when we bombed Nagasaki.

Not only was it the Sunday before the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, but Urakami is also important to Christian History in Japan. There's a monument to the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki, and I think there should be something to honor the uncounted dead of Urakami Cathedral.

[jasper1chad]

Four weeks ago, I uploaded a short Nagasaki slideshow entitled "Nagasaki 75". It's on my YouTube Channel (Discovering Nagasaki from a Local).

Here are the descriptions for all 75 photos on this slideshow.

1 Peace Park

2 Dejima Wharf

3 Suwa Temple

4 Hirado Bridge

5 Cherry Blossoms (Sakura)

6 Iojima Ferry

7 Unzen

8 Tall Ship Festival

9 Hirado Castle

10 Iris (Hanashobu)

11 Inasayama

12 Nagasaki Harbor

13 Urakami Church

14 Sasebo Bridge

15 Hydrangea (Ajisai)

16 Suzuta Valley

17 Goto Ferry

18 26 Martyrs Shrine

19 Nagasaki Lantern Festival

20 Wisteria (Fuji)

21 Nagasaki Tram

22 Nagasaki Obon

23 Sonogi Tea/Rice Farm

24 Shimabara Castle

25 Spider Lily (Higanbana) & Butterfly 26 Inasa Tower

27 Hasami Pottery

28 Goto Beach

29 Yosakoi

30 Bougainvillea (Bugenbiria)

31 Dragon Boat

32 Huis Ten Bosch

33 Magame Bridge (Nagasaki)

34 Glover Garden View

35 Narcissus (Suisen)

36 Omura Park

37 Meganebashi (Isahaya)

38 Iojima Beach

39 Suzuta Market

40 Magnolia (Mokuren)

41 Nagasaki Art Museum

42 Rytosen Waterfall

43 Nagasaki Station

44 Nakaojo Park Bridge

45 Snow Willow (Yukiyanagi)

46 26 Martyrs Church

47 Azalea Park (Omura)

48 Busharito

49 Nagasaki Chinatown

50 Cosmos (Kozumosu)

51 Kayaze Dam

52 Nagasaki Sea Festival

53 Sakyoji Temple

54 Obama Harbor

55 Crape Myrtle (Sarusuberi)

56 Omura Boat Race

57 Nagasaki Okunchi

58 Nagasaki Canal

59 Catamaran Ferry

60 Daffodil (Rappa Suisen)

61 Lantern Festival Acrobats

62 Nagasaki Airport

63 Nagasaki Buddha Statue

64 Local Fishing Harbor in Shimabara

65 Yaezakura

66 Fugen Dake

67 Nagasaki Cruise Ship

68 Nodake

69 Cosmos Stadium (Isahaya)

70 Pumpkin & Moth

71 Glover Garden Building

72 Meganebashi (Nagasaki)

73 Nagasaki Harbor (Mt. Inasa view)

74 Suzuta Rice Harvest

75 Plum (Ume) & Mejiro Bird

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINTS OF THE DAY (February 6)

On February 6, the Catholic Church honors the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki, a group of native Japanese Catholics and foreign missionaries who suffered death for their faith in the year 1597.

During the 16th century, the Catholic faith reached Japan by the efforts of the Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552).

Jesuit outreach to the Japanese continued after his death and around 200,000 Japanese had entered the Church by 1587.

Religious tensions led to a period of persecution during that year, to which many churches were destroyed and missionaries forced to work in secret.

But few episodes of martyrdom took place during this time, and within a decade, 100,000 more Japanese became Catholic despite the restrictions.

During 1593, Franciscan missionaries came to Japan from the Philippines by order of Spain's King Philip II.

These new arrivals gave themselves zealously to the work of charity and evangelism, but their presence disturbed a delicate situation between the Church and Japanese authorities.

Suspicion against Catholic missionaries grew when a Spanish ship was seized off the Japanese coast and found to be carrying artillery.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a powerful imperial minister, responded by sentencing 26 Catholics to death.

The group was comprised of three native Jesuits, six foreign Franciscans, and several lay Catholics including some children.

Sentenced to die by crucifixion and lancing, they were first marched 600 miles to the city of Nagasaki.

During the journey, they underwent public torture meant to terrorize other Japanese believers in Christ.

However, all of the 26 held out courageously, even singing the hymn of praise, “Te Deum,” when they arrived at the hill where they would be crucified.

Three of the best-known martyrs of Nagaki are Saints Paul Miki, John of Goto, and James Kisai.

Though none were priests, all were associated with the Jesuits:

Miki was training for the priesthood, while Kisai was a lay brother and John of Goto was a catechist preparing to enter the order.

Paul Miki offered an especially strong witness to his faith during the group's month-long march to Nagasaki, as he joined one of the captive Franciscan priests in preaching to the crowds who came to mock the prisoners.

The son of a wealthy military leader, Miki was born in 1562 and entered the Church along with the rest of his family.

He joined the Jesuits as a young man and helped many Buddhists to embrace Christianity.

His last act of evangelism took place as he hung on his cross, preaching to the crowds.

“The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ,” he announced.

“I thank God it is for this reason that I die. I believe that I am telling the truth before I die.”

“After Christ's example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.”

Paul Miki and his 25 companions were stabbed to death with lances on 5 February 1597 at the site that became known as “Martyrs' Hill.”

Pope Pius IX canonized the Martyrs of Nagasaki in 1862.

[teetwo-san]

J37 : charité chrétienne

Il pleut des cordes à Nagasaki. Je suis arrivé trempé jusqu'aux os à l'église Saint-Philippe. C'est l'un des 26 martyrs chrétiens du Japon en 1597 (ils furent crucifiés). La majorité d'entre eux étaient des Japonais.

Me voyant ainsi, cette gentille dame m'a fait cadeau de son parapluie. Elle ne parlait que le japonais et moi un mélange d'anglais et de français. J'ai cru comprendre qu'elle évoquait Bernadette de Lourdes.

Ces échanges n'ont pas de prix, le parapluie est inestimable.

[crystal-in-nagasaki]

more of nagasaki city: glover garden and teramachi

At the end of March, I made another trip to Nagasaki city with a friend to explore more of the city and see some places I had yet to visit. 

First, we visited Glover Garden. As I said before, Nagasaki city was a center of trade with other countries during the Edo period while the rest of the country was closed, which brought with it a lot of foreign influence, especially from China and Europe. Glover Garden is a large area of land which once held the estates of several foreign businessmen and their families, including that of Thomas Blake Glover, Frederick Ringer, and William Alt. These men were merchants from Scotland and England who lived and did business in Nagasaki in the late 1800s. Glover is well regarded in Nagasaki for helping develop its shipbuilding and mining industries, among many other interests. Japan loves theme parks, so when the estates eventually passed hands from the men’s descendants, the land they were built on became a site for tourism. Glover’s residence is now recognized as the oldest Western style house still standing in Japan. 

At Glover Garden, you can explore the three homes, which are mostly preserved and still filled with furniture reminiscent of the time it was built. The houses themselves were designed by a Japanese architect, but combine styles of both Japanese and British architecture, and closely resemble the bungalows built in China and India by British traders. (I neglected to take pictures of the estates, but here’s a stock photo of the Glover residence, which was a very beautiful building):

The grounds of Glover Garden are set on a hillside overlooking the bay and shipyard. At the time, I found the shipyard to be a nuisance and disrupted the beautiful view, but reflecting on it now, Glover probably would have been proud to be able to view the shipyard he helped to build from his own estate, so now I find that it just adds to the charm of the place. 

There were a few other buildings and monuments scattered around the park. Some buildings had exhibits which teach you about the families that lived there and the history of foreign trade in Nagasaki. 

There was a fountain dedicated to Nagasaki’s underground Christians, some of which were crucified by the government in 1597 after Christianity was outlawed. Those that were crucified are known as the 26 Martyrs of Japan. This fountain uses symbolism to represent the struggles of the underground Christians and memorializes their struggle and perseverance. 

Glover’s house has also been nicknamed the “Madame Butterfly House,” after the opera of the same name by Giacomo Puccini. The opera centers around a foreign merchant who lives in Nagasaki and marries a Japanese woman, but then leaves her behind to find a new wife in the US. At the end of the play, the Japanese wife commits suicide out of grief. The opera is considered one of the top ten best operas of all time, though in modern times it has been criticized for its themes of Orientalism. Both Puccini and Miura Tamaki, a popular singer who starred as Madame Butterfly in the Japanese production, are memorialized as statues in the gardens. 

(image source)

As you can see, Glover Gardens provides a rich look into Nagasaki’s history with foreign trade, religion, and culture. I originally thought it would just be a nice place to walk through and look at pretty buildings, but I am so grateful for all that I was able to learn about Nagasaki’s history with foreign merchants. 

After leaving Glover Garden, my friend and I headed down a street of tourist shops, which is where we found the Castella Shrine. Arguably Nagasaki city’s most famous souvenir is castella, a kind of sponge cake based on the Portuguese bolo de castela, introduced during foreign trade with Portuguese merchants in the 16th century . Almost weekly, I walk into the tea room at my schools to find boxes of castella brought back by coworkers to share with the office (souvenir culture is huge in Japan, and people are expected to bring something back for their coworkers whenever they go on a trip). Needless to say, castella is a big deal for Nagasaki and you can find it in every single tourist shop. 

Castella is so popular in fact that this particular gift shop has deified castella and installed a shrine inside the tourist shop complete with red torii gates. Surrounding the shrine are also various castella-themed goods. Before you ask, yes I threw money into the box and prayed to the castella gods. But I guess my prayers were in vain, because I also purchased a castella love fortune, which told me I was doomed to die alone. At least I have my castella to keep me company on my deathbed. 

Anyway, ignoring my impending doom, we spent the rest of the day exploring the various shrines and temples of the Teramachi district. We first visited Yasaka shrine and Kiyomizu temple, which are modeled after shrines of the same names in Kyoto. We payed our respects and climbed up the many steps to see a lovely view of the city. Behind the temple buildings we also found a small graveyard with very old graves, so old that the names had all corroded away. I remember thinking what a peaceful place it was to rest eternally, up on the quiet hill with such a lovely view. 

Next we headed onward to the Sofuku-ji and Daiko-ji temples. These were commissioned by Chinese monks who came to Nagasaki in the 1600s and feature traditional Chinese temple architecture. One of the temple buildings was dedicated to a goddess of the sea, who helped many Chinese merchants and buddhists sail to Japan safely. In another building, there were statues of gods and their servants which you could pray to. A plaque nearby read that inside the statues there are even internal organs made from cloth. I was amazed at the detail put into creating statues dedicated to their deities. There was also a huge cauldron on display, which was used to provide rice gruel to the hungry when a famine struck Nagasaki in the 1600s.

Next we moved on to the Daion-ji temple. This temple was quite striking in that the temple building was mostly white in color. We could tell they were planning for an upcoming event, because they had signs and statues of white elephants ridden by turban-wearing men, but after researching online I sadly couldn’t find any information about the event. 

The Daion-ji temple boasts of a large gingko tree, designated a historical monument by the city, reaching 20m tall and 300 years old. Seeing signs indicating the existence of such a magnificent tree, my friend and I began to climb some steps toward where we believed the tree was. In actuality we discovered behind Teramachi a huge sprawling cemetery that stretched well up the mountain and as far as the eye could see in either direction. We continued heading up and found ourselves lost among the graves. They were bought out as family plots in small “cubicles” and some of the fancier ones had benches and decorations inside in addition to the graves themselves. We wandered around the graves for a while and it was quite peaceful and quiet. Again I felt that it was a lovely place to be at rest, high on the hill. 

Eventually we made our way back down and found that the gingko tree was actually right behind the temple and we had climbed our way up through the graves for nothing. The tree itself was....a tree. But its size was still impressive and it was said to have survived the atomic bomb, so its resilience was remarkable. 

Around Nagasaki city. many stray cats can be found, nicknamed “mawari neko” for their bent tails. We ran into some cats hanging around the graves on our way back down to the street and they were really friendly and cute. 

We continued on down the street, but unfortunately most temples close at 5, so we arrived at the next set of temple gates just as they were being closed for the day, shutting us firmly out. But don’t worry, I came back to see many more temples for the Nagasaki stamp rally, so stay tuned to learn more about Nagasaki’s many lovely temples and shrines.

I hope you found Nagasaki city’s deep cultural history to be as interesting as I did. Thanks as always for reading and I look forward to sharing more of my adventures!

[silvestromedia]

SAINTS AND MARTYRS for September 19

St. Januarius, Roman Catholic bishop of Benevento during the Emperor Diocletion persecution. Bishop Januarius went to visit two deacons and two laymen in prison. He was then also imprisoned along with his deacon and lector. They were thrown to the wild beasts, but when the animals did not attack them, they were beheaded. What is believed to be Januarius' blood is kept in Naples, as a relic. It liquifies and bubbles when exposed in the cathedral. Feastday Sept 19

Bl. Thomas Akafuji, Roman Catholic Japanese martyr. A Japanese nobleman and devoted Christian, Thomas served as catechist to Blessed Leonard Kimura until his arrest by government authorities. Condemned for being a Christian, he was burned alive at Nagasaki. Feastday Sept 19

St. Theodore of Tarsus, 690 A.D. Archbishop of Canterbury, England, and a memorable figure in the English Church. A native of Tarsus, Turkey, he was a Greek by descent. After studying in Tarsus and Athens, Greece, he went to Rome, where he became so respected that Pope St. Vitalian (r. 657-672) appointed him to succeed to the see of Canterbury in 667. After receiving consecration on March 26, 668, he set out for England in the company of Sts. Dominic Biscop and Hadrian the African, both of whom were to provide assistance and helped guarantee that Theodore's administration remained entirely orthodox. They arrived at Canterbury in May 669 and Theodore moved immediately to consolidate his position as primate of England and the metropolitan status of the see of Canterbury. To promote further unity, he convened two synods, at Hereford in 673 and at Hatfield in 680. Such was the success of his programs that the Venerable Bede wrote that Theodore was "the first archbishop obeyed by all the English Church."

St. Maria de Cerevellon, Superior of the Mercedarians, the order of Our Lady of Ransom, also called Maria de Socos, “Mary of Help.” Mary formed a group that evolved into the Mercedarians. She labored among the Christian slaves of the Moors, and she is the patroness of sailors in Spain. Maria died at Barcelona.

[wolfie-japan]

Nagasaki holds a lot of history for Christians in Japan.  Christianity was expelled from Japan during the Edo Period.  This monument is to 26 Catholic martyrs who were executed.

[fiestalonia]

#Spain is a country that feeds creativity! 50 years ago, the Japanese architect Kenji Imai visited Barcelona, and inspired by the Holy Family Temple, he created something similar in Nagasaki - the Church of 26 martyrs. #Fiestalonia invites you to get acquainted with this amazing country and take part in the #competition: https://fiestalonia.net/ #Fiestalonia #contest #music #performance #trip #forkids #folkdance #ballet #singing #jazz #pop #theater #artists #international