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Did you know that the areas on the border between Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, including Yonekawa in Towa town, Tome city, the Okago area in Fujisawa town, Ichinoseki city, Iwate prefecture, and the Magome area in Motoyoshi town, Kesennuma city, were once "hidden Christian villages"
There are several places in Tohoku that are associated with Christianity, but this time we will talk about the hidden Christians of Tohoku, who remain to this day along with their horrific history. In this article, the first part will cover the spread of Christianity in the Tohoku region, northern Miyagi Prefecture (Tome City - Kesennuma City) and southern Iwate Prefecture (Fujisawa Town), and in the second part, we will use on-site interviews to talk about the history of the hidden Christians in the Tohoku region, southern Iwate Prefecture, and northern Miyagi Prefecture, and introduce the actual sites of martyrdom that we visited
What were people's beliefs before the Sengoku period?
Before we get into the story of the hidden Christians, we must first explain why Christianity spread in the island nation of Japan and what kind of religious beliefs existed in Japan in ancient times
Currently, Japan is home to a diverse mix of religious cultures, including Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity, but the origins of Japanese faith are Shinto , and since the Jomon period, Japanese people have sensed the presence of gods and have visited sacred places to pray.
Around the 6th century, Buddhism was introduced from the continent, and when it was first introduced, it had more of an academic element than a religion, and the teachings and knowledge gained from it were said to be reserved for the privileged classes, such as the emperor and aristocrats
The spread of Christianity in Japan
St. Francis Xavier
In 1549, during the Muromachi period, the Portuguese introduced firearms, and the times and the state of war were beginning to change dramatically. At this time, the Spanish Jesuit missionary, Francis Xavier, landed in Kagoshima
In 1550, Francis Xavier met with Shimazu Takahisa, accompanied by Anjiro, a native of Kagoshima. In November of the same year, he met with Ouchi Yoshitaka, the guardian lord of Suo Province (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture), and was given permission to preach Christianity. He then carried out missionary work in Hirado, Yamaguchi, and other places. At this time, Ouchi Yoshitaka bestowed upon him the first Christian church in Japan, Daido-ji Temple. *The name Daido-ji Temple means "Temple of the Great Path Leading to Heaven."
During his two-year stay, he baptized over 500 people, and in 1551, at the invitation of Otomo Yoshishige, he preached in Oita as well
In 1553, Funai Church (in Bungo Province, present-day Oita Prefecture) was established, and Christian missionary work and trade with the Portuguese came to be carried out together. The feudal lords of the Kyushu region protected Christianity in order to profit from trade with the Portuguese, and they themselves became believers and promoted Christianity to their people. From around 1573, the number of believers increased significantly
In 1587, the expulsion of missionaries was issued
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Order to Expel Missionaries (Order to Expel Christian Missionaries)
Later, during the reign of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he initially took the same stance as Nobunaga in tolerating Christianity, but in 1587, after conquering Kyushu, he announced restrictions on Christian missionary work
This law called for the expulsion of missionaries from the country, but foreigners (merchants) not involved in missionary work were allowed to enter and leave the country freely, and individuals were also permitted to practice Christianity. Daimyo were also allowed to convert to Christianity, except that they needed Hideyoshi's permission, but in reality, Christian daimyo Kuroda Yoshitaka (commonly known as Kuroda Kanbei) renounced his faith, and Takayama Ukon gave up his position for his faith
In 1612, the Tokugawa Shogunate issued a ban on Christianity
On March 21, 1612, the shogunate issued an edict banning Christianity in Sunpu, Edo, and Kyoto, ordering the destruction of churches and the prohibition of missionary work. As a result, Christianity, which was now banned, came to be called a heretical sect. However, at the time the edict was first issued, it is said that no thorough measures were taken because missionaries were deeply involved in trade with the West (particularly Portugal)
The oppression of Christianity began to intensify four years after the ban on Christianity was issued in 1612. It was around this time that the first isolationist order, the "Two Port Restriction Order" (an order restricting the arrival of ships from Europe to the ports of Nagasaki and Hirado), was issued. The Tokugawa Shogunate strictly prohibited Christianity, even to the lowest peasants
Furthermore, around the time of the Shimabara Rebellion in 1637 (a large-scale armed struggle against the Edo Shogunate, mainly led by peasants and Christians, which broke out in the Shimabara and Amakusa regions), the Shogunate began to thoroughly ban Christianity and crack down on Christians. The policy of national isolation was gradually strengthened, making it impossible for missionaries to enter Japan.
Christianity spreads to Tohoku
Uminazawa Sankyozuka, Towa-cho, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture
Why did Christianity spread in the Tohoku region, far from Kyushu? The answer lies largely in the local characteristics of what is now Towa Town, Tome City, and the Okago area of Fujisawa Town, Iwate Prefecture, as well as two brothers from Bitchu (now western Okayama Prefecture)
1558: Iron and steel production begins in the Fujisawa region of Iwate Prefecture and the Sanriku region of Miyagi Prefecture
Ogokoro Christian Martyrs Park
The area of present-day Towa Town, Tome City, Motoyoshi Town, Kesennuma City, and the Okago region of Fujisawa Town, Iwate Prefecture, is a region of high-quality mining, and was where Date Masamune encouraged iron production. In 1558, Chiba Tosa of Okago Senmatsu Daihachiro and Kohachiro , and iron production began using cutting-edge European technology at the time.
Led by the Sendai domain and engineer brothers Daihachiro and Kohachiro, the steelworks was called " Doya " and produced a variety of unique iron products. Iron produced in this area was used in the construction of Sendai Castle, and 2,400 kan (9,000 kg) was sent to Osaka Castle by order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, making iron an important product of the Sendai domain.
As mentioned above, the brothers Daihachiro and Kohachiro Senmatsu were devout Christians, and it is believed that missionary work began in this area
1610: Christian missionary work begins within the Sendai domain
Meanwhile, Date Masamune, the leader of the Tohoku region who had defeated the Satake and Ashina clans and whose power was growing rapidly, met with the Spaniard Luis Sotelo and allowed Sotelo to spread Christianity within the Sendai domain, while also planning trade with the Nanban region.
1613: The Keicho Mission to Europe crosses the sea in search of trade and progress with foreign countries
Statue of Hasekura Tsunenaga in Tsukiura
In 1613, Date Masamune's Keicho European Mission, led by Hasekura Tsunenaga, was sent to the King of Spain and the Pope with 190 other passengers, including Spanish ambassadors Vizcaino and Sotelo, to request direct trade with New Spain (Mexico) in exchange for permission to spread Christianity
Iwabuchi Hidenobu , lord of Fujisawa Castle in Iwai County, Mutsu Province, and baptized on Uku Island in the Goto Islands (present-day Nagasaki Prefecture), served Date Masamune, a Sengoku daimyo of Mutsu Province, through Hasekura Tsunenaga.As the brother-in-law of Goto Nobuyasu, he was granted 1,200 koku of land in the village of Miwake (present-day Fukuhara, Mizusawa, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture).He developed a close relationship with Calvary (a Portuguese Jesuit missionary who came to Japan in the early Edo period) and worked to spread the gospel in northern Senshu, including Esashi, Isawa, Tome, and Kurihara.At the same time, Gamou Ujisato, lord of the Aizu domain, was baptized at the recommendation of Takayama Ukon.
In 1612, the Edo Shogunate issued an edict banning Christianity and limited the ports of entry for Nanban ships to Hirado and Nagasaki. However, Date Masamune, who had been a strong protector of Christianity, ignored the edict even when it was first issued and continued to spread Christianity within his domain
1619: The ban on Christianity is strengthened nationwide
In 1619, the Spaniard Francisco Barayas (whose Japanese name was Magoemon) came to Sendai to preach, but in August of the same year, 52 Christians from Kyoto were burned at the stake at Shijo-gawara in Kyoto by order of Tokugawa Hidetada
The ban on Christianity, strengthened by Hidetada, also had an impact on the Tohoku region
1624: Full-scale ban on Christianity in the Tohoku region
In 1620, Hasekura Tsunenaga returned from Rome as part of a European mission, but was ordered to renounce his faith upon his return. Around this time, Date Masamune changed his policy of tolerance towards Christians and began oppressing Christians within his domain
Goto Juan, who served Date Masamune and built the Juan Weir, which still provides agricultural water to the Isawa Plain today, refused to convert and hid himself in the Nanbu clan
In the same year, 21 men and 11 women were burned at the stake at the Kubota execution grounds outside Akita Castle, and later, 15 Christians from Ogachi County were beheaded at the same execution ground, as were 19 Christians from Senboku County, Akita Domain (including 4 children), and two people were brutally murdered in Morioka.In 1627, the Aizu Domain also began full-scale executions of Christians
The "fumie" (stepping pictures) that you may have heard of in elementary and middle school were also invented and used around this time. This "fumie" was invented by the Nagasaki magistrate and began to be used in the Tohoku region around 1629
This led to even more intensified persecution of Christians, and in the following years, approximately 90 people in Aizu were burned at the stake or beheaded, and in 1635, more than 60 people, including missionaries, were hanged upside down on a cross, marking the start of a gruesome history of persecution of Christians in the Tohoku region
In 1636, the Sendai domain intensified its pursuit of Christians, and the shogunate issued a decree throughout the country stating that " no descendants of the Nanban people should be left behind, and that rewards will be given to those who file lawsuits against the Jesuits ," and exiled 287 mixed-race children of Nanban descent to Macau.
In the same year, Dejima in Nagasaki was completed and the Portuguese were quarantined
Executions and persecutions like those mentioned above were taking place all over the country. This caused widespread public discontent, which eventually led to the Shimabara Rebellion
However, the rebellion ended in victory for the shogunate, and the shogunate was so shocked by the scale and unity of the rebellion that it strengthened its policy of national isolation and further solidified its policy of thoroughly eradicating Christians
In 1639, the shogunate's isolation policy was complete
Reference books
A Study of the Persecution of Hidden Christians in Tohoku - Kazuyoshi Shigematsu
Christianity spreads in Tohoku, and the hidden Christian villages
I'm a member of the Neft editorial team. I love alcohol, music, and traveling, so I indulge in some drinks after work on weekdays, and on weekends, if I have free time, I travel to nearby areas. I work hard every day with the goal of eventually traveling overseas to find connections to Tohoku through NEFT reporting.
