Urakami Yoban Kuzure
Encyclopedia
was the last and biggest of four crackdowns on Christians
in Urakami
Village, Nagasaki
, Japan
.
Christianity
was prohibited in Japan for 259 years, from 1614 after the Catholic Church had been seen to become a threat - Nagasaki had grown prosperous through trade with Portugal
, local lords and their minions had converted, and tracts of land had been donated to the Church. Urakami Village was one of the areas that had been donated. The first three of the crackdowns there were minor incidents, however the last, the Urakami Yoban Kuzure in 1869 (the second year of Meiji
), was severe.
It was trigged by the rebaptism of “Secret Christians
” who had been discovered by a French Padre, Father Petit Jean. Under the Tokugawa Shogunate
everyone had to belong to a Buddhist temple to prove that they were not Christian. Those who were found to be Christian were tortured for information on other Christians and then executed. So, the discovery of one Secret Christian usually led to a number of them being executed. A small group of Secret Christians confessed their true beliefs to Father Petit Jean at the recently completed Ōura Catholic Church
. They were found to have drifted from Catholic doctrine over their 250 years in hiding and therefore deemed in need of rebaptism
. This meant renouncing their Buddhist faith and in so doing directly challenging the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Nagasaki Magistrate decided to arrest the whole village. In the early hours of the 4th of June 1867 the crackdown began with 170 officers arresting and torturing 68 residents of Urakami and trying to force conversions out of them. This led to protests from foreign consuls, and the Tokugawa Shogunate kowtowed. However, soon after Tokugawa Shogunate ended and in February 1868 the new Meiji government appointed Sawa Nobuyoshi in charge of public order in Kyūshū
. His dislike of all things foreign was well known, and, after consultation, he decided to deal with the problem once and for all. His plan to exile the entire village was approved by an Imperial council on 25th of April and implemented in two stages: first the ringleaders to Hagi
, Tsuwano
and Fukuyama
, and then the rest of the village. Families were split up, and in total 3,414 Christian men, women, and children were sent into exile to all over Japan: 500 to Kanazawa
, 160 to Tsuwano, 150 to Satsuma
, 117 to Tsuru Shima
, Okayama, etc.
While their fate, after being exiled, appears to have depended much on the local magistrates, wardens, etc., forced labor and forced conversions were the norm. About 680 or 20% of them died during their internment in various penal colonies. Religious freedom was finally granted in 1873 and the prohibition on Christianity was lifted allowing the internees to return to Urakami.
As recently as 2008 ecclesiastical guidance was given in an effort to help overcome the “unrelenting criticism” suffered by apostates and their descendants.
Kirishitan
, from Portuguese cristão, referred to Roman Catholic Christians in Japanese and is used as a historiographic term for Roman Catholics in Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries. Christian missionaries were known as bateren or iruman...
in Urakami
Urakami
Urakami was an area in the northern part of the city of Nagasaki. It is the exact ground zero where the atomic bomb exploded on August 9, 1945. It is the site of Urakami Cathedral, which was the largest cathedral in East Asia before it was destroyed by the bomb and then rebuilt.-External links:...
Village, Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
was prohibited in Japan for 259 years, from 1614 after the Catholic Church had been seen to become a threat - Nagasaki had grown prosperous through trade with Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, local lords and their minions had converted, and tracts of land had been donated to the Church. Urakami Village was one of the areas that had been donated. The first three of the crackdowns there were minor incidents, however the last, the Urakami Yoban Kuzure in 1869 (the second year of Meiji
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
), was severe.
It was trigged by the rebaptism of “Secret Christians
Kakure Kirishitan
is a modern term for a member of the Japanese Catholic Church that went underground after the Shimabara Rebellion in the 1630s.-History:Kakure Kirishitans are called the "hidden" Christians because they continued to practice Christianity in secret. They worshipped in secret rooms in private homes...
” who had been discovered by a French Padre, Father Petit Jean. Under the Tokugawa Shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
everyone had to belong to a Buddhist temple to prove that they were not Christian. Those who were found to be Christian were tortured for information on other Christians and then executed. So, the discovery of one Secret Christian usually led to a number of them being executed. A small group of Secret Christians confessed their true beliefs to Father Petit Jean at the recently completed Ōura Catholic Church
Ōura Church
is a Roman Catholic church in Nagasaki, Japan, built soon after the end of the Japanese government's Seclusion Policy in 1853. It is also known as the Church of the 26 Japanese Martyrs...
. They were found to have drifted from Catholic doctrine over their 250 years in hiding and therefore deemed in need of rebaptism
Rebaptism
Rebaptism is associated with:* Anabaptism, from Greek ἀνα- and βαπτίζω * Rebaptism in Mormonism* Insistence on believer's baptism as in Baptist traditions* Some Pentecostal churches....
. This meant renouncing their Buddhist faith and in so doing directly challenging the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Nagasaki Magistrate decided to arrest the whole village. In the early hours of the 4th of June 1867 the crackdown began with 170 officers arresting and torturing 68 residents of Urakami and trying to force conversions out of them. This led to protests from foreign consuls, and the Tokugawa Shogunate kowtowed. However, soon after Tokugawa Shogunate ended and in February 1868 the new Meiji government appointed Sawa Nobuyoshi in charge of public order in Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. His dislike of all things foreign was well known, and, after consultation, he decided to deal with the problem once and for all. His plan to exile the entire village was approved by an Imperial council on 25th of April and implemented in two stages: first the ringleaders to Hagi
Hagi, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan and was incorporated as a city on July 1, 1932. Formerly part of Abu District.On March 6, 2005, the former city of Hagi merged with the towns of Susa and Tamagawa, and the villages of Asahi, Fukue, Kawakami and Mutsumi to form the new city of Hagi.Iwami Airport...
, Tsuwano
Tsuwano, Shimane
is a town in Kanoashi District, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 8,878 and a density of 28.9 persons per km². The total area is 307.09 km²....
and Fukuyama
Fukuyama, Hiroshima
is a city located on the Ashida River in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.As of January 31, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 465,238 and a population density of 898.02 persons per km². The total area is 461.23 km². After Hiroshima City, it is the largest city in Hiroshima Prefecture...
, and then the rest of the village. Families were split up, and in total 3,414 Christian men, women, and children were sent into exile to all over Japan: 500 to Kanazawa
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...
, 160 to Tsuwano, 150 to Satsuma
Satsuma Province
was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Its abbreviation is Sasshū .During the Sengoku Period, Satsuma was a fief of the Shimazu daimyo, who ruled much of southern Kyūshū from their castle at Kagoshima city.In 1871, with the...
, 117 to Tsuru Shima
Tsuru Shima
is part of Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It is a small, uninhabited island located in the Inland Sea of Japan, hidden from the land by the much larger Kakuijima, and approximately 6 km off the border of Hyōgo and Okayama prefectures. During the early Meiji Period the island was used as a penal...
, Okayama, etc.
While their fate, after being exiled, appears to have depended much on the local magistrates, wardens, etc., forced labor and forced conversions were the norm. About 680 or 20% of them died during their internment in various penal colonies. Religious freedom was finally granted in 1873 and the prohibition on Christianity was lifted allowing the internees to return to Urakami.
As recently as 2008 ecclesiastical guidance was given in an effort to help overcome the “unrelenting criticism” suffered by apostates and their descendants.