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26 Martyrs of Japan
16th-century Catholics executed in Japan; made into martyrs and saints / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 26 Martyrs of Japan (Japanese: 日本二十六聖人, Hepburn: Nihon Nijūroku Seijin) were a group of Catholics who were executed by crucifixion on February 5, 1597, in Nagasaki, Japan. Their martyrdom is especially significant in the history of the Catholic Church in Japan.
26 Martyrs of Japan | |
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![]() 26 Martyrs of Japan Memorial in Nagasaki | |
Martyrs | |
Died | 5 February 1597 Nagasaki, Japan |
Venerated in | Catholic Church Anglican Church Lutheran Church |
Beatified | 14 September 1627, Vatican City by Pope Urban VIII |
Canonized | 8 June 1862 by Pope Pius IX |
Feast | 6 February |
Attributes | Martyr's palm Cross |
Patronage | Japan, persecuted Christians |
A promising beginning to Catholic missions in Japan – with perhaps as many as 300,000 Catholics by the end of the 16th century – met complications from competition between the missionary groups, political difficulty between Portugal and Spain and factions within the government of Japan. Christianity was suppressed and it was during this time that the 26 martyrs were executed. By 1630, Catholicism had been driven underground. When Christian missionaries returned to Japan 250 years later, they found a community of "hidden Catholics" that had survived underground.