Summary Of 1622: The Great Martyrdom

Before the Edicts, the Jesuits had made incredible progress. By 1582, Japan had about 250 Churches, over 200,000 converts and the numbers continued to grow. In 1610 the Catholic Church had about 300,000 Japanese converts and followers. (24) However, after Hideyoshi’s order to end all christian influence, the Japanese converts quickly began to disappear. In 1622 “The Great Martyrdom” took place. This was the execution of more than 50 christians. Children and parents were burned and beheaded. People were tortured and mutilated before coming to their death. (25) The recorded cases of deaths are very small compared to the actual number of people who were martyred. Most records only have numbers on the Europeans that were killed, not the ordinary people of Japan. Many tens of thousands lost their lives, and that does not include the countless number of people who were imprisoned, had their land confiscated or who were maimed because of their faith.

Between 1637 and 1638, several battles took place and the Japanese government eventually took control. Tens of thousands died in the massacre. “Women and children were not spared. The number of the Kirishitans who perished is said to have totaled 37,000.” (26) This rebellion was especially important because it was the one of the first times that the people broke out after the recent unification of Japan by Hideyoshi. Many Japanese Christians had been silenced, but then collectively “resurrected”. (27) Before the unification, Japan was in a time of Warring- States and turmoil was normal. However, the rebellion proved the power of the