Twenty-six Christians were crucified in Nagasaki on February 5, 1597. Six Franci

1597 Event

26 Christians Crucified in Nagasaki: Japan's First Martyrs

Twenty-six Christians were crucified in Nagasaki on February 5, 1597. Six Franciscan missionaries and twenty Japanese converts. Toyotomi Hideyoshi had them marched 600 miles from Kyoto with their ears cut off. He'd welcomed missionaries at first — wanted trade with Spain and Portugal. Then he realized Christianity taught loyalty to God above the shogun. The converts sang hymns as they died. Japan sealed itself off from the West for the next 250 years.

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February 5, 1597

429 years ago

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26 Christians Crucified in Nagasaki: Japan's First Martyrs

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