The Japanese Martyrs

The growing Catholic community in Japan was brutally suppressed in the early seventeenth century. How did this shape myths of Japanese cruelty?
A lecture by Alec Ryrie, Gresham Professor of Divinity
11 March 2020 6:00pm UK Time
www.gresham.ac...
In the age of exploration, Catholic missionaries fanned out across the world, meeting with extraordinary success but also extraordinary opposition: nowhere more so than in Japan, where the fast-growing Catholic community was brutally suppressed in the early seventeenth century. This lecture will explore how this bloody crisis shaped myths of Japanese cruelty and cults of Catholic sanctity in Europe, while also precipitating the 250-year ‘closing’ of Japan and the intense piety of a small remnant of underground Japanese Christians.
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/...

[@taekoyoshioka210]

Thank you for this deep and well studied lecture. I'm a Japanese Christian living in Canada. I realized that I did not know the history of Christianity in my own country. Lord led me to this subject recently. I am glad I watched this video. Great lecture.

[@ConradSpoke]

These Ryrie lectures are now my favorite thing on the internet.

[@ttaibe]

Sorry for replying to an old post. But I agree. It is surprising for me how few views and likes this has,

[@olivertaltynov9220]

Alec Ryrie is just amazing lecturer.

[@jaylinn416]

Watch all his lectures. He is really fantastic! You can get educated while being entertained on KZbin because of people like Prof Alec Ryrie.

[@WildBillCox13]

What a story! What a history! Thank you very much for posting this gem of a lecture, Gresham College! And kudos to professor Ryrie for a riveting reveal.

[@martincull4914]

A forgotten story brought back to life. Thank you professor!!!

[@chindi17]

I have a friend whose family is a descendant of the Japanese Christians that survived. Thank you sir for this lecture.

[@Mai-Gninwod]

The ending, especially the quote from Takashi Nagai, was so horribly sad and beautiful. It makes sense to cry about ww 2 sometimes

[@papanino4415]

This guy is a great story teller.

[@Jen39x]

An example for all Christian believers. Not just the martyrs but those who kept the faith alive for so many long years. It gives a whole new meaning to the line of a hymn “some from every tribe and nation will be there”

[@simonreij6668]

thank you so much sir, I've watched a few of your lectures now and will certainly continue. it's a pleasure and relief to hear such beautifully written material that you present so well

[@janetbaggibiotelli2556]

These are the best history lessons I have ever had. Thank you so much!

[@dao3740]

I have studied this for many years and this is a superb and accurate presentation .... well done ! Mind you, I also understand the Japanese responses 🙏

[@matimus100]

Prayers don't work

[@michaelibach9063]

@@matimus100 no, they don’t when you worship Odin and Thor

[@davidcummings5984]

A massive thank you to the Gresham University Lecture series . Informative , eloquently articulated .

[@errolalex2608]

Truly wonderful and awe inspiring

[@christophermonti8577]

Thank you for telling this story. Japanese martyrs, ora pro nobis!

[@snowflakeartwork]

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. - Nihonmachi 日本町

[@nelsongonzalez4533]

Snowflake ❄️ was the name my friend's white cat.

[@waterbaby8360]

Loved this snapshot of the Christian influence and history in Japan. Thanks!

[@hi1gr196]

i've cried several times during this lecture.

[@johnheah1526]

Imagine they willingly endured pain suffering and death for the sake of the faith. Their blood nourished the Japanese church.

[@frankmacgabhann6935]

Wonderfully told - many thanks

[@janetrulesable]

Truly beauty and heartbreaking story Thank you so much for the sharing the story of the Japanese Christians

[@CoyotesOwn]

Saying that Nobunaga committed suicide, while being technically correct, feeling like simplifying the situation, or more accurately taking one aspect out of context. Nobunaga was ambushed by one of his retainers and being overwhelmed, he committed suicide rather than suffering defeat. It was Hideyoshi who avenged Nobunaga's death, which was one of the reasons he was able to consolidate power.

[@TyroneBeiron]

Japan has since had eight Christian prime ministers of which three were Catholic; pretty impressive where the faith consists of less than 0.3% of the population. Prince Asaka converted to Catholicism in 1951, Empress Emerita Michiko, spouse of Emperor Emeritus, graduated from a Catholic women’s university and her grandparents and parents were all Catholic. (Before their marriage it was publicized she herself is not baptized.) Crown Princess Kiko’s paternal grandmother was Catholic. Princess Nobuko of Mikasa was Catholic until she was allowed into the Imperial House and converted to Shintoism upon marriage. When the Empress Shoda Michiko met Pope John Paul II, she was dressed in white, not black, although we don't know for sure if this privilege was privately accorded her.

[@itachigirl101]

extremely helpful thank you very much!

[@markcandsan2804]

Interesting, especially for me in Asia where this events happened.

[@emmcee662]

Incredibly powerful conclusion! First class lecturer.

[@greatexpectations6577]

This story moved me deeply.

[@kneelingcatholic]

@ 43:19 .... Prof Ryrie warns communities not to remember martyrs with " righteous rage " . I do have to wonder if he is talking to us Catholics. I have never heard of Catholics using stories of the coliseum being used to stir up hatred for the Romans, nor of the North American martyrs to stir up hatred for the Iroquois., nor of this story for the Japanese.....revenge is not a 'thing' for pious Catholic martyrology. The persecutors have only have a 'bit part' in any martyr's story. The moral for Catholic listeners is always the same: in Father Faber's words: "how sweet would be their children's fate if they like them could die for Thee."

[@DD-bx8rb]

You will note Ryrie speaks with a Protestant accent.

[@benoplustee]

He's an Anglican fwiw

[@fr.michaelknipe4839]

This was so well done. Just excellent and very informative 🙌🏼

[@DD-bx8rb]

Holy Martyrs of Japan, pray for us, that the Catholic Faith may flourish in Japan and once again in England.

[@gor764]

Silence is an excellent book and film that depicts this

[@tharparoberts1139]

0:30 "Bringing Catholicism to the New World by the point of sword." Is this an exaggeration, or is there an actual clear-cut example of where New World natives of that era were explicitly given the choice to convert or die?

[@ondrejkocnar5621]

Seems like pretty big exageration.

[@lesguil4023]

was not as much by the point of a sword as it was by the edge of obsidian flint. A most merciful religion to which they run open arms into. The moment those spaniards ended that empire of gore a big breath of relief was exhaled by mesoamerica.

[@felicityc]

No, the mostly just killed them anyway. There are some theories of forced conversion, but it was most likely economic, since the colonials were more willing to work with converted people and give them aide. Either way, it is metaphorically by the sword.

[@lesguil4023]

@@felicityc you are talking about protestants where genocide is an institution unlike catholic spanish empire

[@clearvisioncatholics5862]

Yes this is not true - Alec is not quite as clued up as he thinks. Perhaps he should have looked at how Protestant treated the North America Indians - almost whipping them out. This did not happen in Catholic South America.

[@davemojarra2666]

My respect for Japan is increased after viewing this video.

[@karldavis7392]

Wow, that is sad. What a rough story. I wish it were fiction.

[@wilsonriley1856]

Not too sure about your claim that the protestants were not involved with the Japanese persecutions. At least one well known protestant, William Adams, became a close advisor to Tokugawa Ieyasu, and is rumored to have convinced the Shogun to get rid of the Catholics.

[@RonJohn63]

"and is *rumored* to have" yes, he mentioned that rumor in the lecture.

[@ColHogan-bu2xq]

Wouldn't be surprising at all.

[@Kitiwake]

Why am I not surprised?

[@suegreene1]

Today I made a great discovery following the steps of St Francis Blanco martyr OFM. this page.

[@canman5060]

The Martyrs died from being cooked alive.

[@nolanolivier6791]

Some rather odd errors, but I recognise he is not a historian of Japanese history.

[@Gamer7z7]

I would love to watch an accurate anime about this.

[@jtzoltan]

Why did the Daimyps hate Buddhists so much? Other than for securing independent power and territory in some cases

[@sendaikid1569]

For the same reason the Chinese Communist Party hates Falun Gong - as an alternative source of (moral) authority?

[@TyroneBeiron]

Buddhism in Japan was seen as an 'inferior' and imported religion, and similar views were held in China. In ny research on the missions to China, it took a while before the missionaries adopted the dress and style of scholars and with this prestige, they were able to make better in roads to society. The Buddhists also maintained fortress monasteries and these were potential bastions of military threat to their power.

[@GoldenKaos]

Shikoku erasure at 4:10 smh

[@keithwhitlock726]

Completely leaves out the fact that the Catholics were brutally persecuting the native Japanese in their never ending quest of world dominance. Look at the Goa inquisition.

[@eestebam1]

First sentence from lecturer, as an introduction: "We know about the age of global exploration (..), the BRUTAL colonisation of the Americas by Spain and Portugal in the sixteenth century; (..) bringing Catholicism to the New World ON THE POINT OF A SWORD". Sure, but you miss some relevant nuances. Maybe I am wrong, but this seems to me the kind of speach that perpetuates english speaking world hatred against catholics, as the same lecturer explained so well in his lecture "How the English learned to hate catholics" of his series on religious intolerance in Europe, in which he says: "We do not need to doubt that to also recognise a centuries-old, only half-acknowledged fact of life: in much of the English-speaking world, anti-Catholicism is the last respectable prejudice".

[@craigdylan3953]

His lecture is about Japan. Is it hard to stay on one subject for you?

[@joselugo4536]

Curioso que los españoles se esmeraron en aprender las lenguas amerindias, dándole grafías que no tenían la mayoría de las lenguas autóctonas, por ejemplo la mayor expansión del náhuatl y el quechua ocurre tras la Conquista, pues para cristianizar enteras poblaciones indígenas, hablarles en su lengua es lo mas lógico, es sin embargo un poco difícil de creer, a menos que se sea inglés, que fueron a enseñar la Santísima Trinidad con la punta de buenas espadas toledanas.

[@eestebam1]

@@craigdylan3953 This is my very point. Even though the lecture is on Japan the lecturer can't help but show the "last respectable prejudice". Stay safe

[@shaunryan6]

Usuzl nonsense from this lecturer today's values apply to the past. Applying today's values to the past will always lead to sophistry. This man knows this and this is deeply disappointing for someone who has the capacity to inform.

[@patrickmartinez6297]

@@shaunryan6 The persecution of Japanese Catholics was seen by the Europeans, even among some Protestants, as an atrocity in its own time, not just retrospectively, and the lecturer makes note of this. He mentions how it affected the English Catholics who could recognize the troubles the Japanese Catholics went through in their own struggle with the Protestants.

[@peterjoyce6697]

83,84 and of fig. Figgy fig and pomegranates arrrgh!

[@NoobsDeSroobs]

So, they were moral when it benefitted them? Makes sense. Virtue signalling has always been a thing after all.

[@katiehav1209]

Protestants in a large part were responsible for this atrocity. I wonder if they were rewarded

[@michaelibach9063]

Most definitely

[@keithwhitlock726]

Nonsense.

[@katiehav1209]

@@keithwhitlock726 yeah actually

[@okami425]

The story I always heard was that the majority of the catholics and even the English were driven out but the Dutch were allowed to stay due to trade reasons and what not.

[@hectorbarraza4468]

Excellent story!, although I don´t share the lecture´s opinion about the Spanish conquest in America or the Philipines was Brutal and the evangelization was at the "point of the sword" . I strongly recommend Octavio Paz the Laberinth of Solitidute to better know about the subject. Regards

[@michaelmazowiecki9195]

Mexico's population was about 20 million at the start of the Spanish colonial conquest. By 1610 it was down to 1 million! Entirely the consequence of Spanish rule. And similar consequences happened across south America , the Caribbean islands and the Philippines, though not as drastic. Spanish exploitation of native populations was brutally drastic and exterminatory. The same can be said of the Portuguese conquest and occupation of Brazil.

[@michaelmazowiecki9195]

@@great502 the maritime empires of Spain, Portugal, England, France, Netherlands and the land empires of Russia and the USA all had genocidal policies regarding the subjugated native populations. Russia of course still does as seen in its behavior towards Ukraine , Chechnya and others.

[@someguy559]

The true nature of religion success stories of conversion and expansion exposed. Religion has always been a power instrument.

[@therealziphius]

They all had it coming.

[@Frst2nxt]

Martin Scorsese's film is garbage.

[@mrsuperger5429]

Does this man pretend to be a Protestant. ? He glorifies Roman catholicism at every turn.

[@alangervasis]

WHATT??? Most of his videos are pure exagerrated propaganda against catholicism and that's not enough for you??

[@crisgon9552]

From my Google search it appears he is Protestant, probably high Lutheran or something. At this it does appear he is praising Catholics but I think 43:18 - 32 is probably what he would say is the correct way at looking at the Catholic vs Protestant conflict.

[@DD-bx8rb]

Holy Martyrs of Japan, pray for us, that the Catholic Faith may flourish in Japan and once again in England.

[@shaunryan6]

Nothing was brutal in the times this lecturer describes. It was normal and accepted behaviour. A little more accuracy please insteD of faux 21st condemnation!

[@ozzyjames87]

Moral relativism is pure sophistry.

[@fukpoeslaw3613]

Change "nothing" into "everything", and you're right.

[@fukpoeslaw3613]

@@ozzyjames87 "pure" might be an exaggeration, but I like your sentiment.

[@MadHatter42]

Did you miss the part where stories of the violent oppression were shared and universally condemned WHILE THE OPPRESSION WAS TAKING PLACE?