Saints and Others remembered in February
On a hill above Nagasaki sits the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and
Monument, opened in June 1962 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of
the canonization by the Roman Catholic Church of the Christians executed
on the site on February 5, 1597. The 26 people, a mixture of 20 native
Japanese Christians and six foreign priests (four Spaniards, one Mexican
and one Indian) had been arrested in Kyoto and Osaka on the order
of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the national ruler, for preaching Christianity.
They were imprisoned, then later marched through the snow to Nagasaki, so
that their execution might serve as a deterrent to Nagasaki's large Christian
population. Hung up on 26 crosses with chains and ropes, the Christians
were lanced to death in front of a large crowd on Nishizaka Hill. St Paul
Miki is said to have preached to the crowd from his cross.
The main theme inherent in both the museum and monument is "The Way to
Nagasaki" – symbolising not only the physical trek to Nagasaki but also the
Christian spirit of the martyrs. The displays are arranged chronologically into
three periods: the early Christian propagation, the martyrdoms, and the
persistence of Christianity underground during the persecution.
The main monument with an extensive bronze depicting the Twenty-Six
Martyrs, was designed by Japanese sculptor, Yasutake Funakoshi. The
work took Funakoshi four years to complete.
The exhibits include
examples of "fumie" or
treading images. Every year
from 1629 to 1857, Nagasaki
residents were forced to go
through a ritual of stepping
on bronze images
of Christ or Mary to prove
they were not Christians.
The Martyrs' altar was built
as a memorial for the many
people who gave up their
lives. The image of a plum blossom in the centre of the altar was chosen
because the plum tree blossoms in February – the month of the martyrdom
of the 26 saints, who are commemorated on February 6.
That the people of Nagasaki, whose city was blighted by science’s most
destructive and malevolent force and whose inhabitants were still suffering
the physical and psychological trauma of that experience could, only
seventeen years later, take the time and effort to remember those other
martyrs speaks volumes for their compassion.
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