Földvári Books

The First Lethal Persecution of Christians in Japan

Riojano, Jorge Antonio

[Martires del Japon] Gerarchia serafica. Propio de las festividades de la Orden de nuestro Padre S. Francisco, y común de los Evangelios de la Iglesia. […]. Va anadido en esta segunda impresión un elencho para los Evangelios comunes de los Santos.

En Madrid: en la Imprenta Real (a costa de Gabriel León, Mercader de libros), Año de 1640. Scarce second edition (first in 1633). In contemporary vellum. Spine lettered in ink. (16), (1)–481, (15) p. Page 39 and 132 misnumbered. Binding slightly worn. Some pages chipped, discolored, a few quires browned. Wormholes throughout, affecting more the rear quires. Overall in very good condition.

A scarce collection of Franciscan sermons, among them “Sermon de los veynte y tres martyres del Japón, estando descubierto el Santissimo Sacramento” (pp. 206–226), the oration for the twenty-three Franciscan martyrs who were publicly crucified at Nagasaki in 1597. The incident is known as the first lethal persecution of Christians in Japan.

The Catholic missionary activities began in Japan in the early 1540s, by the Jesuit, Dominican and Franciscan orders. The Christian missions enjoyed success in this early period due to the trade opportunities with Europe which was offered through them for Japan. At its heights, by the end of the sixteen century, Japan is estimated to have had around 300,000 Christians. The situation dramatically changed when Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598; in contemporary Christian sources named as Tayco sama, here: Taycocama) reunified Japan, thus became concerned about potential decentralizing factors, such as foreign religion. He saw Catholicism as a threat and the persecution of the Catholics started in 1587. The incident of the San Felipe in 1596, a shipwreck of the Spanish ship in Japan, was understood by Hideyoshi as a Spanish attempt to infiltrate the country before an eventual military conquest. This led to the crucifixion of twenty-six Catholics, twenty-three of them were Franciscans. The present sermon was written for them, and it is considered as an early written reference to the Martyrs of Japan, and the first lethal persecution of Christians in the country.

Price: €4,000.00