Percentage of Current Christians in Japan

Christians account for about 1.5 percent of the total population.

Introduction of Christianity

In 1549, during the Civil War in Japan, Jesuit Francis Xavier landed in Kagoshima, in the southern part of Japan, and began missionary work.

Trade with European Countries

Missionaries came to Japan on trading ships from Spain and Portugal. In the 16th century, Japan was in a state of civil war, and each divided domain ruled the people with its own government. Spain and Portugal traded only with the domains that permitted missionary work. Their trade items were very valuable, especially gunpowder, so Christianity spread rapidly. Nagasaki became the main center of Christianity.

Christianity Ban

In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified war-torn Japan, ordered the expulsion of Christian missionaries after realizing that Kyushu domain rulers allowed Christianity to spread freely and that Jesuit and European countries might colonize Japan. However, he did not enforce it strictly because he needed to trade with European countries.

After his death, Ieyasu Tokugawa established the samurai government, the Shogunate. At first, this government allowed Christianity due to the profits from trade, until England and Holland warned that Spain and Portugal might conquer Japan. The Protestant countries wanted to prevent the Catholic countries from ruling more lands in the world. The government completely banned Christianity.

Persecution of Christians

Christian believers were forced to convert to Buddhism, and if they didn’t, they were persecuted. Their grievances accumulated until a major rebellion occurred in Shimabara in 1637. It was led by a young boy named “Amakusa Shiro.” However, it was easily subdued. After this, believers hid and secretly kept their faith in and around Nagasaki.

Amakusa Shiro

Fumie. To find out whether they are Christens or not, the government required the people to step on the plate with a Jesus picture on it. This is called Fumie, stepping on the picture.

Maria Kannon: One of the Buddha statues is Kannon, the goddess of mercy. Hidden believers worshiped this statue, considering it to be the Holy Mary. 

Lifting of the ban

The Meiji Government, which wanted to modernize Japan to catch up with Western countries, lifted the ban on Christianity in the mid-19th century. In 1865, a hidden Christian believer appeared at Oura Cathedral in Nagasaki, revealing that the faith had been kept secretly for about 250 years.

Oura Cathedral