CHRISTIANITY IN JAPAN

FIRST STAGES

• A young Japanese man asked Francis Xavier to bring the faith to Japan
• Francis arrived to Japan in 1549 and started spread the good news as soon as he arrived

NEXT STAGES

• Jesuits communities started to pop up near Buddhist and Shinto temples
• Soon after Franciscan and Dominican orders also started to appear
• In only 30 year, 200,000 people were Baptised into the faith

PERSECUTION

• The Japanese ruler began to become suspicious of this new faith
• In 1597, 17 laypeople and 9 Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries were crucified in Nagaski

PERSECUTION CONT.

• By 1614, Christianity was officially banned from all of Japan
• More than 30,000 Japanese Christians were killed because of there faith

LATER YEARS

• The faith had to remain hidden for about 200 years
• Around 1860, there was another wave of persecution
• The faith finally won the day and now there are about half a million Christians practicing in Japan