The Manufacturing Martyrdom: The Event, Narrative, and Transnational Symbolism of the Twenty-Six Saints of Nagasaki

Abstract

This study offers a cultural reexamination of Japan’s Catholic martyrdom narratives, tracing their evolution from the public executions of the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Nagasaki in 1597 to the enduring yet concealed faith of the Kakure Kirishitan during the centuries of suppression under the Tokugawa shogunate. By analyzing martyrdom not merely as a religious phenomenon but as a complex socio-cultural construct shaped by memory, power, and identity, this research interrogates how narratives of suffering and sacrifice have been constructed, preserved, and repurposed across different historical epochs. The investigation begins with an exploration of the political and religious context surrounding the 1597 crucifixions, emphasizing Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s strategic use of persecution to assert national sovereignty amid growing foreign influence. Jesuit chronicles are examined for their role in shaping hagiographic representations that framed the martyrs as transnational symbols of spiritual triumph, culminating in their eventual canonization and integration into both Japanese devotional life and global Catholic liturgical memory. The transition from open martyrdom to clandestine survival is then analyzed through the experiences of the hidden Christians, whose adaptive practices—such as the syncretic transformation of rituals and reliance on oral transmission—enabled the preservation of faith under systemic surveillance and coercive apostasy rituals like the fumie. The Meiji-era reemergence of these communities, particularly in Urakami, reveals the tensions between reintegration into the institutional Church and the maintenance of distinct cultural identities forged in secrecy. Furthermore, this thesis engages with modern reinterpretations of martyrdom in literature, film, and memorial culture, including the symbolic resonance of works such as Shūsaku Endō’s ‘Silence’ and contemporary commemorative sites in Nagasaki. These cultural productions are shown to mediate between religious devotion, national historical consciousness, and secular discourses on peace and human rights. Through a methodology grounded in cultural history and narrative analysis, drawing on missionary records, government edicts, and modern scholarly interpretations, this study demonstrates that martyrdom in Japan cannot be reduced to a singular archetype of heroic death, but must also encompass the quiet endurance of those who suffered in obscurity. Ultimately, it argues for a more nuanced understanding of Christian resistance that recognizes both spectacle and subterfuge as integral to the formation of religious identity in Japan.