However, in 1595, only five years after becoming overlord of a vast territory of 920,000 koku in Aizu, Gamo Ujisato fell sick and died leaving Kagayama Hayato, who
had been his vassal, to wander about Japan once more in search of a new
master. The master he found was Hosokawa Tadaoki, the husband of
Hosokawa Gracia, who was at that time lord of Tango Castle. This
was one year before the 26 Christian martyrs died at Nishizaka, Nagasaki,
and Hayato was just 29 years old.
Tadaoki, one of the Rikyu Shichitetsu, was on friendly terms with other members, Takayama Ukon and Gamo Ujisato,
so he had heard a lot about the Christian faith. However, the religion
which had been expressly forbidden by Toyotomi Hideyoshi was dangerous
for Tadaoki, for whom house and family were of paramount importance.
Moreover, for Tadaoki who had concubines, found the attitude of the Christians,
insisting upon the chastity of the marriage bed, hard to understand.
Another bone of contention was in an age when a wife was regarded merely
as her husbandfs chattel, the fact that his own wife Tama (Gracia) had
converted to Christianity, and gave her third son Tadanori the baptizm
without his permission and had gone as far as to refuse his order to abandon
her faith. Tadaoki himself never did become a Christian.
