“Threshold of the 26 Martyrs”

In 1593, Father Pedro Bautista and three other Friar Minors were dispatched to Japan.  Although an edict to ban Christianity was imposed in Japan at the time, the friars were given a vast extent of land at the site of Myoman Temple in Kyoto from Hideyoshi Toyotomi.  They established a church, a monastery and two hospitals at the site and began their missionary work. More than 200 Christians moved into the area and people in Kyoto called the place “Daiusu cho” while Christians called it “Shotenshi no gengo no machi (city of angels: Los Angels.)”

However, in 1596, Hideyoshi issued an edict to arrest Christians in Osaka. Observing the edict, Leo Karasuma and 4 other believers were taken up on December 9, 1596, followed by the capture of Father Bautista and 11 believers early in the morning of January 2, 1597.  Journey to the martyrdom on the hill of Nishizaka, Nagasaki began on this day.

Now a hospital stands on the place that is considered to be the site of the hospital back then, as if to tell us that God’s plan remains unchanged despite the time lapse.