Tekura lived with her family in a part of Kyoto known
as “Daiusu-cho,” located in the Ichijo-Aburakoji and
Horikawa Street area. The name “Daiusu” is derived
from “Deus” and was the area of Kyoto in which Christians lived. It was given this name because one of Kyoto’s magistrates, Keiyu, of the Maeda Gen-i family, a devout Christian lived there. For no other reason than that he was a Christian, Keiyu was stripped of the property and status and thereafter he and his family lived in Daiusu-cho. Gradually, Christian samurai and artisans gathered round about to form a town.

In 1619, 22 years after the death of the 26 Martyrs, the Shogun Hidetada issued a severe edict banning Christianity. At the time, Kyoto shoshidai, Itakura Katsushige bore no ill will towards Christians and had been in the habit of ignoring accusations against them. However, his son, Shigemune, arrived with news about the Shogun’s edict and pointed out that the Shogun’s anger would fall upon their own family if they ignored it further. Katsushige therefore took to persecute Christians.

The inhabitants of Daiusu-cho were his first targets. Government officials surrounded the town gates, broke down doors, pushed into houses and arrested all the members of families who had pictures of saints on their walls In houses without pictures of saints, the Government officials would ask whether or not the people living there were Christians. Anyone who confessed to be a Christian was arrested.

Since the residents of “Daiusu town” were wealthy, and of superior social status, and there were also talented artisans among them, they owned many swords, and had expensive fixtures and exquisite tea utensils in their houses.
Government officials broke into any unoccupied houses when Christians were arrested and took whatever they wanted. Many Christians including small children, regardless of age or sex, were arrested, Tekura and her family among them.

　　　　　　　　　　(Esther Atsuji is responsible for the wording of this article.)

　　　　　　　　