Martyrs of Nagasaki

Today the Church memorializes twenty-six Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries and Japanese converts crucified together by order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Following their arrests, they were taken to the public square of Meako to the city's principal temple. They each had a piece of their left ear cut off, and then paraded from city to city for weeks with a man shouting their crimes and encouraging their abuse. The priests and brothers were accused of preaching the outlawed faith of Christianity, the lay people of supporting and aiding them. They were each repeatedly offered freedom if they would renounce Christianity. They each declined.

They were all crucified on 5 February 1597 at Tateyama (Hill of Wheat), Nagasaki, Japan. The Japanese style of crucifixion was to put iron clamps around the wrists, ankles and throat, a straddle piece was placed between the legs for weight support, and the person was pierced with a lance up through the left and right ribs toward the opposite shoulder. These men were all canonized by Pope Pius IX on June 8, 1862. Their feast is kept on February 6.