Not just because the torture was very effective in getting people to unsubscribe from the Church. A lot of people refused to abandon their faith until the bitter end, like Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino martyr ever. A lot of this was covered in Martin Scorsese’s Silence, which also mentioned another way Japan tried to dissuade people from Christianity:
Suspected Christians In Japan Were Forced To Step On A Picture Of Jesus Or The Virgin Mary
After kicking out all the missionaries from Japan in the 17th century and banning the practice of Christianity, the shogunate allowed the Netherlands to trade out of Nagasaki on account of them being Protestants. The similarity between their wooden clogs and Japanese geta sandals probably also helped. But no nation is a monolith, so, the Japanese government reckoned, there was a chance that a Catholic was hiding among the Dutch traders. And if they suspected that someone was visiting Japan to secretly preach, they made them tap-dance on Jesus’ face.
Fumi-e (literally “stepping pictures”) were only brought out when port officials had reason to believe you were in Japan for something other than inspiring the country’s gay electro-ronin. They were not the standard treatment for every foreigner visiting Japan, but they were for the residents of Nagasaki. Nagasaki was at one time called the Rome of Japan because of how many Christians lived there. After the ban on the religion, though, the government tried to root all of them out. This eventually led to an annual mandatory test held in public halls and private residences where officials would bring out a likeness of Jesus or the Virgin Mary and have you do a little jig on it. If you refused, into the shit-filled horror hole you went. This was eventually done away with, though, and replaced with straight-up executions.
The fumi-e portraits were originally made from paper, but the material proved too fragile given the frequency of the test, and the government probably didn’t like the idea of having painters sit around all day making pictures of Jesus. Wood and bronze fumi-e were most popular, but to ensure that they didn’t become objects of worship, they were kept under lock and key. Yeah, you wouldn’t want people doing something weird to them, like praying. These works of art were made strictly for wiping your feet on.
Of course, many Christians would tread on the paintings, publicly renounce their faith, but keep practicing in secret. Still, over the centuries, this practice helped reduce the Japanese Christian population to just about 20,000. Even today, in an era where Japan kind of sort of celebrates Christmas (even if it’s not a public holiday), many Japanese Christians like to keep quiet about their faith. Almost as if 50% of their history in the country was a constant parade of torture, being strung up in literal shit holes, and gruesome executions, including being boiled alive. Weird.
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Top Image: Chris 73/Wiki Commons
4 Stories From The Weird History Of Christianity In Japan
Source: Pinoy Daily News
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