Beyond the Prohibition: Christianity in Restoration Japan

Abstract

On 4 May 1868 Kido Kōin, the leader of the Chōshū faction in the new imperial government, heard for the first time about the Christian troubles in Urakami village, Nagasaki.¹ Kido recorded his ‘profound concern’ in a diary entry for that day and, with Inoue Kaoru, the bearer of tidings from Nagasaki, drew up plans for an imperial conference to discuss the disposition of the incident.² The conference, which sought the views of the entire government, duly met in Osaka on 14 May. The motion put to the conference, composed by Kido and Inoue, was based closely upon the missive Inoue had brought with him from Sawa Nobuyoshi, the Nagasaki magistrate.³ It moved that leaders of the Christian community be summoned for a final interrogation, and those who refused to recant be summarily executed; others would be exiled to select domains. The motion was passed by a significant majority. A compromise was later forced, however, by the vigour of diplomatic protests: deportations would go ahead but, ‘owing to the Emperor’s especial compassion’, there would be no executions in Nagasaki.⁴ The deportations subsequently took place in two phases: the first group of a hundred or so Christians was removed from Nagasaki in July 1868 and the second, some 3400, in December 1869.