Memorial to the Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan　(日本二十六聖人記念館)



This memorial and museum is dedicated to twenty-six Christians, twenty Japanese and six missionaries, who were arrested in Kyoto in 1597 under the order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi for preaching Christianity and forced to walk nearly 600 kilometers to Nagasaki, where they were executed to serve as an example to the Christians there. This memorial also has a museum with several exhibits of the history of Christianity in Japan, including the Tokugawa Bakufu's harsh methods of interrogating and torturing Christians and how the covert Christians remained hidden. This memorial and museum demonstrate the reaction of both the Bakufu and commoners to Western ideas, Christianity in particular, and the spread and repression of these ideas before and during isolation.

The hall itself was constructed in 1962 and is composed of two themes: relics that were handed down from Christian times, and contemporary items that were created to help clarify history. The memorial is open daily from 9am – 5pm, and admission fees can be viewed here  if you click on “introduction” at the top left.

Inside the memorial
For an extensive look at the history you can explore at the memorial, more photographs, and even a virtual tour, you can visit the memorial’s official website here.


The Memorial to the Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan is an excellent place to visit as it displays the impact that the closed country edicts had on the Japanese Christians. 


For teachers this site would relate to the Religion Curriculum in the Catholic schools and the Alberta Social Studies Curriculum. 


The Site relates to the following Grade 8 Social Studies Curriculum Outcomes:



"Values and Attitudes
8.1.4 appreciate how a society’s worldview shapes individual citizenship and identity 
Knowledge and Understanding 
8.1.5 analyze the effects of cultural isolation during the Edo period by exploring and reflecting
upon the following questions and issues:
• How did isolation during the Edo period lead to changes in Japan? 
• How did the changes resulting from isolation affect Japan economically, politically and
socially during the Edo period?" ( From the Grade 8 Social Studies Program of Studies) 



Websites: http://www.at-nagasaki.jp/foreign/english/spot/015.html, http://www.nagasaki.world-guides.com/nagasaki_museums.html


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Comment on what you could learn related to what you have studied about Edo and Meiji Japan.