Marian Awards of Japan
Land of martyrs, hidden kirishitan and the Virgin of Akita
Japan has 440,000 Catholics (0.35%). Catholicism came with San Francisco Javier (1549); there was a golden age with 300,000 Christians, followed by a brutal persecution (1614-1873). The kirishitan ocultos they kept faith without priests for centuries. Today there are 16 dioceses.
🙏 «María, Reina de Japón, ruega por nosotros y por la paz del mundo.»
Marian Wonders and Anecdotes of Japan
- The Kirishitan hidden (1614-1864): During 250 years of persecution, the Japanese Christians hid their faith. They prayed the Rosary in a low voice, baptized their children and orally transmitted the doctrine. They used images of Kannon (Buddhist goddess of compassion) who actually represented the Virgin Mary. When the French missionaries arrived in Nagasaki in 1865, the kirishitan approached Father Petitjean and whispered: «Nosotros tenemos el mismo corazón que vosotros», revealing that faith had survived seven generations.
- The Nagasaki atomic bomb (1945): The cathedral of Urakami, the largest Catholic temple in East Asia, was destroyed by the atomic bomb on August 9, 1945 (feast of St. Teresa Benedict of the Cross). The image of the Virgin, known as «Hibaku no María» (the bombed Virgin), with a charred but recognizable face. Today it is venerated as a symbol of peace and resilience.
- The tears of Akita (1973-1981): The Sister Agnes Sasagawa He received three messages from the Virgin. The wooden statue of Mary He cried 101 times. ante numerosos testigos. El mensaje: oración, penitencia y Rosario por la paz. El obispo de Niigata declaró los acontecimientos «dignos de fe» en 1984. Es uno de los pocos santuarios de apariciones aprobadas en Asia.
- San Francisco Javier and the Virgin (1549): When Javier arrived in Kagoshima, he had an image of the Virgin. The Japanese called her «la hermosa señora del sur». It was the first Marian icon to contemplate and contribute to the first wave of conversions.
- The Cathedral of St. Mary of Tokyo (1964): Diseñada por Kenzo TangeIt's a masterpiece of modern architecture. Its 60-meter cross shape is striking from the sky. The original wooden cathedral was destroyed in the war; it took the community 50 years to rebuild it. It was elevated to lower basilica in 2012.
- The finding of the kirishitan in Oura (1865): The church of Oura (1864), of wood, is the oldest in Japan. A group of Japanese people approached Father Petitjean and asked: "Where is the image of Santa Maria?". They were kirishitan who had kept the faith hidden seven generations. The «descubrimiento de los cristianos» He shocked the Church.
Marian Awards of Japan
Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Nagasaki (Urakami)
La Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Urakami was the largest Catholic temple in East Asia until the atomic bomb of August 9, 1945. Built between 1895- 1914, it exploded during a mass. Among the ruins the «Hibaku no María» (Our Lady bombed), a beheaded and carbonized image that is now preserved in the museum attached to the reconstructed cathedral (1959).
Our Lady of Akita
In 1973, the Sister Agnes Sasagawa He began to receive messages from the Virgin in Akita. The wooden statue of Mary - 70 cm, carved by Saburo Wakasa - He cried 101 times., sudó y sangró de la mano, atestiguado por numerosos testigos. Los tres mensajes llamaban a la oración, penitencia y Rosario por la paz. En 1984, el obispo Ito declaró los hechos «dignos de fe»; la Santa Sede confirmó en 1988. Es santuario de peregrinación nacional.
Basilica of the 26 Martyrs of Japan (Nishizaka)
In Nishizaka were crucified 26 Christians on February 5, 1597 - including St. Paul Miki - by order of the Shōgun Hideyoshi. They were the first canonized martyrs of East Asia (1862). The Basilica of the 26 Martyrs He keeps his memory. They went up to the cadalso praying the Rosary and singing the Salve Regina. The museum retains its Marian rosaries and medals.
Our Lady of Oura (Nagasaki)
La Church of Ourabuilt in 1864 by French missionaries, is the oldest wooden church in Japan (National Treasury, 1933). In 1865, a group of peasants asked Father Petitjean: «¿Dónde está Santa María?». They were kirishitan who kept the faith seven generations. The finding revealed 20,000 clandestine Catholics in Nagasaki.
Cathedral of Santa Maria of Tokyo
La Cathedral of Santa Maria of Tokyo, the seat of the archdiocese, is a masterpiece of religious modernism. Designed by Kenzo Tange (1964), replaced the 1899 wooden cathedral destroyed by the bombing. Its steel and concrete structure forms a 60 meter giant cross visible from the sky. Jean Bazaine's abstract vitrals filter blue and golden light. Elevated to minor basilica by Benedict XVI in 2012.
Our Lady of Nagasaki
Low Our Lady of Nagasaki se venera la protección de María sobre la ciudad mártir. La advocación abarca la imagen de la Inmaculada de Urakami (la «Virgen bombardeada») y la tradición devocional de los católicos de Nagasaki, centro del cristianismo japonés desde el siglo XVI. Allí cayó la bomba atómica el 9 de agosto de 1945. Los fieles creen que la Virgen intercedió para que la fe no se extinguiera. La diócesis realiza peregrinaciones anuales a Urakami.
Our Lady of St. Mary of Tokyo
Saint Mary of Tokyo expresses Mary's maternal protection over the archdiocese of Tokyo (~ 90,000 Catholics), erected in 1891 and entrusted to the Immaculate. The devotion in the capital is manifested in the Rosary for peace and the celebration of December 8. The Catholic community of Tokyo is diverse (Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Brazilian) and finds in Mary a link of unity.
Our Lady of Osaka (Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary)
La Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Osaka (Tamatsukuri) is the mother church of the archdiocese of Osaka (~ 55,000 Catholics). Built in New Gothic in the early 20th century, it was destroyed in the war and rebuilt. Its red brick façade and bell tower are a milestone in the Tamatsukuri district. The community of Osaka, although small, maintains an active Marian spiritual life with groups of the Rosary and youth pastoral.
Maria Kannon - Inculturation and clandestine faith
Maria Kannon is not a canonical advocation, but a historical phenomenon of clandestine inculturation. During the persecution, the kirishitan represented the Virgin under the appearance of Kannon (Buddhist deity of compassion). The images, carved in wood or stone, showed a woman with a child in her arms but with Buddhist attributes, passing unnoticed before the authorities. Before them they prayed the orasho, oral version of the Hail Mary in ancient Japanese. Today the Church recognizes this phenomenon as a witness to resistance and an example of forced inculturation.
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