Leaving His Parents…..Anthony 2

As he said those words, he loudly sang the Psalm 113 with Louis Ibaraki next to him. They intoned,"..O children, praise His holy name….."
Their voice just like the ringing of silver bells echoed throughout the Nishizaka hill.  At that time the venue for execution to villainous criminals was covered with the Lord's presence who came down from heaven.  Those observing there estimated 4000 started to praise together following them.
The big chorus,"Hallelujah" arose. The heavens appeared in the place planned to be hell by execution. Grief existed no longer.  It was filled with the joy of boys who would triumph to march to heaven as winners.  And, the inside of people there got filled with the joy.

Anthony turned his face to heaven and sang praises loudly. The boy, Anthony had a belief.  God would absolutely reward his parents.

When we, a couple, were sent to Nagasaki, we visited this Nishizaka at first and prayed.  Then, I shared Anthony with my wife. The parents of my wife didn't believe in Jesus, yet at that time.  While my wife was an only child and daughter, she got married to me and got to come to Nagasaki, the mission field directed by the Lord, not the place of her parents.  After listening to me, she said,"I feel I am able to understand a little how Anthony thought."

Anthony was aware of that.  In spite of tearing hearts of his parents apart, it's to obey God that was the greatest goodness he could do for his parents.  If he would take the cross, this martyrdom, with his being submissive to God, the Lord Himself, absolutely might give his parents precious eternal life, he believed. He was expecting not temporary earthly reconciliation but eternal heavenly reward.

Leaving His Parents..........Anthony 1

He is a thirteen-years-old boy, Anthony, who was martyred on the cross side by side with Luis Ibaraki who had chosen God in Yamamoto village, Saga.  His home town was Nagasaki with his Chinese father. His parents weren't believers in Jesus Christ yet.  Then, government officials permitted his parents to come to beneath the cross of Anthony in his execution.  They eagerly wanted him to abandon the Christian faith somehow. The parents of Anthony shouted.
"It's a terrible thing for parents to outlive their child, isn't it? Please, please come down.  Anthony, please, please abandon Christ and come down."

Clinging desperately the cross, his parents was partly frantic to cry out.  But, Anthony told toward his parents.
"My father, my mother.  Please rejoice. I am going to heaven from now. Father and mother, please don't cry.  I go to heaven first and am waiting for your coming, Father and Mother. Therefore, please believe in Jesus, my father and my mother, and come to heaven after me.  Be glad, please. Please be glad."

Twenty-Six Crosses 2

Luis Ibaraki, the youngest 12-year old boy was among the twenty-six. He refused the request,"Be my adopted son" from Hanzaburo in Yamamoto Mura, SAga, and chose God. Arriving on the hill of Nishizaka, he asked guards there.
"Which is my cross I would be put?"
The guards indicated looking at him,"The cross you will be put is the smallest one over there." And Luis Ibaraki ran up to his cross with smile, and embraced and rubbed his cheek with the cross, and then kissed.
The executioners began their task of attaching the bodies to the crosses.  Fastening iron clamps around the neck, hands and feet,  they tied around the waist with a cord to keep the body steady. They fastened to the crosses fitly.  And they maneuvered the foot of each cross next to the hole that had already been dug and let it slip down inside.  Then, twenty-six crosses got straightened upright on the hill of Nishizaka. With twenty-six martyrs……..

Twenty-Six Crosses 1

Twenty-six holes were dug on the hill of Nishizaka, and each cross of twenty-six span-new ones was lying before each dug hole. They were cut away carefully and made elaborately. The height of cross was over two meters, and had a larger crossbar to tie both hands and a smaller one to hold legs. Each cross had five iron shackles to keep steady to the cross with one for neck, two for both wrists, and the last two for both ankles.  And there was a protruding seat for a martyr to sit in between them.

At 9:30 in the morning, twenty-six martyrs arrived on the hill of Nishizaka.  As soon as their own crosses were shown, they ran up dancing, and embraced their own crosses they were to be put on.

Farewell, Father and Son…John Goto 4

 A high-pitched voice by officials resounded.  The mandate to leave was mentioned. They started to walk toward the hill of Nishizaka, again.

Farewell, Father and Son…John Goto 3

 I grew up in a Christian family.  Now, I will be the father of three sons and totally six children. While observing how this father and son were contacting, I was moved with special impression.  They were a 19-year-old young John Goto, who was zealous to salvation to his last and the father, who sent his son to heaven with gladness, and lived himself for missionary work, and got prepared for martyrdom. Even though he had a possibility to lose his beloved son, the love between these two and their reliance and love to the Lord never collapsed. I also wish to succeed their heart toward the Lord. I had no choice to think so even as a son and as a father.

Farewell, Father and Son…John Goto 2

They were John Goto who entrusted to his father salvation of lost souls and missionary work at the hour he himself was going to martyr, and his father who accepted and answered unwaveringly. Both of them were considering about missionary work.  The father was quite content and glad to know the faith of his son, who was mentioning about salvation to lost souls before he would be martyred. The faith of his son, who had been glad with prayer and love until that moment, came out in troubles, martyrdom God gave.  It was a wonderful blessing.

Farewell, Father and Son…John Goto 1

 At that precise moment, the father of John Goto had come to bid him last farewell.
He said to his father.
"Look well to it, sir my father, there is nothing more important than salvation. I wish that you never get careless or neglect."
"My son, you're right. I never neglect. See that you have much courage and get filled with strength at this hour and die joyfully, for you die in the service of God. We will be happy to watch you're going to die. Both I and your mother are also prepared to give up our lives to Christ for the love of Our Lord, if it is necessary."

Martyrdom

First, Paul Miki ,a friar, made a confession, and then James Kisai and John Goto ( also called Joan Soan) made confession. When these two finished their confession, Priest Pasio permitted them to be formal members of the Jesuit.

Martyrdom

On the way, they had a break for a while at the hospital for leprosy in Urakami, where Father Pasio, the Jesuit, was waiting. He was there to hear confession of three members of Jesuit.

Martyrdom

Their journey which started from Kyoto would be over soon. Leaving Togitsu they spent their last night on the earth, they started to walk as soon as the day broke. They were on and on walking toward the hill of Nishizaka, the place of execution.

Martyrdom

Wednesday, February 5th, 1597, the day 26 Saints of Martyrs were supposed to be martyred was finally here.  

Last Wish 10

Last Wish 10

But twenty-six martyrs had nothing they had lost. They returned with glorious victory on the hill of Nishizaka to meet Jesus Christ Himself.

Last Wish 9

Last Wish 9

Like Pilatus who let people dominate Jesus with fear of people and purpose to keep his position,  Hanzaburo got afraid of Hideyoshi and refused wishes of martyrs to keep his own position.

Last Wish 2

Last Wish 2

They had three wishes for their going to be martyred. They were,"We wish the execution would be stayed until Friday the same day as Jesus Christ." (It was planned on Wednesday, February 2nd.)

Last Wish 1

Last Wish 1

Since it was Christian town which they were supposed to go through from Togitsu to Nishizaka, officials let them walk as much as they could. Then, they had a break at a small hospital for leprosy in Urakami.

Gethemane

     It was around 11:00 at night. Togitsu was a Christian town. Escort officers were afraid if these martyrs might be grabbed, and took precautions.  Then they didn’t permit twenty-six martyrs even to get on the beach. Keeping to have their hands tied behind their back, they crouched down and spent night in uncomfortable boats.  It is considered that martyrs awaited the dawn without being able to sleep. This night became their last one on the earth. This night was certainly a Gethemane for them.

     Standing in the port of Togitsu and praying with watching the bay, I feel as if I were hearing their breathing. The 800 km journey was about to end on the next day after almost one month. It was true that their flesh got all weakened. But, they had love to the Lord Jesus and their assured hope toward heaven. Their faith in their Lord were burning not vanishing even at a frosty night.

     At dawn on the next day, February 2nd, they left for the hill of Nishizaka, where they would be martyred.  Eventually, it came the day of their triumphal parading to heaven.  

Tears of Peter Baptist 2

     Once, there were such missionaries in Japan. That’s the missionary who didn’t look after himself, his mother country, or even his family remained there, and who couldn’t help but weep for the missionary work in this Japan, even before the death and even before the martyrdom, 

     Revival absolutely comes to Japan. God remembers teas of Fr. Peter Baptist. He engraves his prayer in His mind. Then, He uses us as His answers to his prayer.

     I have been to Sonogi lots of times. Whenever I visits there, the Lord gives me His utterance. “You are the answer of His weeping.”

     We need to keep it in our mind that the work of big revival in the last days the Lord is going to perform would be the answer of their prayer with tears, too.  We should keep in remembrance that once there were people (missionaries) who came for missionary activities, leaving their mother countries and their own family, and were martyred with gladness. 

     These twenty-six martyrs divided into three little boats without covers, reached Togitsu from Sonogi through a frosty night sea. All of them were bound with ropes around their neck except for foreign priests, and their both hands were bound with those ropes behind their back.

Tears of Peter Baptist 1

Going down steep mountain, they reached the port of Sonogi. It was a little after midday on February 4th. While the prisoners were quietly discussing recent events, gazing at at the peaceful countryside, Fr. Peter Baptist dropped back a few steps, sat on a rock, and began meditating. After for a while, tears uncontrollably started to come out of his eyes.

“I am marching to my death.  I am going to die for preaching Jesus Christ. I was given great joy. Even if missionary activities has only just begun in this country, his brothers in the Lord, who were supposed to succeed, are going to die, too. How is the missionary work going in this nation? The enterprise for which he had sacrificed everything is going to be undone.”

     It was not for his own life or the country he was born and grown up or his family that he wept.

     Yes. for this country, he wept for our country this Japan. He just did looking after future of this Japan our country. He cried watching over all the difficulties Christians in Japan would suffer from.  

Steep Mountain

     My wife and I passed Mihara, Shimonoseki, Hakata, and Yamamoto village where Rudobigo Ibaragi had chosen God. We prayed there and put up at an inn in Karatsu. On the next day, we continued on our journey to Imari, Takeo, and Sonogi being jolted on a single tracked train and bus.

     Twenty-six martyrs were getting tired from a long journey. Before they were about to enter Nagasaki where they were to be martyred, there was a course hard road waiting. The road from Yamamoto to Sonogi was mountainous and a very steep road continued. They hardly saw anyone pass by on that road. Their body got so weak but they proceeded to climb up to the steep road quietly.

     When they went over the mountain and reached to the top, they could get the whole view of Omura Bay. They took a rest there. At their feet, the beautiful scenery of Omura Bay which was like a quiet Ocean spread out. They were touched by the wonderful scenery and felt their tiredness and pains disappear. 

     If there is such wonderful scenery which comforts us on earth, how much greater scenery waits for us when we finish our journey of martyrdom and go back to heaven. Meditating on that, they might have feel joy and praise spring out from their inside.