Origins & Early Life

Masuda Shirō Tokisada (益田 四郎 時貞; c. 1621 – 28 February 1638), also known as Amakusa Shirō (天草 四郎), was a Japanese Christian of the Edo period and leader of the Shimabara Rebellion, an uprising of Japanese Roman Catholics against the Shogunate. His Christian name was Geronimo and he was later known as Francisco. The uprising led by Shirō was defeated, and he was executed at the age of 17.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His head was displayed on a pike near Nagasaki as a warning to Christians. His efforts as the spiritual leader of the uprising, and the inevitable defeat of the Christian rebels at Hara Castle, were reflected in the 1962 movie Amakusa Shirō Tokisada (shown in English-speaking countries as The Christian Revolt or The Revolutionary), by the Japanese movie director Nagisa Oshima. Shirō was born in 1621 as the son of Catholic parents, Masuda Jinbei (益田 甚兵衛), a former Konishi clan retainer, and his wife. Legend speculates that Shirō could have been the illegitimate son of Toyotomi Hideyori, but these claims have little credibility. Portuguese Jesuit missionaries had been active in Japan since the late 16th century.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

By the age of 15, the charismatic youth was known to his Japanese Catholic...

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