The Unique Beliefs of Japan's Clandestine Christians 

Fun fact : the Japanese at first thought Christianity was a new philosophy from India . Because the Portuguese traders came from Goa

Great video. The Hidden Christians fascinate modern Japanese because they are so peculiarly Japanese themselves. But their history is a very sad one.

Japan has a small but significant Christian presence. Nagasaki can be seen as the Roman Catholic center, Kumamoto as the Lutheran center, and other areas have Methodists and Presbyterians. Among Japanese Americans Presbyterianism, Methodism, Lutheranism, and Catholicism are the main Christian faiths. Japanese American Christian's are predominantly Protestant and Japanese Brazilian Christian's predominantly Catholic.

Amazing. Love from Japan. We are a Catholic family 🇯🇵❤️❤️❤️

I'm in love with Japan.😇😍😍😇 i love my Christian brothers and sisters there. 😇

One of the most powerful Japanese warlords during the Warring Era allowed Christianity to flourish in his domain... Imagine if Oda Nobunaga became a Shogun...

its true story of our ancestors. They passed faith to God in secretly 7 generations

Roman Catholic Church in Japan quite unique, They are as old as Korean and Chinese, but the growing number of disciples as not as strong like Korea and China,

Wow. I would die for Christ too😓 nothing above Him and nothing can replace Him.

Our Lady of Akita, pray for Japan.

Early Christian were sufffered more than the Christian now a days but still the early Christian were didn't quit to preaching the Gospel because of the good news to proclaiming or spread ove whole japan. Its a great job early Catholic Christians were did. Its prais able.

About one affirmation in the beginning of the documentary, allow me correct, but were not the spanish but the portuguese missionaries to introduce the christianity in Japan, under the rule of king John III (in fact "João"). Your confusion probably lays in the fact of saint Francis Xavier was spanish, but he travelled from Lisbon, Portugal, to Macau and then to Japan, under the enterprise of spreading faith within the portuguese empire, under the will of the jesuits and the portuguese King. It´s interesting to study this fact: they were in fact the first european country to reach Japan, because of theri possesions nearby, in Macau (portuguese territory in China, since 1553 to 1999) and Goa, Damão and Diu ("portuguese India", so to speak, since the 16th century also). In fact whereas the portuguese spread al over the 5 continents the christianity, long before other european people. Finally, there are portuguese words in japanese and vice versa. And it is worth know the namban art, representing the arrival of the portuguese vessels - naus, caravels, and carracs - trading from portuguese Macau. Nothing better than see the film "Silence" from Martin Scorcese. Please, please, correct that error! Thanks (the scientific history thanks you so).

I'm Catholic and it was interesting tu see the Catholic inculturation here, very unique....

Great report

Very anti-Catholic in the comments, it's very sad to see this.

why do documentary/news shows today have to be so pessimistic.. blah blah 'uncertain future'.. its like they are gloating in the idea of having less religious people in the world..

They carried the light through the dark ages of their country and now they are free.

My next destination is Akita, to the Shrine of Our Lady of Akita. The apparition of Mother Mary in Akita, and maybe this place too❤️🙏🙏🙏

arigato gozaimas Japanese christians for believing in Jesus, the one true God. salvation has come

christianity in Japan is very different to how we know it. in Japan christianity is combined with local shintoism and buddhism, creating a very interresting mish-mash of faith.

神は愛である / God is love ♡ Nihonmachi 日本町 historical Japanese communities in Southeast and East Asia (Christians)

Ummm this is wrong. The first missionaries and Europeans to make contact with Japan were the PORTUGUESE

Crypto-Christians in Japan decided to co-exist with Japanese indigenous religions peacefully, and that`s why their faith could survive. Japanese culture is characterized by such polytheistic nature.

Unfortunately, this is what happens Christians attempt to survive by compromising their testimony. The church must preach Christ exclusively or it ceases to be the church. If you deny Christ among men He will deny you to His father in heaven. Yes, it's easy for those of us who don't live in persecuted nations to be judgemental, but I'm only repeating what Jesus told us.

In the states or canada, these decendents families would hv sued the governments to compensate them.

Its so sad how unclear the truth is.

Spanish missionaries were crucial. Francisco Xavier,Cosme de Torres (a Jesuit priest) and Juan Fernandez were the first who arrived in Kagoshima with hopes to bring Catholicism to Japan. In fact, the first mission of Japanese Christians to Europe wanted to meet the Spanish king, no so much the portuguese one...

Sorry but the Spanish nor the Portuguese introduced Christianity to Japan. Long before catholic missionaries arrived thousands and thousands of Christian lived here. They were Nestorian christians... so Christians with a very sense of an oriental system of though. Their beliefs and behavior were never troubling with the official Japanese religion ( Shintoism) in the same way Buddhism also was not. Their impact on Japanese society was a steady and discreet for centuries. When the Catholics arrived here it was too bad for most of the christians remanscent from the first nestorians, as for roman catholics, specialy at that time, being too much on imposing west thought and very centralized power of the Pope.

Rulers of Japan after 1848, and Western culture having penetrated their closed society, quickly adopted western nations advanced technology. Unfortunately, they retained their militaristic social and religious beliefs. This led to horrendous retribution to their citizens in WW11. Todays, progressive. realistic Japanese citizens and rulers may come to realize that Christianity is not an exclusive religion of western nations. As Apostle Paul taught, There is neither Greek, nor Jew, but all (nations and persons) are equal.

people often say japanese don't have religion or are atheist while it's fake they have or at least msot of them had a religion around their emperor i think it's wasn't a religion but they had a sort of cult for their emperor and traditional value where they were ready to kill themselves for the emperor as we've seen kamikaze during world war II when japan were struuglign against american but there is indeed Christian is japan but they often move to europe or america

MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF MY MASTER AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST ❤️ REIGN IN ME AND IN THE LIVES OF ALL MEN 🙏 AMEN

Precisam entender que o fim sera um recomeco. E as dividas que existem vao acabar quando ocorrer o colapso imobiliario nas cidades destinadas a destruicao. Simplesmente vao recomecar em outro sistema. Cada cidade tera seu dominio de gemas minerais no sistema . E assim terao tudo novamente. Sem esse problema de dividas hereditarias ou sucessorias ou de acidentes naturais.

Not Spanish, Portuguese missionaries, there is a difference, Spain went exploring other parts of the world per agreement with the Portuguese.

Can you make a documentary about early bhuddist about Pakistan and Afghanistan????

Viva la Nuestra Señora Amaterasu.

Good news

AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM

Here's some facts because I actually study this in Yokohama: Japanese leaders initially thought the Christian missionaries were Buddhists from India. Once they realised they were another religion they were still tolerant of Japanese Christians. Japanese Christians were tolerant and lived normal lives for the most part. The intolerance from European Missionaries and Europeans in Japan is what began the oppression against Christians. This oppression increased when Japanese people would hear reports of Europeans colonising Asia and Africa. Japanese leaders began to think Christianity and European colonialism and imperialism was the same as Christianity, which only furthered oppression against them. Japanese Christians and Buddhists (people always forget that many Buddhist sects were going through the same thing in favour of Shintoism) started a revolt against their oppressors and lost. Finally leading to a complete ban on Christianity.

Are there any Baptist churches in Japan?

When Jesus said, if you love and follow me, the world will hate you because satan is the ruler of this world. This is prove the word of our Lord is true, rejoice in suffering for the kingdom of God is ours.

Turning Japanese, Japanese, Japanese I really think so think so think so.

The tenacity of these people is simply ... wonderful. They are all blessed to keep their faith for so long. However, I can see many heretics, raving their lunatic theories about the Holy Catholic Church. Their rage is nothing more than the result of the lack of tradition, biblical foundation, and the perversity of the bizarre theology their protestant sects carry with'em. None heretical difamation will break two millenia of tradition.

We pay high price for kobe beef and Blue fin tuna because japanese fishermen and farmers were catholics ??? they were poor and in lower classes, Franciscan fathers converted them easy by telling them there is perfect life after this. ????

the almighty is the one and true god no matter what race you are free to worship the lord who cares what people say I dont believe persecution

Dis life enh!

It wasn’t the Spanish. It was the Portuguese. How you can get it so wrong from the very start is beyond me.

This article is an extremely superficial view of "religion" in Japan.

So is Christianity still outlawed in Japan?

Portuguese missionaries not spain

Yyy

Blessed Be Christians & Jews of Japan 🇺🇲☺️❤️🇯🇵 ✡️✝️

You mean Portuguese missionaries.

Arcane religion is horrible way to describe Christianity in Japan.

Japan, please stay away from worshipping Saklas

CHRISTIANITY IS THE ONLY TRUE RELIGION. JESUS CHRIST ALONE IS KING & SAVIOUR. JAPAN FOR CHRIST.

To believe in Jesus Christ you must renounce Buddhism and all other faiths

"...Challenged by the indifference of the modern world." That's insulting. Its history. They're now just Christians. We record other atrocities for the sake of learning from them. They seem to be sadly following traditionalist Catholic beliefs. Worshipping their 'closet god'; ritualizing the departing blessing. Its saddening and foolish! *sigh* Thank you for the video but I can't believe that this is just because of their ancestors. I'd rather them believe it as their own religion; rather than an ancestor-bound religion that they HAVE to do because they might be cursed if they don't. I don't understand it.

This isn't Christianity but paganism. The Roman Catholic Church doesn't teach these beliefs.

LETS HOPE THAT CHRISTIANITY WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO DESTROY THE WONDERFUL BUDDHISTIC AND SHINTOISTIC CULTURE OF THIS UNIQUE LAND JAPAN.

As the narrator said this is not Christianity but tradition. It explains why the Catholics are so interested in them.

'Two' Mary's? That's not right. One on the left looks just like a popular depiction of 'Mary feeding Baby Jesus'. I was told it's nice to have one in the kitchen and ask Mother Mary to intercede for us so this household will have food always. Seems they were able to afford more than one picture of one and only Mother Mary. So sad they accept Holy Communion on hands, not traditionally.

🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊🍫

Why are these "Christians" participating in Buddhist ritual? This is a terrible scandal. The cultus latriae is offered solely to God alone and not to these gentile idols in superstitious rites. St. Agnes of Rome chose martyrdom, refusing to even offer a pinch of incense to the "gods" of the Roman Pantheon, and she is rewarded most graciously in heavenly beatitude.

What you japanis think about Islam?

لا اله الا الله

Catholic would be a so enriched religion without the coercive immersion of some popes and cardinals.

I'm not going to sit in judgment on these 'hidden Christians', but WHY ARE THEY HIDDEN? (Matthew 5:14-15) 'You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.' Why are they 'embedded' among buddhist idolaters with their VAIN religion? (2nd Corinthians 6:14) 'Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?' Are they afraid of being killed by their buddhist neighbors? Wont' the Japanese police defend them? This sounds BAD from every angle.

I wish modern christianity would stop paying homage to Mary the "queen of heaven".

Spanish missionaries 😨😨😨 ??? 😂😂😂😂 ahahahahaha

christians aand catholics are different

Sadly this is Manipulation of Christianity to a great extent .. With no relative importance given to Jesus Christ , the "Christ " in Christian .and only to Mary, that too 2 marys Actually Christianity should revolve around Christ Jesus alone..

All religion is a joke, if you’re religious...then you’re a joke

gotta be honest. this is just too sad. why? cuz it looks like another religion with rituals. true Christians don't do rituals nor worship pictures or images. and God is not being "enshrined" in something here on earth. God is sitting on His throne in Heaven.

There is pure unadulterated spiritual Christianity and then there are all the many man made religions (fleshly and worldly) of national Christendom (Western Christianized Civilization). Even so, I admire the people who die for their faith...but, just like other religious or humanist belief systems, if they are dying for a belief system (religious or humanist) not rooted in the person and personality of Jesus Christ, then their beliefs and all their good works (including being willing to die) is but a stench in the Bible God's nose... Worship of ancestors, worship of the Queen of Heaven, along with Priest Confession, has nothing to do with Christianity. What a person believes or what they do as part of their system of belief is of course their right...but, please, let's stop calling everyone who calls themselves a Christian, a Christian! I'm here to defend the Bible and the Followers of Jesus. Paganism (Shinto, Buddhism, Islam, Voodoo, Hinduism, and suchlike) has nothing to do with New Testament Christianity, and Judaism and Christendom's religions (Romanism. Protestantism, Mormonism, and the lesser religions like Jehovah Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists), while somewhat knowledgeable of the Bible, have little to do with Spirit-led New Testament Christianity. Pure NT Christianity is only for Holy Spirit-led Followers of only Jesus, Creator and Savior, King of kings, soon to return and restore the earth and humanity to law and order, grace and mercy. All humanity should get the eyes of their souls off of all the religious and humanist, worldly and fleshly, distractions and read chapter one of the gospel of the Book of John, and Galatians Chapter five, until you meet Holy God. Meeting Holy God changes everything! No more religion! No more reading and praying, no more guessing and wondering. Not all who are called are chosen, but, even just the desire for it, the unwillingness to accept nothing less than pure unadulterated (no Paganism, no Humanism, no religiousness) New Testament Christianity, wanting nothing less than to meet Jesus, pleases the Holy Bible God more than you might know. Mary Worship is NOT New Testament Christianity. But, if theses Japanese (so called) Christians have never received the pure Word of God, not the knowledge of it nor the Spirit of it, I believe Holy God would be somewhat less angry with them on Judgement Day than Hell be with those born into Christendom (Western Christianized Civilization) who received the Holy Bible onto their hands (with churches on every corner, bible stores, the Lord's Prayer in schools, In God We Trust on it's money), yet, who rejected or neglected "so great a salvation" in favor of worldly materialistic ambitions or opportunity to indulge every kind of fleshly impulse, normal or deviant....and, worse, to institute adulterated Bible religions that prevent souls from meeting Jesus. The path of the called, and especially the chosen, is a difficult one, and lonely, but, once you're on that path, like birds migrating south, or salmon swimming against the current to get to their spawning grounds, the inherent pull of the Holy Spirit on the soul is undeniable and, more importantly, it's liberating. It's freedom from the deceit and corruption of humanity that, without the Spirit of God at work aren't n them, as "dead men walking"... Please, if anyone reads this, bow your head today and tell the Bible God you want only Jesus...not the Queen of Heaven, not priests, not superstitions and ancestor worship, not idols, not worldly achievements or fleshly indulgences...tell God you want nothing and no one but Jesus. Only Jesus. May the Holy God bless you greatly if you do this one thing.

Catholicism isn't Christianity