by Shaun Curry
‘You already have credit for that,’ the Governor answered.
‘But I want the Shogun to know I captured and arrested them.’
‘Yes, yes, you will get your credit,’ the Governor grunted.
Daimyo Shigemasa continued to press Kawachi for recognition of the Christians’ discovery and arrest. ‘This is important, Governor. I want the Shogun to know that I am doing everything possible to capture these despicable Christians on my lands.’ Shigemasa looked at the Governor with narrowed eyes. ‘And I want him to know I am producing results.’
With a pinched expression, the Governor huffed. ‘Yes, Lord Shigemasa, I will make him aware.’
‘So are we all agreed?’ Suetsugu interjected. ‘We will execute the entire village tomorrow?’
‘Slow down, Deputy. We should think about this in a careful manner,’ the Governor answered.
‘What is there to think about? The answer is simple: we exterminate them.’
‘I know you want to them dead, but I want what is in our best interests.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, how can we gain the most favour with the Shogun?’
‘The Shogun wants us to execute hidden Christians.’ Suetsugu did not conceal his impatience. ‘There is nothing more to discuss.’
‘The Shogun also likes to torture Christians himself,’ the Governor replied.
‘What are you saying?’
‘Why not send them all to the Shogun and let him torture and execute them?’
‘That is a good idea,’ Shigemasa agreed. ‘But there are too many. The women and children tire easily, and it would take far too long to get them to Edo.’
‘Then maybe we should split them up?’ the Governor suggested. ‘Split the men from the women and children.’
Yes,’ Shigemasa nodded. ‘We can take the men to Edo with ease.’
‘Then it is decided.’ The Governor leaned back, satisfied.
‘What about the foreign priest and his aides?’ Shigemasa asked. ‘One of them is a young woman.’
‘Is she strong?’ the governor asked.
‘Yes, she is the strongest among all the women of the village.’
‘Then take all the men and the three foreigners to the Shogun. The Shogun has never tortured a foreign woman before.’
The men in the room smiled. The Governor was not the only one amused at the thought of the Shogun torturing a young Portuguese woman.
‘The real prize will be the torture and death of the foreign priest.’ Feeling proud that he was already producing results so early in his post, the Governor smiled at the others. ‘The Shogun views the priests as the primary agents poisoning Japan.’
‘Who will take the men to Edo?’ the Deputy-Lieutenant asked.
‘I will!’ Daimyo Shigemasa blurted.
‘Edo is almost a two-week journey, Daimyo.’
‘It matters not. I want to hand these dogs over to the Shogun in person.’
‘Fine, you have earned it. Take them to Edo.’ The Governor’s decision resounded with authority.
‘And what about the women and children?’ the Deputy-Lieutenant asked.
‘What about them?’
‘Shall we execute them?’
‘I prefer apostates over martyrs.’
‘For sure, if we send half the Christians to Edo, we can execute the women and children.’
‘Our execution yesterday did not please me, Deputy.’
‘Why not? The Christians are dead. Even their ashes do not remain. It was a great victory.’
‘They were fearless; this bothers me. They chose death rather than recant their faith.’
‘It is still a victory,’ the Deputy replied as he shrugged his shoulders.
‘A complete victory would be for them to do something against their will. I want apostates, not martyrs.’
‘And how will you achieve that?’
‘We will achieve it through unbearable torture.’
‘Splendid, Governor. I would like to be in charge of this.’
‘Are you sure you have the stomach to torture women and children?’
‘If I can torture my own mother and sister, who were previously Christian, then without question, I can torture unknown women and children.’
‘Did you really torture your own family?’
‘Yes, Governor. Their Christian beliefs compromised my business.’
Kawachi raised his eyebrows at Suetsugu, and then shrugged it off, giving Suetsugu’s behaviour no further thought.
‘Then it looks like we have the right man for the job.’ The Governor smiled and nodded his approval. ‘Wake the Christian dogs and remove them from the kennel.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
22 June 1626
Nagasaki Court of Justice
Father Joaquim watched Governor Kawachi march into the Nagasaki Court of Justice followed by a phalanx of senior officials. The villagers stood next to the priest. All looked pale with dark circles under the eyes and smelled horrible. Many were sick and exhausted, with slouched shoulders.
The Jesuit watched the Governor and his senior officials prepare to address the courtroom. In their demeanour, he could see intense hatred and vindictiveness. The priest felt helpless. Maybe this wasn’t the right moment, he thought. Perhaps a better opportunity to stand up to the authorities and get them out of this horrible situation would reveal itself later. He tapped his fingers to release energy, struggling to control his emotions. The priest did not hate the new governor and the other officials, but at the same time, he did not like them. For now, he thought it wise to take stock of Kawachi’s verdict, and plan thereafter.
‘Line up these mutts so they may face their judgement,’ the Governor ordered. He made his way to the front of the courtroom and took his seat as prosecutor and judge.
Officials forced the villagers into rows near the front of the courtroom, shoving the children forward, followed by the women, keeping the men at the rear.
‘This hearing will be short,’ the Governor exclaimed. ‘By law of the Shogun and the Bakufu regime, you are all criminals and will suffer great torments for your crimes. There is only one way to reduce your suffering – renounce your useless faith.’
The room was silent.
‘Who among you will recant?’ The Governor scanned the room, looking for those most likely to break.
Kawachi studied the women, especially those with young children, who hugged their mothers desperately. With his head tilted back, he expected them to crack – at least for the sake of their children.
More silence.
‘The Governor asked you a question, you stupid dogs,’ the Deputy-Lieutenant bellowed. ‘Who will recant?’
With bulging eyes and full body tremors, some of the smaller children wailed. The adults remained silent.
From the back of the room, Father Joaquim locked eyes with the Governor, the man’s rage apparent. ‘Bring the foreign priest here,’ the Governor commanded.
Two samurai guards grabbed Joaquim and dragged him to the front.
‘State your name,’ the governor said.
‘Father Joaquim Martinez.’
‘You admit to being a priest?’
‘I am a Father in the order of the Jesuits.’
‘Why are you in Japan? Your time here has expired.’
‘My mission is to spread the Word of God and to shepherd the converted.’ Joaquim heard mumblings from the guards.
‘Will you recant?’
‘No, sir, I cannot.’
Kawachi stared at the Jesuit from the magistrate’s bench and crossed his arms. ‘And what of your flock? Will they recant this false religion?’
‘They are free to make their own choices. I do not command them.’
‘Which of you will recant and live? Step forward at once!’
No response.
As the village remained silent, Father Joaquim’s eyes gleamed. He felt a sense of pride to be Christian. For sure, he thought, recanti
ng would at least benefit the children in the short term. But he knew that recanting the children’s faith on their behalf would damn them. Mortal life was short, and who was he to forsake their eternal life.
‘Read your sentences,’ Joaquim said.
‘Do you not wish to save their lives, Priest?’ the Governor sneered. ‘You should make them recant.’
‘Only God can save us.’
‘Your faith will not help you here,’ the Deputy-Lieutenant interjected.
‘Our Lord Jesus cautioned his disciples that they would meet with opposition when they spread His word. I am not afraid.’
‘You should be, Priest. Your death will be the most painful and gruesome of all,’ the Deputy-Lieutenant sneered.
‘You should never have voyaged to Japan,’ Kawachi said. ‘The Shogun is Lord here and there is no place for your Jesus. Your teachings corrupt the minds of our people.’
‘The people of Japan have a right to choose whom they serve.’
‘Wrong. The people of Japan exist to serve the Shogun and the daimyo who own the lands they work.’
Daimyo Shigemasa grinned.
‘Well, then . . .’ The Governor shook his head as he gazed over the assembled villagers. ‘We will divide the village into two. Daimyo Shigemasa will march the men and foreigners to Edo, where the Shogun will have the pleasure of choosing the manner of their demise. The women and children will remain incarcerated in Nagasaki, where they will recant through torture or face death.’
Without waiting, samurai and officials divided the villagers, pushing the men and foreigners to one side of the court and the women and children to the other.
The crying and wailing grew louder as officials tore families apart. Samurai assaulted several villagers as husbands and wives tried to embrace for the last time. One wife tried to give her husband a last kiss but an official punched her hard in the face, spattering blood around the courtroom. As her children wailed, samurai kicked them in the face, telling them to shut up or die. The husband tried to rescue his family, but a samurai slammed him in the head with the butt end of a sword. He collapsed onto the floor and lay unconscious, covered in blood that oozed from a large gash.
‘This court is dismissed!’ the Governor shouted. ‘May you all lament the day you adopted this useless faith!’
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
23 June 1626
Streets of Nagasaki City
Samurai forced the women and children down the street towards an empty warehouse near the harbour. Their orders were to treat them like animals and mock them. Every moan or whimper led to a blow. As they moved through the streets, the guards yanked on the ropes binding the prisoners, causing them to trip and fall to the ground.
Deputy-Lieutenant Suetsugu strutted down the street, leading the march.
‘This is what happens to Christians!’ the Deputy-Lieutenant shouted. He paraded the captives past a group of locals who gathered near the centre of the city.
Suetsugu noticed the shock on the faces of several local women. As the deputy observed their reaction, he smiled. ‘Remove the women’s clothing!’ he commanded.
‘Here?’ an official asked.
‘What better place to humiliate them?’
Scores of Nagasaki residents looked on in horror and disgust. Suetsugu saw their revulsion and fed on it. The samurai did as ordered. The women barely resisted. They could only cry.
‘Leave my aunt alone!’ young Shiro shouted. He ran over to the samurai who had torn off her clothing, and tried to kick him.
‘Discipline that brat!’ the deputy yelled.
With the butt end of their swords, several samurai hammered away at Shiro, leaving him senseless.
‘Don’t touch him!’ his aunt screamed. Despite her nakedness, she tried to run over and protect him. A samurai knocked her to the ground.
Suetsugu stood over the naked woman, and said, ‘No Christian will be spared from my wrath. Not even the children. Nits make lice.’
The woman tried to get up.
‘Stay down,’ the Deputy-Lieutenant commanded, and put a foot in her back. He stood above the woman with a large whip in his hand. ‘Crawl like the dog you are!’
The woman turned and stared up at the Deputy.
‘You mutts are far too disobedient. You need to listen to your masters!’ Suetsugu shouted again. ‘Now crawl!’
The woman remained motionless.
‘Crawl, I said!’ Suetsugu’s whip cracked through the air, drawing blood. She cried out and began crawling down the road. Horrified at her treatment, women in the streets gasped.
Motivated by the laughter of the samurai, Suetsugu ordered all the women to crawl down the road. With heads down, the women crawled on all fours, their faces flushed red, their bodies shivering. After several minutes of amusement, Suetsugu signalled for the samurai to pick them up from the ground.
‘We can’t let these mutts crawl all day,’ he said. ‘We’ll never get to the warehouse.’
Walking again, the group finally arrived at Suetsugu’s empty warehouse on the waterfront.
‘Shove them in.’
The officials untied the ropes binding the women and children together, then pushed them into the dark warehouse, tossing their clothes in after them.
‘You can recant or suffer more humiliation and an excruciating death,’ Suetsugu announced. He slammed the door closed and abandoned them to the darkness.
CHAPTER THIRTY
24 June 1626
Omura Prison, District of Nagasaki
Under different circumstances, the brilliant orange-and-red sunset outlining the mountain would have been a marvel. But Daimyo Shigemasa, his son Katsuie, and the warlord’s samurai were too focused on driving the band of exhausted prisoners up the mountain slope to notice, and the prisoners too fatigued and miserable to care.
Omura Prison was located twenty miles north of Nagasaki, and Shigemasa had marched them non-stop from the court in Nagasaki.
As the group continued uphill, several prison guards walked down to greet them. At the top, somewhat concealed by tall trees, stood Omura Prison, guarded by twelve more guards.
‘Daimyo Shigemasa, welcome to Omura Prison,’ Yuzuru Matsumoto, the prison master said. He bowed low. ‘I see you have prisoners.’
‘Yes, and they are all Christians.’
Shigemasa led Matsumoto away from the group to speak in private. ‘We found them on my lands – in a village in Arima,’ the Daimyo confided.
‘I’m sorry, Lord. But it is a good capture for you, is it not? How many do you have?’ Matsumoto looked over the prisoners.
‘Twenty-one, including three foreign dogs. Each will be a delightful gift for the Shogun.’
‘So how can we help, Lord Shigemasa?’
‘I need to visit my castle tomorrow before I lead our long march to Edo. I have more gifts for the Shogun I need to collect. It is also necessary to gather supplies for the journey, so I would like to leave these prisoners here for two nights while I make preparations. Do you have the space to imprison them?’
Half-turning his head and scowling, Matsumoto answered: ‘Hmm . . . I don’t know. The prison is already well over capacity. I don’t know where I could put twenty-one new prisoners. Perhaps we could execute some?’
Shigemasa shook his head. ‘No, I do not want to kill anyone. They are valuable gifts for the Shogun. I want him to see all the fruit of my labours.’
‘We cannot execute any of our existing prisoners,’ Matsumoto replied. ‘I have instructions to make them suffer more.’
‘Well then, let us force them all together for a few days. They will all suffer more, and I can get what I need.’
‘It will mean piling them on top of one another.’
For a moment, Shigemasa visualized all the prisoners piled on top of one another in a horrid tangle of human bodies with no escape. The thought made him laugh as he smirked and lifted his chin.
‘Why do I care?’
‘They won’t s
leep. Some go insane and kill for more space.’
‘But my prisoners are gifts for the Shogun.’
‘Perhaps we could use a new underground prison cell I have built. It is almost complete.’
Matsumoto’s enthusiasm pleased Shigemasa almost as much as the offer itself. ‘A new prison cell?’
The man nodded, proud of his accomplishment. ‘I built it for the most vile criminals. It is a deep concrete hole in the ground. It can fit one or two, maybe three if they stand and lean against each other.’
‘Why is it for the most vile?’
‘Because there is almost no air in the hole, and it is unbearably hot. Sometimes we fill it with human waste, so it is foul.’
‘Good. We will put my most despicable criminals in it – the Christian priest and his aides. I cannot risk them being killed.’
‘That is fine, Lord. But they will get sick.’
‘Sick dogs are less likely to run away.’ Shigemasa grinned at his good fortune.
‘And the rest of the Christians?’
‘Shove them into the main prison. I don’t care if we have to pile them on top of one another. It is not me in there.’
‘As you command, Lord. It will be like hell for them.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
24 June 1626
Father Joaquim and the two young catechists stood in a hole nine feet deep and less than three and a half feet in diameter, soaked in the urine Matsumoto and several of his guards had deposited on them earlier.
Their exhausted bodies slouched but lacked the room required to sit. Not wanting to recline in the vile waste that surrounded them – even if they had had the room – the three stood amid the foul smell, staring downwards as they discussed their situation.
‘When will this end, Father?’ Tonia moaned as she pressed against the side of the hole.
‘When we are dead,’ Miguel said despondently.
‘I know I have said this before, but have faith, my friends. We will survive this,’ Father Joaquim said.
Miguel mumbled: ‘I’m sorry, Father, but God has abandoned us.’
‘That is the time to renew your faith, Miguel. Perhaps you need to pray. We could do so together if you like . . .’