On February 3, the Roman Catholic Church honors the
heroic life of Blessed Ukon Justo Takayama (高山ユスト右近).
Though he did not shed his blood to die in faith, Ukon is considered as a
martyr for having endured prolonged suffering, keeping his faith in Christ,
under persecution.
The First Reading (Romans 8:35-39) reflects how Ukon persevered
his trials, while the Gospel Reading (John 12:23-28) reflects how his life and
death have inspired others and brought many to Christ.
Ukon Justo Takayama was provincial feudal lord (daimyo)
of the Settsu province in today’s Osaka Prefecture.
People in his province really liked him for the way he
governed. They were also drawn to his Christ-centered charisma and many of them
became Christians. Nearly half of the people in his province converted, mainly
because of him. He also drew other daimyos and samurais to Christ, and
prompted some of them to become “kirishitan
daimyo”s (Christian feudal lords). Even those who did not convert to
Christianity were amicable to Christians in their provinces because of Ukon’s
virtuousness that they admired.
As provincial lord of Settsu, Ukon governed his province
with justice and compassion, like David, the king of Israel (2 Samuel 8:15). He
did not impose tax on farmers when harvests were not good. It has been said
that he even carried a coffin of a deceased person in his province, because he
considered those whom he governed as their daimyo were his brothers and
sisters in Christ.
For Ukon, being a daimyo was a God-given
privilege to serve His people, as king of Israel was expected to do so. And he
always sought God’s advice through his prayer whenever he faced challenges in governing
his province, and often consulted a Jesuit priest, Fr. Gnecchi-Soldo Organtino.
Ukon was a man of both action and contemplation. In
this regard, he could have been a great Jesuit, for action and contemplation
are the two pillars of the Ignatian life. In fact, Ukon’s Jesuit friend, Fr. Gnecchi-Soldo
Organtino, must have influenced him.
In 1581, Ukon and Fr. Organtino established the very
first seminary in Japan, Azuchi Seminary, with an endorsement of Oda Nobunaga,
feudal chancellor at that time. They actively evangelized and gained many
converts. Both of them were instrumental in gaining new believers before the
persecution. In fact, one of the seminarians of Azuchi was St. Paul Miki, the
first Japanese Jesuit candidate for ordination and one of the 26 martyrs in
Nagasaki.
Then, the trial of Ukon began, as Toyotomi Hideyoshi,
who succeeded Oda Nobunaga, inaugurated himself as regent, issued the edict to
deport foreign clergies in 1587. Though this order did not necessarily demand those
who had already become believers to renounce their faith, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
pressed Ukon to apostatize, hoping that other Christian samurais and daimyos
would follow Ukon’s path to renounce their faith. But, Ukon, resolvedly refused
to give up on his faith, even Toyotomi Hideyoshi tried to entice Ukon with a
special “promotion” in his administration, if he had chosen him over Christ. Personally,
Hideyoshi really wanted Ukon to serve him, knowing his excellence in diplomatic
strategies and battle skills. Therefore, he did not want to execute Ukon even though
he did not renounce his faith. On the other hand, Ukon was ready to bear
punitive consequences of refusing Hideyoshi’s request to renounce his faith. He
was ready to be executed by him.
In response to his choice of Christian faith over subjecting
to his political authority, Hideyoshi stripped Ukon of his status and
confiscated his province and evicted him from the castle. At that point, Ukon
was reduced to be “nobody” but a “stubborn Christian”. Literally, he and his
family, as well as, his loyal servants, became a bunch of homeless wonderers.
It was evident that Ukon had no attachment to his
feudal power as a daimyo (provincial feudal lord). He was willing to accept
this hardship, because loss of earthly things for Christ was a gain of
something that cannot be exchanged with earthly things, for him, as reflected in
St. Paul’s words in Philippians 3:8-10.
Being in exile, detached from the feudal status and
all other privileges that he used to enjoy, he was living with a possibility to
arrested and executed at any time. It was during that time Ukon began to focus
more on his interior peace. Actually, it was to ready himself for his
martyrdom, thinking that he would be soon taken to Nishizaka hill in Nagasaki,
which was the hill of Golgotha in Jerusalem, for execution. He was ready to
follow the fate of the 26 martyrs. And he meditated on these martyrs often.
Being a samural, having gone through many bloody
battles himself, Ukon was not afraid to die. But Uknon knew that shedding his
blood, as the 26 martyrs did, like Paul Miki and Pedro Bautista, on February 5,
1597, was different from dying in battle. It was to die for Christ, who
remained alive in him. Therefore, he urgently felt the need to align himself
with Christ in him, as he became free from all the worldly affairs, but he
could be executed at any time. His motive to work on his interior peace was to
be one with Christ in his suffering.
For his interior peace to be ready to die as a martyr, Ukon engaged in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Way of Tea (Chanoyu). It is likely that his close Jesuit friend and collaborator in evangelization, Fr. Organtino, encouraged Ukon to engage in the Spiritual Exercises, as they would really help him align himself with Christ. For the Way of Tea, Ukon might have thought to keep Hideyoshi’s anger at bay, to earn more time to engage in the Spiritual Exercises, because Hideyoshi himself loved the tea ceremony. But, truly, Ukon also enjoyed serenity in the Way of the Tea, as taught by Master Sen no Rikyu. In fact, Ukon became one of the top seven tea disciples of this renown tea master.
During his trial, God blessed him with understanding
and supportive friends, besides Fr. Organtino. And one of them is Maeda
Toshiie, provincial lord of Kaga, in today’s Kanazawa prefecture. When he was put in house arrest, by order of
Hideyoshi, Ukon was put in Maeda’s custody. With his understanding and
friendship, Ukon was able to evangelize in Maeda’s province. In fact, it was
Ukon, who sow seeds of faith in Maeda’s province, Kaga, though he was in house
arrest.
Upon Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s death, there was a short
period of laxation in persecution. Ukon and Fr. Organtino became more active in
evangelization. But, as Tokugawa Ieyasu became the rule of Japan, on behalf of
the Emperor, this good time of evangelization was over. Ieyasu’s prohibitory policy against Christian
was much tighter than Hideyoshi’s. And Ieyasu ordered Ukon and his family and
his servants to be expelled from Japan, in 1614.
While waiting for the ship in Nagasaki for expulsion,
Ukon visited lepers and consoled them. Then, he, along with his family and his
loyal servants, were packed in an old ship like a canned sardines, and sailed
to Manila.
After about a month-long of dangerous sea journey,
Ukon and his companions arrived in Manila and welcomed by Manila’s Spanish
governor and other officials, as well as bishop, priests, and many other
brothers and sisters in Christ. Being exhausted from a long period of
persecution and exile journey, Ukon lived in his welcomed place for only 44
days. He died on February 3, 1615, Manila, away from Japan.
During these days in Manila, Ukon’s presence had made
indelible marks on the faithful in the Philippines. Many Christians in the
Philippines were so inspired by his heroic faith. Perhaps, this is why so many
priests eagerly volunteered to be sent to Japan, knowing that they would be
likely to be killed.
In this regard, not only Ukon sow more seeds of brave
faith but also he became a kernel of wheat that dies in Manila, to bring more
missionaries from the Philippines to keep the Christian faith alive and strong
during the intense persecution imposed by the Tokugawa shogunate.
Now, Bl. Ukon Justo Takayama is to be canonized. And
he continues to inspire many faithful Christians to engage in their apostolic
mission with renewed zeal.
Ukon endured many years of suffering through his steadfast faith, proving that nothing could separate him from the love of God (Romans 8:38). Being totally detached from earthly things, including his earthly life, he was ready to die for Christ, the Lord. The Spiritual
Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Way of Tea helped him keep his
interior peace. And even in his suffering, Ukon continued to sow seeds of faith wherever he was, whether he was an
influential daimyo or a homeless wonderer in exile. Finally, through his martyrdom,
he became a kernel of wheat that died to yield more kernels of wheat.
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