Antique Japanese Ink on Paper, calligraphy from the Shogunate era detailing the persecution of Christians in Japan c. 1750. 

Christianity in Edo Japan underwent a dramatic shift from rapid growth to total suppression. What began as a thriving faith with over 300,000 converts was outlawed in the early 1600s, driving adherents underground to survive brutal persecution. The Tokugawa Shogunate viewed the exclusive nature of the Christian faith as a threat to their political authority and national unity. This led to the creation of the Kirishitan (the Japanese term for Catholics) and a bloody legacy that defined the era. The shogunate officially banned the propagation of Christianity, ordered the destruction of churches, and forced foreign missionaries to leave. The crackdown escalated over the decades. Thousands of believers were tortured or executed, famously including the 50 foreign and domestic Catholics burned at the stake during the Great Martyrdom of Edo. A peasant uprising comprised largely of persecuted Christians was brutally crushed by government forces. This event solidified Japan’s isolationist sakoku policy, permanently severing ties with most of the Western world. The Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians) to avoid extermination, were forced to publicly renounce their faith-often by participating in mandatory Buddhist and Shinto rituals or stepping on copper plaques of Jesus and Mary. In secret, they practiced as Kakure Kirishitan.

Measuring 13 inches H x 17.5 W. Some tears to paper, as shown.