Post by Vansibel on Feb 28, 2005 13:51:16 GMT -5
-Came across this interesting read concerning Amakusa and the christian rebellion. To think that an effiminate 15 year old child could lead this much men and give a considerable challenge to the shogun, which also requested Musashi to be one of his military advisor to put down the rebellion.
-----------------------------
The local rulers of Shimabara and Amakusa could not put down the Christian rebellion.The
shogunate sent Itakura Shigemasa with some troops. He ordered, in the name of the
Shogunate, Hosokawa and Nabeshima, two powerful warlords in Kyushu, to
participate in the war to put down the revolts. Musashi was asked to work as a military adviser.
In spite of his good advice, and with the troops of Hosokawa and Nabeshima taking
part in the battles, it was difficult to put down 37,000 rebels led by 15-year-old leader
Amakusa Shiro Tokisada. The third Shogun Iemitsu decided to send the chief minister
of his cabinet Matsudaira Izu-no-kami Nobutsuna with troops of 120,000 men. He was
called " Izu the wise " for being very clever.
At the news that the large troops of the Shogunate were coming, all rebel troops entered
the grounds of the abandoned Hara Castle.
Itakura Shigemasa felt so ashamed as he could not put down the rebels. He decided to
die in a combat before the reinforcement troops from Edo could arrive.
On January 1st 1638, He made a reckless raid on the Hara Castle and 4,000 men of the
shogunate troops died and only 100 rebels died.
Three days later, on January 4th, 1638, the troops of Matsudaira Izu-no-kami Nobutsuna
arrived.
Matsudaira Nobutsuna wanted to take enough time to put down the christian rebels once
and for all. He sent the Iga Ninjas to enter the Hara Castle and made them investigate foods
in stock and how they were fed. The ninjas also stole foods and overheard a meeting of
thier leaders. But, the Ninjas from Iga could not understand what was spoken in a Kyushu
dialect.
In July 1637, some strange natural phenomena happened in the Shimabara region.
The sky in the West turned fiery red.
Cherry blossoms were in bloom during the wrong season. Frogs killed and ate each
other. Crops were poor and many people were beginning to starve.
Some missionaries tried to persuade people to return to christian beliefs which they had
once abandoned. The missionaries attributed strange natural phenomena and poor crops
to the punishment of God as predicted for having abandoned christian beliefs. Some
peasants were caught preaching to people to become Christians or return to christian
beliefs after abandoning it and were arrested.
In October 1637, some local government officials who got into the Christian meetings were
killed by the angry Christians and they began to burn many buddhist temples and Shinto
shrines.
The Christians in the Amakusa region, being informed of the revolts in the Shimabara
region, started also their uprising againt the local ruler. In October 1937, the news of
the Christian revolts reached the Edo Castle. The shogunate decided to send
Iwakura Shigemasa with some troops. The shogunate ordered lord Matsukura
Katsuie stationed at that time in Edo, to return to his domain in the Shimabara region
to suppress the revolts in his own domain.
In November, Iwakura Shigemasa, in the name of the shogunate, asked the Hosokawas
to participate in the battles to suppress the revolts. In February 1638, the shogunate
troops and the troops of the important lords in Kyushu made over-all raids on the Hara
Castle.
37,000 persons were massacred cruelly, except one to inquire of him of all what the
revolts did to write down the records of the battles. The great rebellions in Amakusa
and Shimabara thus ended.
We will go back some years to study the situations which provoked the great uprisings
in the north-west of Kyushu.
The Shimabara region was a domain of the famous Christian warlord Arima Harunobu.
( His christian name was Don Protasio.). He was an important warlord who ruled
Hizen Hinoe capable of producing 140,000 koku of rice. He was trusted by Tokugawa
Ieyasu and christianity in his territory was permitted exceptionally. Lord Harunobu, however,
got involved in a scandal. He was accused of having bribed a retainer of the minister to
Shogun, lord Honda Masazumi. His house should have been abolished. But, it could
survive, because his son Arima Naosumi was serving to the retired shogun Ieyasu in
the castle of Sunpu. He began to serve to Ieyasu when he was only 15 years old and his
wife Lady Kunihime was a great grand-daughter of Ieyasu, the first shogun of Tokugawa.
His domain, however, was reduced and moved to Nobeoka in the province of Hyuga.
In 1616, lord Matsukura Shigemasa came to the Shimabara region of 40,000 koku
from Gojyo in Yamato province( Now, Nara ). In 1618, he started building a gorgeous
and splendid castle in the Azuchi Momoyama-style which took him 7 years to complete.
The castle was too large for a ruler of the land capable of producing only 40,000 koku.
The huge castle reminds us of hard labour and heavy tax burden which people
in Shimabara suffered.
Many people say that under the Tokugawa feudal regime, people could not be happy
in any way. But, in the domains directly under the shogunate, the tax was lower.
There were also good rulers who led a frugal life and promoted industries for their
people. Lord Hosokawa Tadatoshi said : " How can we collect taxes based exactly on
the tax law, when people are starving to death ? " His land also suffered poor crops
and some natural disasters. A typhoon destroyed 36,000 houses in his domain. Lord
Hosokawa didn't have any revolts in his domain. After the revolts were crushed in 1638,
lord Matsukura was punished and expelled from Shimabara. He was sent to the province
of Mimasaka and was ordered to commit seppuku being accused of his bad ruling.
It was an usual incident for a daimyo.
The provinces of Uto, Masushiro, Yashiro and Amakusa of 240,000 koku had belonged
to the christian lord Konishi Yukinaga until the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. The father of
Amakusa Shiro, the leader of the rebellion, was a retainer of lord Konishi Yukinaga.
Yukinaga took sides with the West Camp in the Battle of Sekigahara. He was, therefore,
punished and slain in Kyoto. The domain of Amakusa was given to lord of Karatsu,
Terasawa Hirotaka. His son Terasawa Katataka was punished as being responsible
for bad ruling having provoked the revolts in Amakusa and was taken off the land of
Amakusa.
Some years later, Amakusa was put under the direct rule of the shogunate. Lord
Terasawa Katataka became alcoholic and went insane, killing himself 10 years later.
In both Amakusa and Shimabara, people were starving and many of them were
christians. The lord collect heavy taxes and people can not be consoled from
suffrings as they were persecuted for being christians. After the revolts suppressed,
they would become underground christians or hided christians - kakure Kirinutsan.
They kept christian faith more than 200 years until the ages of freedom of religions
would come.
Taken from: www.geocities.jp/general_sasaki/hosokawa_gracia_eng.html
-----------------------------
The local rulers of Shimabara and Amakusa could not put down the Christian rebellion.The
shogunate sent Itakura Shigemasa with some troops. He ordered, in the name of the
Shogunate, Hosokawa and Nabeshima, two powerful warlords in Kyushu, to
participate in the war to put down the revolts. Musashi was asked to work as a military adviser.
In spite of his good advice, and with the troops of Hosokawa and Nabeshima taking
part in the battles, it was difficult to put down 37,000 rebels led by 15-year-old leader
Amakusa Shiro Tokisada. The third Shogun Iemitsu decided to send the chief minister
of his cabinet Matsudaira Izu-no-kami Nobutsuna with troops of 120,000 men. He was
called " Izu the wise " for being very clever.
At the news that the large troops of the Shogunate were coming, all rebel troops entered
the grounds of the abandoned Hara Castle.
Itakura Shigemasa felt so ashamed as he could not put down the rebels. He decided to
die in a combat before the reinforcement troops from Edo could arrive.
On January 1st 1638, He made a reckless raid on the Hara Castle and 4,000 men of the
shogunate troops died and only 100 rebels died.
Three days later, on January 4th, 1638, the troops of Matsudaira Izu-no-kami Nobutsuna
arrived.
Matsudaira Nobutsuna wanted to take enough time to put down the christian rebels once
and for all. He sent the Iga Ninjas to enter the Hara Castle and made them investigate foods
in stock and how they were fed. The ninjas also stole foods and overheard a meeting of
thier leaders. But, the Ninjas from Iga could not understand what was spoken in a Kyushu
dialect.
In July 1637, some strange natural phenomena happened in the Shimabara region.
The sky in the West turned fiery red.
Cherry blossoms were in bloom during the wrong season. Frogs killed and ate each
other. Crops were poor and many people were beginning to starve.
Some missionaries tried to persuade people to return to christian beliefs which they had
once abandoned. The missionaries attributed strange natural phenomena and poor crops
to the punishment of God as predicted for having abandoned christian beliefs. Some
peasants were caught preaching to people to become Christians or return to christian
beliefs after abandoning it and were arrested.
In October 1637, some local government officials who got into the Christian meetings were
killed by the angry Christians and they began to burn many buddhist temples and Shinto
shrines.
The Christians in the Amakusa region, being informed of the revolts in the Shimabara
region, started also their uprising againt the local ruler. In October 1937, the news of
the Christian revolts reached the Edo Castle. The shogunate decided to send
Iwakura Shigemasa with some troops. The shogunate ordered lord Matsukura
Katsuie stationed at that time in Edo, to return to his domain in the Shimabara region
to suppress the revolts in his own domain.
In November, Iwakura Shigemasa, in the name of the shogunate, asked the Hosokawas
to participate in the battles to suppress the revolts. In February 1638, the shogunate
troops and the troops of the important lords in Kyushu made over-all raids on the Hara
Castle.
37,000 persons were massacred cruelly, except one to inquire of him of all what the
revolts did to write down the records of the battles. The great rebellions in Amakusa
and Shimabara thus ended.
We will go back some years to study the situations which provoked the great uprisings
in the north-west of Kyushu.
The Shimabara region was a domain of the famous Christian warlord Arima Harunobu.
( His christian name was Don Protasio.). He was an important warlord who ruled
Hizen Hinoe capable of producing 140,000 koku of rice. He was trusted by Tokugawa
Ieyasu and christianity in his territory was permitted exceptionally. Lord Harunobu, however,
got involved in a scandal. He was accused of having bribed a retainer of the minister to
Shogun, lord Honda Masazumi. His house should have been abolished. But, it could
survive, because his son Arima Naosumi was serving to the retired shogun Ieyasu in
the castle of Sunpu. He began to serve to Ieyasu when he was only 15 years old and his
wife Lady Kunihime was a great grand-daughter of Ieyasu, the first shogun of Tokugawa.
His domain, however, was reduced and moved to Nobeoka in the province of Hyuga.
In 1616, lord Matsukura Shigemasa came to the Shimabara region of 40,000 koku
from Gojyo in Yamato province( Now, Nara ). In 1618, he started building a gorgeous
and splendid castle in the Azuchi Momoyama-style which took him 7 years to complete.
The castle was too large for a ruler of the land capable of producing only 40,000 koku.
The huge castle reminds us of hard labour and heavy tax burden which people
in Shimabara suffered.
Many people say that under the Tokugawa feudal regime, people could not be happy
in any way. But, in the domains directly under the shogunate, the tax was lower.
There were also good rulers who led a frugal life and promoted industries for their
people. Lord Hosokawa Tadatoshi said : " How can we collect taxes based exactly on
the tax law, when people are starving to death ? " His land also suffered poor crops
and some natural disasters. A typhoon destroyed 36,000 houses in his domain. Lord
Hosokawa didn't have any revolts in his domain. After the revolts were crushed in 1638,
lord Matsukura was punished and expelled from Shimabara. He was sent to the province
of Mimasaka and was ordered to commit seppuku being accused of his bad ruling.
It was an usual incident for a daimyo.
The provinces of Uto, Masushiro, Yashiro and Amakusa of 240,000 koku had belonged
to the christian lord Konishi Yukinaga until the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. The father of
Amakusa Shiro, the leader of the rebellion, was a retainer of lord Konishi Yukinaga.
Yukinaga took sides with the West Camp in the Battle of Sekigahara. He was, therefore,
punished and slain in Kyoto. The domain of Amakusa was given to lord of Karatsu,
Terasawa Hirotaka. His son Terasawa Katataka was punished as being responsible
for bad ruling having provoked the revolts in Amakusa and was taken off the land of
Amakusa.
Some years later, Amakusa was put under the direct rule of the shogunate. Lord
Terasawa Katataka became alcoholic and went insane, killing himself 10 years later.
In both Amakusa and Shimabara, people were starving and many of them were
christians. The lord collect heavy taxes and people can not be consoled from
suffrings as they were persecuted for being christians. After the revolts suppressed,
they would become underground christians or hided christians - kakure Kirinutsan.
They kept christian faith more than 200 years until the ages of freedom of religions
would come.
Taken from: www.geocities.jp/general_sasaki/hosokawa_gracia_eng.html
and i saw your wibsite it's sound good .U R the best one had ever played ss4 i have ever seen.so keep on your progres with alarg steps ..in the end i got one only ask(could u do it for afan) i want u to make nice vid for ss64 i knew u dont like it like ss4 but pleas(by the name of the iga ninja ) 