The Road to Urakami: The Twenty Six Martyrs of Japan

An EWTN original documentary reveals the true story behind one of history’s most significant expressions of courage and faith. In 1597, almost a half-century after St. Francis Xavier introduced Christianity to missionary Japan, the nascent religion faced its most critical trial. Under orders from emperor Toyotomi Hideyoshi, nine European priests and seventeen Japanese Christians were executed by crucifixion, triggering 300 years of violent and deadly suppression of the Christian faith. A powerful example of fortitude when faced with incomprehensible persecution.