Francisco Blanco, OFM was a Spanish Catholic Franciscan missionary and martyr, one of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan (日本二十六聖人 Nihon Nijūroku Seijin). He is revered as a saint by the Catholic and other Christian churches, particularly in Japan.
Following a calling to cross-cultural mission, he migrated to Mexico, where he was ordained a priest. In 1593, he moved to the Philippines. And in 1596 he travelled, with his teacher Martin of the Ascension, to Japan.
Martyrdomedit
The local daimyō, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, began persecuting Catholics in fear of growing European influence. On 8 December 1596 Blanco was among a large number of Christians in Kyoto who were arrested and had part of their left ears cut off. On 4 January 1597 they were sent on a forced march 966 kilometres (600 miles) to Nagasaki. The following day Blanco and Twenty-five other Christian men and boys (including 20 Japanese, 3 Europeans, a Mexican and an Indian) were executed for preaching Christianity, an act prohibited by Japanese law. They were crucified and pierced with spears on Nishizaka Hill and their bodies remained exposed.[2]
When religious freedom was reestablished in Japan under Meiji Restoration in 1868, about 30,000 members of the underground Kakure Kirishitan or "Hidden Christian" church came out of hiding.[3]
In June 1962 The Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and Monument were built on Nishizaka Hill to commemorate the 100th anniversary of their canonization.
A skull relic of Blanco is preserved in O Barco de Valdeorras, Ourense.
francisco, blanco, martyr, francisco, blanco, spanish, catholic, franciscan, missionary, martyr, twenty, martyrs, japan, 日本二十六聖人, nihon, nijūroku, seijin, revered, saint, catholic, other, christian, churches, particularly, japan, saintfrancisco, blancoofmpaint. Francisco Blanco OFM was a Spanish Catholic Franciscan missionary and martyr one of the Twenty six Martyrs of Japan 日本二十六聖人 Nihon Nijuroku Seijin He is revered as a saint by the Catholic and other Christian churches particularly in Japan SaintFrancisco BlancoOFMPainting of Blanco s crucifixion from Lima Peru MartyrBornc 1570Ourense SpainDied5 February 1597Nagasaki JapanVenerated inRoman Catholic Church Anglican Church Lutheran ChurchBeatified15 September 1627 Rome by Pope Urban VIIICanonized8 June 1862 Rome by Pope Pius IXFeast5 or 6 FebruaryAttributesFranciscan habit crossed spears Contents 1 Biography 2 Martyrdom 3 Legacy 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksBiography editBlanco was born in Ourense Galicia and originally studied with the Jesuits in Monterrei 1 After moving to Castile and Leon he became a novice with the Franciscan order in Villalpando Following a calling to cross cultural mission he migrated to Mexico where he was ordained a priest In 1593 he moved to the Philippines And in 1596 he travelled with his teacher Martin of the Ascension to Japan Martyrdom editThe local daimyō Toyotomi Hideyoshi began persecuting Catholics in fear of growing European influence On 8 December 1596 Blanco was among a large number of Christians in Kyoto who were arrested and had part of their left ears cut off On 4 January 1597 they were sent on a forced march 966 kilometres 600 miles to Nagasaki The following day Blanco and Twenty five other Christian men and boys including 20 Japanese 3 Europeans a Mexican and an Indian were executed for preaching Christianity an act prohibited by Japanese law They were crucified and pierced with spears on Nishizaka Hill and their bodies remained exposed 2 Legacy editAll of the martyrs were beatified on 14 September 1627 by Pope Urban VIII and canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1862 When religious freedom was reestablished in Japan under Meiji Restoration in 1868 about 30 000 members of the underground Kakure Kirishitan or Hidden Christian church came out of hiding 3 In June 1962 The Twenty Six Martyrs Museum and Monument were built on Nishizaka Hill to commemorate the 100th anniversary of their canonization A skull relic of Blanco is preserved in O Barco de Valdeorras Ourense See also editTwenty six Martyrs of Japan Twenty Six Martyrs Museum and MonumentReferences edit Diocese of Orense Encyclopedia Volume Catholic Encyclopedia The martyrs of Japan www ewtn com Archived from the original on 2000 12 08 Encyclopedia of Japan Tokyo Shogakukan 2012 OCLC 56431036 Retrieved 2012 08 09 External links editProfile catholic org THE MARTYRS OF JAPAN Feast February 6 Portals nbsp Biography nbsp Catholicism nbsp Spain nbsp Japan Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Francisco Blanco martyr amp oldid 1111336418, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
