As I wrote in a previous article many Japanese like to get married in church even if they are Christians. According to the site Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan" , in Giappone la percentuale dei cattolici è quasi lo 0,35%, quindi ci sono 35 credenti ogni 10.000 persone. Però penso che la percentuale delle persone che si sposano in chiesa secondo il rito cristiano sia più alta, secondo me dovrebbe essere più o meno del 60% (non mi sono documentato su questo ma sono abbastanza sicuro). Il Cristianesimo in Giappone è in una situazione abbastanza preoccupante: ci sono pochissimi credenti, inoltre molte persone "non-cristiane" vanno in chiesa solo per celebrare la cerimonia nuziale secondo il rito cristiano. Ma la relazione tra il Giappone e il Cristianesimo non è breve, secondo la storia il primo missionario arrivò nel sud del Giappone nel 1549 dal Societas Iesu (in italiano: Society of Jesus), just 460 years ago. 44 years before the founder of Christianity was born, a great leader whose name was Caius Julius Caesar (in Italian: Gaius Julius Caesar) was assassinated by his own allies and others. The customer's name was Marcus Brutus Iunius (in Italian: Marcus Junius Brutus), and is remembered for generations as a symbol of treason as you already know. But you know that in Japan there is a similar story? If we talk about a Japanese traitor surely we refer (reference) to Akechi Mitsuhide (1528? -1582). I do not know how much you know the history of Japan, now I speak a bit 'of this character. He was one of the generals close to Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), a great general who conquered much of Japan in the fourteenth century. 33 years after Christianity was brought to Japan, Akechi Mitsuhide performed the betrayal of his master. So Oda Nobunaga and Akechi Mitsuhide was killed by its name to posterity as "the traitor".
Akechi Mitsuhide had several children. Some were killed or committed suicide, but some survived even after their father was killed. Among them was Akechi Tama (1563-1600), who is the protagonist of this article.
Akechi Tama is known as "Garashi Hosokawa (Hosokawa Gratia) from the Meiji period (1868-1912). She was married to one of the generals of Oda Nobunaga that Hosokawa called Tadaoki , as you know in Japan normally when a woman marries has to change his surname to that of her husband, but for example in the fourteenth century women did not change even after married. So it is not correct to call Hosokawa, indeed you must call Akechi. The father of her husband, Fujitaka Hosokawa was a brave general of Oda Nobunaga, was also a talented poet of tanka and a loyal subject. Oda Nobnaga command (recommended) in Hosokawa Fujitaka and Akechi Mitsuhide to marry his son and daughter Tadaoki Tama as a marriage of convenience in 1578 when they were 15 years (they had the same age). At that time, the marriage of convenience was not a rare thing, a lot people got married without knowing the face and character of the partner. Although Hosokawa Tadaoki Akechi Tama and arrange a marriage of convenience, in reality it is said that they were a couple in love. But in 1582, succeeded by a betrayal: Honnoji no Hen by Akechi Mitsuhide. So Akechi Tama became a rebellious daughter from day to night, but her husband Hosokawa Tadaoki not repudiated her, locked her in the only mountainous area. It is said that it was very much in love Hosokawa Tadaoki Akechi Tama therefore could not kill, nor divorce. After 2 years of betrayal by Akechi Mitsuhide, thanks to the successor of Nobunaga Oda called Hashiba Hideyoshi, Akechi Tama was able to return to her husband. While he was locked up met Christianity and became a devout Christian. In 1587 Akechi Tama was baptized by the missionaries of the Society of Jesus in Osaka secretly. The missionaries gave a Christian name "Gratia" (in Italian: Grace, in Japanese: ガ ラシャ / 伽罗 奢?). But unfortunately this very year, the power of that period Hashiba Hideoshi Viata missionaries to evangelize the Japanese (who had not imposed a ban on his Christianity even though the situation was aggravated). Up to 13 years after she managed to hold his own in 1600 but Cristan reached the end of his Christian faith. A famous battle: the battle of Sekigahara burst Hosokawa and Fujitaka Tadaoki and were employed by Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ishida Mitsunari, Ieyasu Tokugawa the enemy attacked and tried to take Gratia Akechi Tama hostage while he was in Osaka without her husband and his father, but her rather than become hostage to Ishida Mitsunari decided to die according to the code of honor of the samurai ( or in the order of her husband Tadaoki). Given that Christianity forbids greasy she chose to commit suicide but he asked the chief vassal of Hosokawa Fujitaka to kill her. He pierced his chest with a spear Gratia through a panel of paper partition the room and Gratia Akechi Tama died at the age of 37 years. After the death of the chief vassals Gratia burned and blew up the residence Hosokawa Tadaoki Gratia and where they were and he committed suicide. The missionaries in Japan who had interpreted the heroic death of Gratia Akechi Tama as a martyr.
To be continued.
The painting was drawn by Seiko Uchida.
