Yasuke: 10 Mind-Blowing Historical Facts From The Netflix Anime

6. Christianity In Japan

Yasuke Netflix Anime
Netflix

The presence of the Catholic priest Abraham in the Yasuke series as one of the first antagonists is backed by Christianity's introduction in the 1500s through Portuguese missionaries, and a fairly well-documented presence of Christianity in Japan.

In the time Oda Nobunaga was at the height of his power, he was welcoming to Jesuits in particular due to his interest in open trade and Western culture, though he never converted to Christianity. He even supported the establishment of the first Christian church in Kyoto in 1576. One of Nobunaga's sons, Oda Nobuhide, was himself Christian, taking on the name "Peter" as his Christian name.

Much of Japan's small Catholic population was persecuted later under the Tokugawa Shogunate due to its foreign influence. One of the most major events of Christian persecution was the mass crucifixion of 26 Christians, now called The Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan, in 1597 in Nagasaki.

Though not covered in the series, aspects of this presence and decline of Christianity is seen in the abandoned church Abraham uses as his hidden base. It's also said that Yasuke served Jesuits before his time with Nobunaga, and was returned to them after Nobunaga's death.

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Writer, artist, professional animator. Indie comics and Hi Nay podcast creator. Queer Filipino storyteller || @MotzieD on Twitter || Originally from Quezon City, The Philippines. Currently based in Toronto, Canada || motziedapul.com || hinaypod.com