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Show HONOR MARTYRS OF NIPPON Japanese Catholics Have Set Aside February 5 as the Holiest Day in Their Calendar. The Catholics of Japan have set aside February 5 as the festival of the martyrs of Nippon. This day Is their holiest day of the year. St. Francis Xavler introduced Christianity to Japan early in the sixteenth century, cen-tury, but it has not made much prog-' prog-' ress among the population of 70,000,000 people, who follow Shinto and Buddha. There are about 115,000 Christians in Japan, of whom 75,000 are Catholics and 40,000 Protestants. A number of Jesuit missionaries followed fol-lowed St. Francis to the east, and no opposition to Christianity was encountered encoun-tered until 40 years after the pioneer's death. Then a rigid persecution was begun and thousands of Christians were murdered. All Christian rites were forbidden. Japanese converts banded together in a confraternity of martyrs, for the purpose of dying for Christ. Many little children joined the organization. All, or as many as were caught, were put to death. Noblemen us well as the poor shared the same fate. Some were buried alive and left to die of starvation, while others were beheaded. The festival of Nippon commemorates these martyrs' deaths. |