Amakusa Shirō

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Banner of Amakusa Shiro

Amakusa Shirō ( Japanese 天 草 四郎 ; real name: Masuda Tokisada ( 益田 時 貞 ); * around 1621 ; † April 12, 1638 ) was the leader of the Shimabara uprising in Japan during the Edo period .

The son of a former follower of the Konishi clan was viewed by the leaders of the uprising as the "fourth son of heaven" who, according to Francisco de Xavier y Jassu , would come to lead the Christianization of Japan.

Amakusa Shirō led the defense of Hara Castle and died when it fell after months of siege. His head has long been displayed on a spear in Nagasaki to deter other possible Christian rebels.

literature

  • Roland Habersetzer : Amakusa Shirō - God's Samurai : The uprising of Shimabara. Historical novel. Palisander Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-938305-19-5 .
  • Ivan Morris: Samurai or From the Dignity of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan , Insel Verlag, Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig 1999
  • Harald Pöcher: Wars and battles in Japan that made history: From the beginnings to 1853 , Lit Verlag , Münster 2009
Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . So Amakusa is the family name, Shirō the first name.
personal data
SURNAME Amakusa Shirō
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 天 草 四郎 (Japanese); Masuda Tokisada (real name); 益田 時 貞 (Japanese, real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Leader of the Shimabara Uprising in Edo Period Japan
DATE OF BIRTH around 1621
DATE OF DEATH April 12, 1638