James Kisai, SJ, also known as or Jacobo Kisai, was a Japanese

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

lay brother Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choir, ...

and

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

, one of the

26 Martyrs of Japan The were a group of Catholics who were executed by crucifixion on February 5, 1597, in Nagasaki, Japan. Their martyrdom is especially significant in the history of the Catholic Church in Japan. A promising beginning to Catholic missions in Japa ...

. Out of the 26, Kisai,

Paul Miki Paul Miki (Japanese: パウロ三木 (''Pauro Miki'' (三木 means "three wood")); c. 1562 – 5 February 1597) was a Roman Catholic Japanese Jesuit seminarian, martyr and saint, one of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan. Biography 300px, ...

, and

John Soan de Goto The were a group of Catholics who were executed by crucifixion on February 5, 1597, in Nagasaki, Japan. Their martyrdom is especially significant in the history of the Catholic Church in Japan. A promising beginning to Catholic missions in Jap ...

were the only Jesuits to be executed in

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

on February 5, 1597.

Biography

James Kisai was born as Ichikawa Kisaemon (市川喜佐衛門). As a lay

catechist Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...

intending to join the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, he was imprisoned along with 23 other Catholics in December 1596 in the aftermath of the pivotal ''San Felipe'' incident. While he was in prison, Kisai and a fellow lay catechist John Soan de Goto gave their vows to Jesuit fathers John Rodriguez and Francis Pasia to enter the Jesuit order. Shortly after, Kisai and the other imprisoned Catholics were forced to take a land journey during the winter time from

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and incl ...

. Kisai and the others would eventually reach Nishizaka Hill in Nagasaki, where they were crucified and lanced to death on February 5, 1597.

References

External links

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catholic.org Jesuit saints Canonizations by Pope Pius IX 1530s births 1597 deaths 16th-century Christian saints Beatifications by Pope Urban VIII Date of birth unknown Japanese Jesuits Japanese Roman Catholics Japanese Roman Catholic saints Jesuit martyrs 26 Martyrs of Japan {{Saint-stub