Peter Kibe,
SJ (; 1587 – 4 July 1639), also known as Petro Kasui Kibe, was a Japanese
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
and Christian
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
. Active during the 17th century AD, Peter, or Petro as he was known in Portuguese, he was one of few Japanese to visit major cities west of his native Japan, such as
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
Early life
Peter was born in 1587, in
Bungo Province
was a province of Japan in eastern Kyūshū in the area of Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Buzen Province. Bungo bordered Buzen, Hyūga, Higo, Chikugo, and Chikuzen Provinces.
History
At the end of the 7th century, Toyo ...
, to Christian parents.
In 1614, he was exiled to
Portuguese Macau
Portuguese Macau (officially the Province of Macau until 1976, and then the Autonomous Region of Macau from 1976 to 1999) was a Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colony that existed from the first official Portuguese settlement in 1557 to the ...
, after the emperor ordered a deportation order of Christians. He learned Latin and theology at a theological school in Macau. However, he and other Japanese knew it would be hard to be priests because of nationality discrimination, so they left the school to go to Rome.
He went to
Portuguese Malacca
Portuguese control of Malacca, a city on the Malay Peninsula, refers to the 130 year period (1511–1641) when it was a possession of the Portuguese East Indies. It was conquered from the Malacca Sultanate as part of Portuguese attempts to ...
and
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
in
Portuguese India
The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...
by ship, and then left for Europe on foot via
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, the
Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz ( fa, تنگه هرمز ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' ar, مَضيق هُرمُز ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the ...
and
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
, finally becoming the first Japanese Christian to arrive in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. After a difficult journey that lasted three years he arrived in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
after sailing through the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
.
From Macau, a letter telling "Japanese who left Macau would go to Rome, but don't talk to them." was sent to Rome. However, in Rome, Jesuits examined Kibe and found out he had enough knowledge and was suited for a priest. On 15 November 1620, he became a Jesuit priest at age of 32 at the
Basilica of St. John Lateran
The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...
.
Afterward, he was trained for two years at a Jesuit training school in Rome, and took his vows as a Jesuit priest in
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
. In 1623, he departed for India with twenty Jesuits. Next year, he arrived at Goa via
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...
.
Return to Japan
Kibe made the decision to return to Japan; a dangerous undertaking due to the decision of
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...
to ban Christianity and the entry of Christian missionaries, owing to the perceived poor behaviour of the Jesuits. Kibe had difficulty finding a ship which would allow him to board. He traveled around Southeast Asia, and then finally he succeeded in boarding a ship from
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
to Japan in 1630. The ship wrecked but reached Kagoshima in southern Japan. He returned to Japan sixteen years after he left home.
Kibe hid himself and escaped from severe oppression and exposure. He went to northeast Japan via
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 ...
and encouraged Christians. In 1639, he was caught when he was hiding at the home of a Christian and was arrested. Sent to Edo, Kibe was tortured severely, but did not convert, encouraging other prisoners to also refuse to do so. As a result, the infuriated guards pulled him out of the hole and executed him via spearing.
Legacy
In Kibe Kunimi-town Kunisaki-city Oita prefecture, there is the Father Kibe Memorial Park which was founded by Father Sekki. Kibe's statue which is made by Yasutake Funakoshi stands at the park. On May 7, 2006, the Roman Curia Congregation for the Causes of Saints decided Father Kibe and other 187 Japanese Christians who were martyred should be declared blessed.
The beatification of Peter Kibe and 187 other martyrs took place on November 24, 2008, in Nagasaki. For the liturgical celebration in Nagasaki Stadium more than 30,000 participants attended.
On July 1, 2022 the first icon of Kibe was revealed by Japanese Jesuits. It was a commission carried out by artist Aleksandr Griaznov.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kibe, Petro Kasui
1587 births
1639 deaths
Japanese Jesuits
Japanese Roman Catholic missionaries
Jesuit missionaries in Japan
Japanese murder victims
People murdered in Japan
Japanese torture victims
Japanese Roman Catholics