Image: Martyrdom-of-Nagasaki-Painting-1622

Description: This painting depicts the mass killing at Nagasaki in 1622, when more than 55 Christians were executed. It became known as the Great Genna Martyrdom. The victims included Europeans, Japanese, and Koreans. Missionaries are tied to stakes in a fire pit; samurai men with swords are decapitating Christian families. The crowd included Europeans, Chinese, and Africans, as well as Japanese. The precise details suggest that it was painted by an eyewitness. The trees in back are reminiscent of those on Japanese screen paintings, and this work may originally have been mounted as a scroll or screen.
Title: Martyrdom-of-Nagasaki-Painting-1622
Credit: Patrimonio del Fondo Edifici di Culto, amministrato dal Ministero dell’Interno, on loan to Chiesa del SS. nome di Gesù, Rome. https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/martyrdom-of-nagasaki-1622/DQFLAKHCh1uePQ
Author: Japanese artist likely of the Jesuit Painting School in Japan. He was probably an eyewitness and exiled from Japan.
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No