Faith at Nagasaki’s Tide

In 1597, twenty-six Christians in Japan were crucified along the shores of Nagasaki under the orders of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Bound to wooden crosses at low tide, they endured hours of suffering as the ocean rose—waves crashing, saltwater filling their lungs, and cold penetrating their bodies. This slow and deliberate execution was intended to silence Christianity in Japan, yet their final cries—“Deus-sama,” meaning “Lord God”—stood as a testimony of unwavering faith. These martyrs, now known as the Twenty-Six Saints of Japan, did not die in defeat, but in devotion, proclaiming Christ even as the sea overcame them.