Shiro Amakusa

Amakusa Shirō (天草 四郎^?, c. 1621? – February 28th, 1638), also known as Amakusa Shirō Tokisada (天草四郎時貞^?), led the Shimabara Rebellion, an uprising of Japanese Roman Catholics against the Shogunate. They were defeated and Shirō was executed at the age of 16, his head displayed on a pike near Nagasaki. Since the late 20th century, he has been featured in popular culture as a character in numerous manga, anime and video games.

Shirō was born in 1621 in modern-day Kami-Amakusa, Kumamoto as the son of Catholic parents, Masuda Jinbei (益田 甚兵衛^?), a former Konishi clan retainer, and his wife. (According to some sources, Shirō may have been the illegitimate son of Toyotomi Hideyori.) Portuguese Jesuit missionaries had been active in Japan since the late 16th century. By the age of 15, the charismatic youth was known to his Japanese Catholic followers as "heaven's messenger". Miraculous powers were attributed to him.

Shiro was among Japanese Catholics who took over Hara Castle in a rebellion against the Shogunate. They mounted a coordinated defense that held off attackers, but the rebel force had no logistical support and their resolve was weakened. Shiro was said to display posters in the castle to raise morale and said, "Now, those who accompany me in being besieged in this castle, will be my friends unto the next world."

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