PROCESSION. Cardinal Maeda leads the symbolic procession of Blessed Takayama Ukon's image from Postigo del Palacio to the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila University Chapel during the celebration of the Takayama Ukon Day in Manila on Thursday (December 21, 2023). Takayama was a Japanese feudal lord who gave up his noble rank to practice Christianity, which eventually led to his expulsion from Japan by the Tokugawa shogunate. (PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.)
MANILA – Exactly 408 years ago, Justus Ukon Takayama set foot in the Philippines following a long and arduous journey at sea after being exiled for his Christian faith.
And to this date, his legacy continues to live on as more than a dozen devotees from Japan flew to Manila on Dec. 21 and joined a symbolic procession to honor and retrace the Japanese martyr's steps when he once walked the stone-paved streets of Intramuros.
Osaka-Takamatsu Archbishop Thomas Aquino Manyo Cardinal Maeda and Manila Archbishop Jose Fuerte Cardinal Advincula also presided over a concelebrated mass at the Manila Cathedral.
Japan Information and Culture Center in the Philippines Director Shigehiro Matsuda said remembering Blessed Takayama Ukon in the Philippines reflects the enduring connection between the Japanese and Filipino people.
“Blessed Takayama Ukon serves as a poignant reminder of our two nations' enduring and deep-rooted relationship,” he said during a ceremony at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) on Thursday.
“It is a relationship woven into the fabric of history that goes beyond mere diplomatic ties. As we commemorate Takayama Ukon, we honor the historical journey our countries have traversed together,” he added.
Matsuda pointed out that Blessed Takayama Ukon is a testament that despite the two states’ diverse backgrounds, the Japanese and Filipino people “are all part of a shared human experience.”
Takayama was a Japanese feudal lord who gave up his noble rank to practice Christianity, which eventually led to his expulsion from Japan by the Tokugawa shogunate.
In an interview, historian Dr. Ernesto de Pedro said the Jesuit-run Colegio de Manila, now the site of PLM, has served as the Japanese martyr’s home and final resting place when he succumbed to a tropical illness on February 3, 1615.
“This was his headquarters and he ventured only to Paco to bring the adult Japanese that he converted for baptism, and to San Miguel where the rest of the exiles were housed in nipa huts,” he said.
‘A patriot’
Citing his latest study, de Pedro said he found that Ukon was originally tasked by the then Governor-General Juan de Silva to lead an expedition of Spaniards to Japan to protect the beleaguered Christians in Kyushu.
“Spain wants to conquer Japan. Takayama saw to it right away. Even if he had been exiled by Tokugawa to the Philippines, he was a true-blue Japanese,” he said.
The historian also shared that three days after Ukon arrived in Manila, Hideyori, the son and successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi who first united all of Japan, offered him to command his forces and fight Tokugawa.
In the end, he refused.
“Takayama said, ‘My fighting days are over. I will devote the rest of my life to prayer,’” de Pedro narrated.
After that decision, the historian said Ukon surrendered his sword to the Franciscan friars.
The Japanese faithful is celebrated in Manila every 21st of December following the passage of a 2018 Manila City Council resolution decreeing the date as “Blessed Takayama Ukon Day.”
During its fifth commemoration on Thursday, Cardinal Maeda presented Pope Francis' Apostolic Blessing to Mayor Honey Lacuna for presiding over the council that passed the said resolution. (PNA)
