ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Shimabara rebellion 1637-1638

Synopsis
The Shimabara rebellion was a revolt that took place in the peninsula east of Nagasaki, that opposed the local habitants, most of them Christians, to the agricultural exploitation and the high taxes demanded by the local daimyo. Duo to the large numbers of Christians, it soon transformed also into a revolt against the oppression imposed by the bafuku in what concerned the prohibition of all catholic practices and was perceived, by the dominant power, as a manifestation of the negative effects that the external influences could have in Japan. The final military confront took place at April 12, 1638, when the Emperor forces, of around 150000 soldiers, took control of the castle of Hara-jo and ended the rebellion. In the end, around 37000 Christians lost their lives. The rebellion had a strong impact on the Christian presence in Japan and on the hopes of the missionaries in keeping the Japanese missions alive. It was also a sign of the decreasing influence played by the Iberian agents in Japan, in opposition to the Dutch presence and importance. Finally, the conflict also reflects the growing power of the Emperor and the growing centralization that was taking place in Japan at this time.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 6 months. Name in sources: Revolta de Shimabara. Location: Peninsula east of Nagasaki Country (current): Japan. Monarchy: Portuguese. Main participants: Undifferentiated. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Fiscal, Multiple, Religion. Leadership: Amakusa Shiro. Relevance: medium.

Further reading
COSTA, João Paulo A. Oliveira (1998). O cristianismo no Japão e o episcopado de D. Luís Cerqueira. Lisboa: Universidade Nova de Lisboa (PhD dissertation), p. 728-736. GUNN, Geoffrey C. (2017). World Trade Systems of the East and West. Leiden: Brill, p. 122–42. GIL FONS, Antonio; CASILLAS DE LA TORRE, A. R.; ROBLES GUTIÉRREZ, V. H. (2016). "Más allá del cristianismo: Un análisis multicausal de la rebelión de Shimabara, 1637-1638", México y la Cuenca del Pacífico 5 (13), pp. 115–41.
Cite this entry

(2023) "Shimabara rebellion 1637-1638", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. (accessed on ).