1637 Christian uprising in Japan

380 years ago, on December 17, 1637, an uprising of peasants, mostly Christians, began in the Japanese principality of Shimabara on the island of Kyushu. It was caused by the repressions of the central and local authorities against the Christian community. The rebels fortified themselves in Hara Castle, which was taken by the troops of the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu only in April 1638. 37,000 Christians, led by their spiritual leader Amakusa Shiro, were executed.

Christianity was forbidden in Japan, and the country was closed to foreigners until the middle of the 19th century. During this time, there were no more battles in Japan.