The glorious martyrdom of four religious of this province, and two
laymen, their companions, in Japon.
May 2, 1637, there was elected as provincial father Fray Carlos
Clemente Gant, a native of the famous city of Zaragoça, and a son of
the illustrious convent of Preachers in that city, a person of much
virtue and superior prudence, of which he had given evidence in many
offices which he had filled with great praise. He was elected in this
chapter on the first ballot, and the wisdom of his election was soon
shown, the Lord choosing him as a principal instrument to bring to
an end the congregation--which, as has been narrated, had already
begun to be planned, to the great harm of these conversions.
[This year, which concludes the number of fifty since the foundation
of this province, is closed, as with a precious key, by the marvelous
martyrdom of four religious belonging to the province--father Fray
Antonio Gonçalez, father Fray Guillermo Cortet (who here bore the name
of Fray Thomas de Sancto Domingo), father Fray Miguel de Ozaraza, and
father Fray Vicente de la Cruz. With the martyrdoms (already narrated)
of father Fray Jordan de San Estevan and Fray Thomas de San Jacintho,
the Japanese persecutors of the church had spilled the blood of all the
Dominican friars of that kingdom; yet they had not, as they expected,
caused the souls of the religious to fear, or cooled their fervent
desires to go to Japon. Of all those who asked for permission to go
thither, these four only received the desired license. Two of them were
teachers of theology in the college and university of the province, in
the city of Manila; and both of them had lectured on theology before
coming to this province--father Fray Antonio in that of España,
and father Fray Guillermo in his native country of France. Thus
the province has sent its best to Japon. Father Fray Francisco de
Morales was for many years lecturer on theology, and at the time
of his mission was prior of the convent of Manila; and father Fray
Jacintho de Esquivel, father Fray Domingo de Erquicia, father Fray
Lucas del Espiritu Sancto, and father Fray Diego de Rivera had all
been lecturers on theology. There was great difficulty in sending
these four religious to Japon, which was finally overcome by the
determination of the religious. In the year 1634, some Spaniards had
been cast on shore on the islands of the Lequios, which are subject
to Japon. They were examined to see if they were religious or no;
but, as it did not appear that they were, they were set free. Many
Japanese came to them by night, asking them if they were priests
to hear their confessions; and, being assured that they were not,
they begged for priests to come to them. Father Fray Vincente de la
Cruz and a Christian Japanese offered to take the religious whom the
province might send and to make their way from the Lequios Islands
to Japon. The governor, learning that the expedition was about to be
equipped, burned the vessel which had been prepared, and set sentinels
at the mouth of the bay to prevent the religious from setting out. By
God's aid they succeeded in eluding him, and after meeting with storms
made their way to the islands of the Lequios, where they landed July
10, 1636. No certain reports have been received as to what occurred
in the islands; but the fathers seem to have been arrested as soon as
they revealed themselves, and to have been sent as prisoners to Japon.
On September 13, 1637, fathers Fray Guillermo Cortet, Fray Miguel
Oçaraça and Fray Vicente de la Cruz, dressed in secular clothes,
were brought from Satzuma to Nangasaqui, to be tried for their
crime. Father Fray Antonio Gonçalez was not with them, having sailed
in another vessel, and not having yet arrived. They answered boldly,
declaring that they had had no assistance from any government; and
that their very pilot had been a religious who had known something
of seamanship before entering the order. They were subjected to
terrible torture, especially the torture of water, which they bore
bravely. Their tortures were prolonged, and the text describes them
with fulness. On the twenty-first of the same month, father Fray
Antonio Gonçalez, the superior of the religious, arrived in Nangasaqui
in another funea. He was accompanied by two lay companions--one a
mestizo, the son of a Chinese man and an Indian woman; the other a
Japanese, who had been exiled for the faith. [72] As soon as father
Fray Antonio set foot on the soil, he made the sign of the cross,
in sight of all the Portuguese trading there and of a great multitude
of people. The holy father, being of noble stature, towered above the
company about him like another Saul. He was taken directly before the
judges, confessed who he was, was cruelly tortured, and subjected
to insult. The mestizo at first feared the torments, but afterward
plucked up his courage to endure them. The Japanese wretchedly fell
away from fear. Father Fray Antonio suffered the torture of water,
to which he was subjected when he was very sick of a fever; and he
died in the prison, his body being burnt and the ashes cast into the
sea. On the twenty-seventh of the month the prisoners were taken out
to be martyred, being gagged to prevent their preaching. They were all
suspended by the feet, and while they hung in their pits they chanted
praises to God; and the ministers of justice, in admiration of their
courage, caused them to be taken out from the holes still alive and
to be beheaded, that they might no longer suffer torture. The ashes
of the five holy martyrs were cast into the sea, three leguas from
the port of Nangasaqui, on the same day, September 29, 1637.]