I'd like to share this interesting bit of Japanese historical information, so permit me to indulge you.
The "Period of the Warring States" (Sengoku) is one of the most fascinating eras in the history of Japan. It is the pinnacle of the age of the samurai. The period contains many stories of glory, honor, and tragedy, as well as many famous samurai personalities such as Oda Nobunaga, Takeda Shingen, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Of course, some stories pertain to the rise and fall of many of these Sengoku "daimyo" (clan heads, or warlords if you will). Many fell tragically in battle. But one particular daimyo is an interesting case. He fell because of his faith. More interesting to us is that he lived his final days here in the Philippines. I'm talking about Takayama Ukon.
Yes, his statue is the one standing in Plaza Dilao in Paco, Manila. His statue is wearing warrior robes with his hair tied in a knot. He is carrying a sword that is pointed downward, upon which hangs a figure of a crucified Jesus. I suppose you've probably guessed that the faith I was referring to is Christianity, and his devotion to this faith has led to his downfall.
Ukon (original name is Takayama Shigetomo, but was baptized by Christian Spaniards as Dom Justo Takayama) was of course the head of the Takayama Clan . He is your typical Sengoku warrior. He is not of the same stature as Nobunaga or Ieyasu, but he was a warlord nonetheless. He was involved in many Sengoku battles. Under the banner of Wada Koremasa, a vassal of Nobunaga, Ukon fought against Araki Murashige, a vassal of Ikeda Katsumasa who served the Miyoshi Clan, enemies of Nobunaga. Later after Koremasa died in battle, Ukon joined Murashige against Koremasa's successor, Korenaga. When Murashige later rebelled against Nobunaga, the Jesuit priests convinced Ukon to side with Nobunaga and fight against Murashige. When Nobunaga was assassinated by Akechi Mitsuhide, Ukon commanded troops in general Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s vanguard and helped defeat Mitsuhide’s army. When conflict arose on who would succeed Nobunaga, he fought battles under Hideyoshi's banner against Shibata Katsuie, another of Nobunaga's generals. Hideyoshi of course won. Hideyoshi would later continue on his dream of unifying Japan, and Ukon fought for him in the Shikoku and Kyushu campaigns. But the latter would be Ukon's last.
Ukon was a devout Christian. He was baptized together with his father, who was then the head of the clan. He was responsible for converting 18.000 people in his fief in Takatsuki to Christianity. Later, when Hideyoshi transferred his fief to Akashi in Harima, he also took efforts to convert the populace there. It is also said that he had converted the famous strategist Kuroda Kanbei to Christianity. That is why the Jesuit Spaniards held him high as a pillar of the Christian faith in Japan. So when the eventual Tokugawa shoguns finally banned Christianity in its entirety, and ordered the expulsion of all missionaries and those samurai who refused to recant their faith, the Jesuits Spaniards and Filipinos in Manila received him warmly. Instead of giving up his faith, Ukon, together with 300 of his fellow Christians, left his home country. I suppose Ukon and his family resided in Paco. At that time, the Spaniards referred to the Paco Area as the Plaza Dilao (Yellow Plaza) because of the more than 3,000 Japanese who resided there.
Takayama Ukon died of illnes on February 4, 1615, 40 days after arriving in Manila. The Spanish government interred him with a Christian burial with full military honors as a daimyo. He is the first daimyo to be buried in Philippine soil.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I really think it is an honor for us that a part of the Sengoku era, which is in itself a fascinating period in Japanese history, is here in the Philippines.
I'm just wondering though, does anyone here know who Ukon's descendants are? Do they still retain the Takayama surname? And, actually, I don't know where Ukon is actually buried. Does anyone know?
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References:
-Wikipedia article on "Dom Justo Takayama" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_Justo_Takayama)
-Samurai Wiki article on "Takayama Ukon" (http://wiki.samurai-archives.com/index.php?title=Takayama_Ukon)