The 26 Martyrs of Japan (film)
| The 26 Martyrs of Japan | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tomiyasu Ikeda |
| Written by | Tomiyasu Ikeda |
| Screenplay by | Tomiyasu Ikeda and Hermann Heuvers |
| Based on | Yamato hijiri chishio no kakioki by Aimé Villion |
| Produced by | Hirayama Seiju and Hirohisa Ikenaga |
| Starring | Kaichi Yamamoto, Masu Toyofushimi, Naoe Yamada, Isuzu Yamada, Chiezō Kataoka |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 152 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget | 300,000 yen |
The 26 Martyrs of Japan (Junkyō chi-shi Nihon nijūrokuseijin) is a 1931 film released in Japan based on the martyrdom of twenty-six Catholic priests and layman in 1597. This silent film was produced by Seiju Hirayama, a Catholic landowner in Japanese-occupied Korea, who invested a huge amount of his personal fortune in producing this work, which was open to the public. Although it is a commercial film, it was produced under Hirayama's initiative with the cooperation of many people involved in the Catholic Church. It was the first full-fledged narrative film produced by the Catholic Church in Japan, which was in the process of becoming independent from the leadership of foreign missionaries during this period.