Amakusa Shiro
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Statue_of_Amakusa_Shiro_at_Hara_castle.jpg
Statue_of_Amakusa_Shiro_at_Hara_castle.jpg
Amakusa Shiro (天草 四郎 c.1621? - April 12, 1638) a.k.a. Masuda Tokisada (益田 時貞) was a leader of the Shimabara Rebellion. The son of a former Konishi clan retainer, Shiro was touted by the leaders of the Shimabara Uprising as the "Fourth Son of Heaven," foretold by St. Francis Xavier to be destined to lead the Christianization of Japan. Shiro led the defence of Hara Castle and died when it fell. His head was displayed on a pike in Nagasaki for a very long time afterward as a warning to any other potential Christian rebels.