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Amakusa Shiro (天草 四郎 c.1621? - April 12, 1638) also known as 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 Saint 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.
Amakusa in popular culture Amakusa Shiro is often cast as a villain in Japanese movies and anime, most notably Makai Tensho, a story about the fictional battles of Yagyu Jubei. In this story, Amakusa Shiro rejects the Christian God at the time of his death and becomes a demon, returning to Earth to destroy the Tokugawa who put him to death with some of Japan's greatest heroes and villains of the age, also resurrected as demons. The character Shiro Tokisada Amakusa in the Samurai Shodown series of fighting games is based on the historical figure; he features as both a boss and a selectable character. Another place Amakusa Shiro is mentioned is in the anime called Rurouni Kenshin. His self-proclaimed successor Amakusa Shogo is cast as a character in an arc of the series only featured in the anime, and not in the original manga. | ||||||||
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