The Portuguese Betrayal of the Samurai Christian Daimyo

The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History · May 9, 2026 · 7m · transcript

In the late 1500s, Japanese samurai lords in Kyushu converted to Christianity, seduced by Portuguese trade in silk and gunpowder. For decades, the Jesuits and Portuguese merchants cultivated powerful allies like Ōmura Sumitada, Arima Harunobu, and the legendary Amakusa Shiro. But when the Tokugawa shogunate cracked down on the foreign faith, the Portuguese abandoned their converts to save commercial interests. This episode tracks the rise and fall of the Christian daimyo through the pivotal Shimabara Rebellion, the Black Ships that brought the faith, and the bureaucratic betrayal that left…