Picture of Christ used to reveal practicing Catholics and sympathizers

Picture of the Virgin Mary used to reveal practicing Catholics and sympathizers

A fumie (踏み絵, 'step-on picture') was a likeness of Jesus or Mary upon which the religious authorities of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan required suspected Christians to step on in order to prove that they were not members of that outlawed religion. The use of fumie began with the persecution of Christians in Nagasaki in 1629. Their use was officially abandoned for ports open to foreigners in April 13, 1856, but some remained in use until Christian teaching was placed under formal protection during the Meiji period. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 516 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (763 × 887 pixel, file size: 157 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Fumie (踏み絵): Jesus relief as a tile to step on, exhibited in Clover Garden, Nagasaki, Japan. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 516 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (763 × 887 pixel, file size: 157 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Fumie (踏み絵): Jesus relief as a tile to step on, exhibited in Clover Garden, Nagasaki, Japan. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 519 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1090 × 1260 pixel, file size: 353 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Fumie (踏み絵): Virgin Mary relief as a tile to step on, exhibited in Clover Garden, Nagasaki, Japan. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 519 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1090 × 1260 pixel, file size: 353 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Fumie (踏み絵): Virgin Mary relief as a tile to step on, exhibited in Clover Garden, Nagasaki, Japan. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Saint Mary and Saint Mary the Virgin both redirect here. ... The Tokugawa shogunate or Tokugawa bakufu (徳川幕府) (also known as the Edo bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship of Japan established in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family until 1868. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridge) Nagasaki   listen? (長崎市; -shi, literally long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture located at the south-western coast of Kyushu, Japan. ... Events March 4 - Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a Royal charter. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Meiji period ) denotes the 45-year reign of Emperor Meiji, running from 8 September 1868 (in the Gregorian calendar, 23 October 1868) to 30 July 1912. ...

The Japanese government used fumie to reveal practicing Catholics and sympathizers. Fumie were pictures of the Virgin Mary and Christ. Government officials made everybody trample on these pictures. People reluctant to step on the pictures were identified as Catholics and were sent to Nagasaki. The policy of the Edo government was to turn them from their faith, Catholicism. However, if the Catholics refused to change their religion, they were tortured. But as many of them still refused to abandon their faith, they were killed by the government. Execution took place at Nagasaki's Mount Unzen, where many were dumped into the volcano^{[citation needed]}. Saint Mary and Saint Mary the Virgin both redirect here. ... Christ is the English term for the Greek word (Christós), which literally means The Anointed One. ... Torture is defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture as any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he... Nagasaki ) ( ) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. ... Mount Unzen (雲仙岳) is an active volcano near the city of Shimabara in Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. ... For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ...

Fumie were usually carved out of stone, but others were painted and some were wooden block prints. Many, if not all, these works were made with care, and they reflected the high artistic standards of the Edo period. There are very few existing fumie, as most were simply thrown away or recycled into other uses.

Many theologians have tried to contemplate the role of the fumie to Japanese Christians, some seeing the treading of the fumie as a sign of the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

See also

• Catholicism in Japan