Japan Bans Christianity and Closes the Country
A peasant rebellion of hidden Christians convinces the Tokugawa shogunate to seal Japan off from the outside world
Quick facts
- Shimabara Rebellion
- 17 December 1637 to 15 April 1638
- Shogunate force
- Over 100,000 troops
- Policy result
- Sakoku ("closed country"), Christianity banned
- Foreign trade allowed
- Only Dutch, confined to Nagasaki
What happened
Fearing that Japanese Christians might side with rebellious daimyo against the shogunate, the Tokugawa government banned Christianity and expelled nearly all Europeans, leaving only Dutch traders confined to the port of Nagasaki. The policy's urgency was sharpened by the Shimabara Rebellion, a peasant uprising with strong Christian overtones that broke out on 17 December 1637 and lasted until 15 April 1638 on the Shimabara peninsula. A shogunate army numbering over 100,000, nearly three times the rebels' strength, besieged Hara Castle and, in the words of World History Encyclopedia, carried out "a mass slaughter" over three days in which very few rebels survived. Soon after, the shogunate expelled remaining foreigners except the Dutch, formalizing the sakoku ("closed country") policy; as the encyclopedia notes, "it would take over 200 years for Japan to finally open its doors to the world again." Meanwhile the samurai class, no longer needed for near-constant warfare, gradually shifted from a fighting class into civil administrators running local government from Japan's growing castle towns.
Why it matters
The Shimabara Rebellion's suppression effectively ended Christianity as an open religion in Japan for over two centuries, driving surviving believers underground as "hidden Christians" (Kakure Kirishitan), and locked in the isolationist policy that shaped Japan's economy, culture, and politics until Commodore Perry forced it open in 1853-54.
How we know
The Shimabara Rebellion's dates, siege, and death toll are recorded in shogunate military records from the campaign, and the subsequent sakoku edicts survive as official Tokugawa government documents.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Edo Period · Reputable sourceworldhistory.org · The domain "worldhistory.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- World History Encyclopedia. Shimabara Rebellion · Reputable sourceworldhistory.org · The domain "worldhistory.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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