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Ômura Sumitada, lord of [[Hizen province]], was the earliest, and one of the most prominent, of the [[Christianity|Christian]] ''daimyô''. He ceded the port of [[Nagasaki]] to the [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]] in [[1580]], and  

Ômura Sumitada, lord of [[Hizen province]], was the earliest, and one of the most prominent, of the [[Christianity|Christian]] ''daimyô''. He ceded the port of [[Nagasaki]] to the [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]] in [[1580]], and  

The Ômura family traced its roots back to the 10th century, when [[Fujiwara Naozumi|Fujiwara (Ômura) Naozumi]] settled in Kyushu and later achieved a certain modicum of local influence. Following the [[Onin War|Ônin War]] ([[1467]]-[[1477]]) the Sonogi peninsula was divided into a myriad number of petty fiefdoms and the Ômura struggled for dominance. In [[1474]] the neighboring [[Arima clan]] dealt [[Omura Sumiyoshi|Ômura Sumiyoshi]] a significant defeat and afterwards exerted considerable influence over the Ômura clan. [[Omura Sumisaki|Ômura Sumisaki]] adopted a son of [[Arima Haruzumi]], an event that was to cause the adoptee in question, Sumitada, much difficulty in his own rule. Haruzumi's natural son, [[Goto Takaaki|Takaaki]], had been disinherited in the move, and after ending up in the [[Goto clan|Gotô clan]] was extremely hostile towards his former family. In fact, Sumitada had to contend with the resentments of a number of local lords, all of whom were in some way kinsmen, including [[Saigo Sumitaka|Saigô Sumitaka]] (a brother-in-law) and [[Fukahori Sumikata]]. In addition, the [[Matsuura clan|Matsuura]] and Arima pressed the Ômura's borders; yet the greatest threat to Sumitada was [[Ryuzoji Takanobu|Ryûzôji Takanobu]], the most powerful ''daimyô'' in Hizen.  

The Ômura family traced its roots back to the 10th century, when [[Fujiwara Naozumi|Fujiwara (Ômura) Naozumi]] settled in Kyushu and later achieved a certain modicum of local influence. Following the [[Onin War|Ônin War]] ([[1467]]-[[1477]]) the Sonogi peninsula was divided into a myriad number of petty fiefdoms and the Ômura struggled for dominance. In [[1474]] the neighboring [[Arima clan]] dealt [[Omura Sumiyoshi|Ômura Sumiyoshi]] a significant defeat and afterwards exerted considerable influence over the Ômura clan. [[Omura Sumisaki|Ômura Sumisaki]] adopted a son of [[Arima Haruzumi]], an event that was to cause the adoptee in question, Sumitada, much difficulty in his own rule. Haruzumi's natural son, [[Goto Takaaki|Takaaki]], had been disinherited in the move, and after ending up in the [[Goto clan|Gotô clan]] was extremely hostile towards his former family. In fact, Sumitada had to contend with the resentments of a number of local lords, all of whom were in some way kinsmen, including [[Saigo Sumitaka|Saigô Sumitaka]] (a brother-in-law) and [[Fukahori Sumikata]]. In addition, the [[Matsura clan|Matsura]] and Arima pressed the Ômura's borders; yet the greatest threat to Sumitada was [[Ryuzoji Takanobu|Ryûzôji Takanobu]], the most powerful ''daimyô'' in Hizen.  

Faced with the seemingly inevitable fall of the Ômura, Sumitada turned to the only party that seemed capable of providing him with telling assistance: the Jesuits. In [[1562]] he allowed the Christian priests to preach in his domain and gave Portuguese traders special privileges in the port of Yokoseura; the following year Sumitada became the first Christian ''daimyô'', baptized with the name Dom Bartolomeu in June. Unfortunately, Ômura's religious and political workings initially bore bitter fruit; the same year Sumitada was baptized, Gotô Takaaki rose against him and in the course of the struggle Yokoseura was destroyed. The event seemed to presage the fall of the Ômura, and in [[1566]] Sumitada was forced to flee his headquarters at [[Aonogi castle]]. Yet the Portuguese returned and with the [[teppo|weapons]] they supplied, Sumitada was able to retake Sonogi and stabilized his position. Ômura managed to fend off his many rivals for the next two decades and Portuguese vessels continued to call at Ômura ports. To a greater or lesser extent the Ômura-Jesuit pact was beneficial to Sumitada, even if it provoked families already hostile to him. In [[1572]] Saigô Sumitaka led a coalition of Ômura's enemies against him, a threat Sumitada countered with the help of four Portuguese warships in [[1574]]. That same year, Sumitada submitted to Portuguese pressure that he abolish all "idol worship" in his lands; numerous temples were destroyed, and all the residents of Ômura lands were now obliged to convert to Christianity, or be killed. Some sixty thousand people were then baptized.<ref>William Theodore de Bary, Carol Gluck, and Arthur Tiedemann (eds.), ''Sources of Japanese Tradition'', Second Edition, vol 2, Columbia University Press (2005), 147.</ref>

Faced with the seemingly inevitable fall of the Ômura, Sumitada turned to the only party that seemed capable of providing him with telling assistance: the Jesuits. In [[1562]] he allowed the Christian priests to preach in his domain and gave Portuguese traders special privileges in the port of Yokoseura; the following year Sumitada became the first Christian ''daimyô'', baptized with the name Dom Bartolomeu in June. Unfortunately, Ômura's religious and political workings initially bore bitter fruit; the same year Sumitada was baptized, Gotô Takaaki rose against him and in the course of the struggle Yokoseura was destroyed. The event seemed to presage the fall of the Ômura, and in [[1566]] Sumitada was forced to flee his headquarters at [[Aonogi castle]]. Yet the Portuguese returned and with the [[teppo|weapons]] they supplied, Sumitada was able to retake Sonogi and stabilized his position. Ômura managed to fend off his many rivals for the next two decades and Portuguese vessels continued to call at Ômura ports. To a greater or lesser extent the Ômura-Jesuit pact was beneficial to Sumitada, even if it provoked families already hostile to him. In [[1572]] Saigô Sumitaka led a coalition of Ômura's enemies against him, a threat Sumitada countered with the help of four Portuguese warships in [[1574]]. That same year, Sumitada submitted to Portuguese pressure that he abolish all "idol worship" in his lands; numerous temples were destroyed, and all the residents of Ômura lands were now obliged to convert to Christianity, or be killed. Some sixty thousand people were then baptized.<ref>William Theodore de Bary, Carol Gluck, and Arthur Tiedemann (eds.), ''Sources of Japanese Tradition'', Second Edition, vol 2, Columbia University Press (2005), 147.</ref>