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This is my favorite painting of Takato Yamamoto, depicting The Shimabara Revolution of 1637, in which a sect of Japanese Christian samurai attempted to revolt against their feudal lords after Christianity was officially outlawed and persecuted in the country. In the middle you have the Virgin Mary, and on the right you have the 19 year old leader of the rebellion named Jerome if I remember correctly. They almost won, but at the last minute the shogun sent military aid, resulting in Christian defeat. However, the religion persisted underground for many years, and these hidden Christians became known as the “Kakure Kirishitan” of Japan. They persisted for 300 years, emerging from hiding when Christianity was official legalized after the Meji Restoration. Many re-assimilated into the Catholic Church, but others decided to continuing practicing the version of the faith they had developed over hundreds of years in hiding. There are very few true Kakure Kirishitan left in Japan today. Interestingly, there were more Japanese Christians in the 17th century then there are in current day Japan.