During the 15th century the Western religion of Christianity began to spread throughout the world through the influence of European powers such as Portugal and Spain. In 1549 the small island nation of Japan was first exposed to Christianity in the form of Jesuit missionaries, including the wealthy St. Francis Xavier of Spain. Japan, up until that point, had always been an isolated country and this also applied to its traditional cultural values, avoiding external influences without a second thought. Thanks to Xavier's efforts, however, Christianity managed to create a solid foundation despite its foreign nature. From its arrival in 1549, Christianity experienced a peaceful and gradual growth, until 1597, when Japan's then de facto military leader, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, ordered the crucifixion of approximately twenty-six Christians in an outburst of rage (Spae 5). From here on the Japanese government began a series of persecutions against Christianity and its followers in Japan, eventually resulting in a bloody rebellion and near massacre, in the providence of Shimabara in 1639, and the eventual ban of it all which is Christian along with a re-isolation. of the country. This raises the question: why was the Christian religion met with such resentment from the Japanese government? To answer the question, you need to understand the circumstances and history of foreign tolerance in Japan, while being aware of the political situation within the country at the time. From learning and analyzing these factors of society and politics, one can understand that Christianity was used as a political scapegoat by the [military] Shogunate government for superordinate means. Furthermore, analyzing this statement, an explanation...... middle of paper ......d citizens. The Christianity attack was chosen for its foreign nature, as well as the fact that it was a minor nuisance, posed no real political threat, and could easily be manipulated into a terrible monster. Once the Bakafu created this image of evil Christians and dispelled it, Japanese citizens were tricked into fervent trust and admiration for their rulers. The events that occurred during this time help explain why Japan would later become such an ultranationalist country. Japan's military administration was able to attract the attention and morale of its citizens through excellent manipulation of foreign ideas. And from this initial entrenchment of anti-foreigner and blind trust in government, would come the birth of the infamous patriotic and ultramilitaristic Japan of the modern twentieth century era..