Anthony was born in 1584 in Nagasaki, Japan. His father was Chinese and this mother was Japanese. They were Catholic and Anthony served as altar boy with his local parish.

Even at an early age he experienced a calling by God. He was initially taught by the Jesuits in their seminary and then entered the Third Order of Saint Francis school.

About 35 years prior to his birth, missionaries Saint Francis Xavier and Juan Fernandez arrived in Kagoshima having gained permission from the shogunate military government. The shogun hoped to create trade relationships with Europe and reduce the power of the Buddhist monks. Catholicism spread quickly with as many as 300,000 converts by the end of the 16th century. The government grew wary of foreign influence.

On October 19, 1596, the Spanish ship San Felipe was shipwrecked in Urado, on the Japanese island of Shikoku, in route for trading. The Japanese locals seized the cargo and tensions escalated. The captain of the ship insinuated that the missionaries were sent to infiltrate Japan before an eventual military conquest by Spain, just as had been done in the Americas and Philippines. This led to heavy persecution of Christians.

In January of 1597, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a powerful imperial minister, had a group of 26 Catholics arrested, who had been working in the local missionary, including Anthony as he served as altar boy. They were tortured, mutilated, and paraded through villages across Japan to terrorize other Japanese Christians. They prayed the rosary, sang a Te Deum hymn of praise, and preached to those who came out to see them, telling them that martyrdom was an occasion for rejoicing. On February 5th, they were executed by crucifixion on a hill that overlooks Nagasaki city.

As he hung on the cross, Anthony witnessed his mother crying in agony and so he began to sing to try and relieve her of suffering. He was 13 years old. The soldiers then impaled them with lances.

There were further instances of murder that continued in what became known as the Great Genna Martyrdom. Catholicism was outlawed. By 1630, Catholicism had been driven underground without clergy or theological teaching. When Christian missionaries returned to Japan 250 years later, they found a community of “hidden Catholics” that had survived and stayed strong.

His feast day is February 6.

For God’s Glory.

In these images, he is of the younger 2 portrayed.