<figure class="image-550">
  <img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-30/nishizaka-hill-monument.webp" alt="Bronze relief sculpture at the Twenty-Six Martyrs Monument on Nishizaka Hill, Nagasaki, depicting four Japanese Christian martyrs standing in prayer with hands clasped, wearing traditional robes and rosaries." />
  <figcaption>Detail of the bronze monument on Nishizaka Hill in Nagasaki, Japan, commemorating the Christian martyrs who were executed at the site.</figcaption>
</figure>

<h2>
Early Life in Binondo: A Man of Ordinary Devotion
</h2>
<p>
Lorenzo Ruiz was born on <time datetime="1594-11-28">November 28, 1594</time>, in <a href="/articles/3003/the-rich-history-of-binondo-manila" class="news_link">Binondo, Manila</a> - a bustling mercantile settlement designated by the Spanish colonial administration for Christian Chinese merchants and their families. Born to a Chinese father and a Tagalog mother, Ruiz was raised in a bilingual and devoutly Catholic household, learning Chinese from his father, Tagalog from his mother, and Spanish from the Dominican friars.
</p>
<p>
As a youth, Ruiz served as an altar boy and sacristan at the Binondo Church (now the Minor Basilica of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz). Educated by the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), he developed impressive penmanship and served as an <em>escribano</em> (clerk and calligrapher), transcribing official church and administrative legal documents. He joined the <strong>Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary</strong>, living a peaceful life as a devoted lay Roman Catholic.
</p>
<p>
Ruiz married a local woman named Rosario, and together they raised three children - two sons and a daughter. By all contemporary accounts, Ruiz lived a tranquil, middle-class family life deeply rooted in parish life.
</p>
<h2>
The Flight from Manila (1636)
</h2>
<p>
In 1636, Ruiz’s quiet life was shattered when he was implicated in a violent altercation in Manila that resulted in the death of a Spaniard. Though details of the incident remain sparse, Spanish colonial justice heavily favored Spaniards over Chinese mestizos. Fearing summary execution or an unfair trial, Ruiz sought asylum with Dominican priests.
</p>
<p>
At the time, a group of Dominican missionaries was secretly preparing to depart for Japan to aid underground Christian communities. On <strong><time datetime="1636-06-10">June 10, 1636</time></strong>, Ruiz boarded a vessel with three Spanish Dominican priests - Fr. Antonio Gonzalez, Fr. Guillermo Courtet, and Fr. Miguel de Aozaraza - along with Fr. Vicente Shiwozuka de la Cruz (a Japanese Dominican priest) and Lázaro of Kyoto (a lay Japanese leper).
</p>



<p>
Ruiz joined the voyage believing he was heading to Formosa (modern-day Taiwan) or another safe haven where he could wait out the legal storm in Manila. Only after setting sail did he learn the ship’s true destination: Japan.
</p>
<h2>
Japan’s Anti-Christian Edicts &amp; Arrest in Okinawa
</h2>
<p>
During the early 17th century, Japan was ruled by <strong>Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu</strong>, who enforced the strict <em>Sakoku</em> (isolationist) policy. Fearing foreign political influence and European colonization, the Tokugawa Shogunate outlawed Christianity (<em>Kirishitan</em>), banned foreign missionaries, and instituted systematic campaigns to root out believers.
</p>
<p>
Shortly after landing in Okinawa, Ruiz and his companions were identified, arrested by shogunal authorities, and thrown into prison. They were kept in harsh captivity for over a year before being transferred to Nagasaki - the epicenter of Japan’s Christian persecutions - to face formal trial by torture in <time datetime="1637-09">September 1637</time>.
</p>
<h2>
Interrogation, Torture, and Trial
</h2>
<p>
In Nagasaki, the inquisitors demanded that the prisoners renounce Christianity (<em>fumie</em>). When the group refused, they were subjected to brutal physical torture intended to break their resolve:
</p>
<ul class="k-list">
<li>
<strong>Water Torture:</strong> Massive quantities of water were forcibly poured down their throats until their stomachs distended. Boards were then placed across their bellies while guards jumped on them, forcing water out through their mouths, noses, and ears.
</li>
<li>
<strong>Fingernail Torture:</strong> Needles and sharp bamboo splinters were jammed under their fingernails and driven deep into their hands.
</li>
<li>
<strong>Beatings &amp; Deprivation:</strong> Severe corporal punishment was administered until the prisoners lost consciousness.
</li>
</ul>

<p>
During a moment of agonizing pain, Ruiz asked an interpreter whether apostatizing would save his life. However, after reflection and encouragement from his companions, his conviction solidified. When brought before the magistrate, Ruiz delivered his famous, uncompromising declaration of faith:
</p>
<div class="article-comment">
<p>
"Ego Catholicus sum et animo prompto paratoque pro Deo mortem obibo. Si mille vitas haberem, cunctas ei offerrem." "I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly accept death for God; had I a thousand lives, all these to Him shall I offer."
</p>
</div>



September 29, 1637: Martyrdom of St. Lorenzo Ruiz

Discover the life and martyrdom of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint executed in Nagasaki on Sept 29, 1637, during Tokugawa Christian persecutions.

September 29, 1637: Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino Saint, was hung upside down to death in Nagasaki, Japan