Blessed Antonius Kyuni

Antonius Kyuni (ca. 1572-1622) came from a noble family. He was married; and it is unclear whether his wife died or just gave him permission to move to Nagasaki and study at the seminary there. He became a catechist and worked with Jesuits in their printing press and the infirmary. With the Jesuits he went into exile in Macao in 1614, but returned three years later to live the life of a hermit. He picked a secluded spot on a mountain near Nagasaki. Michael Saito and Gundisalves Fusai joined him there and all were arrested in 1619 and taken to the former Jesuit novitiate in Nagasaki. Their actual novitiate began the next year when they were transferred to the prison in Suzuta and Father Spinola was able to direct them as novices. For more details of his martyrdom, see the account under the name of Blessed Carlo Spinola.

Martyres in Japan

Originally Collected and edited by: Tom Rochford, SJ