Bl. Justus Takayama Ukon was a Japanese Catholic daimyō and samurai who lived during the Sengoku period.
Prince [Justus] Ucondono, a distinguished general, to whom Taicosama was indebted for his empire, was living for six years in exile, because he had refused to abjure his faith. He had been stripped of his dignities, deprived of his estates, his old father, his wife, and his large family sharing in the same privations; yet they esteemed themselves happy in being able to suffer for Jesus Christ. When he heard of the persecution, he took leave of the king of Canga, under whose supervision he had been placed and whose friendship he enjoyed on account of his great virtue. The latter assured him that the court was not thinking of him; but the noble Ucondono answered: “My dear prince, the greatest happiness in which I can delight in this world is to die for the faith that I profess. Whatever may be the assurance that you give me, I am going to prepare myself for death.” He immediately set out for Meaco.
Rev. Eugene Grimm, ed. Victories of the Martyrs, vol. 9, The Complete Works of Saint Alphonsus de Ligouri (New York: Benzinger Brothers, 1888), 320.
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 761
Nobility.org
Prince Justus Ucondono, is also known as Dom Justo Takayama Ukon, was a samurai for Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was exiled to Manila, where he died 40 days after his arrival from a fever. He is the only daimyō buried in the Manila Cathedral. He was beatified on February 7, 2017.
