Saint Francis of Ise

Francis Kichi (died February 5, 1597) was a Japanese Christian during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. He was executed in Nagasaki under Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s ban on Christianity and is one of the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan who were canonized as saints. Francis was his confirmation name; his baptismal name was Caius or Gaius, though some chronicles record it as Adauctus. He is also referred to as Francis of Ise, based on his place of origin, or as Francis Gaius, based on his baptismal and confirmation names.