James Kisai was a 16th-century Japanese lay catechist and Jesuit member who was martyred in Nagasaki. Born in Okayama as Ichikawa Kisaemon, he sought to join the Society of Jesus. Following the San Felipe incident, he was among twenty-four Catholics imprisoned in December 1596. While incarcerated, he and a fellow catechist, John Soan de Goto, formally entered the Jesuit order by taking vows. He was eventually forced to march from Sakai to Nagasaki, where he was executed on February 5, 1597.
Life and death
After his arrest, Kisai participated in a difficult winter journey toward Nagasaki. Upon arriving at Nishizaka Hill, he was executed alongside twenty-five other individuals. Among the group of Twenty-six Martyrs, Kisai was one of only three Jesuits, alongside Paul Miki and John Soan de Goto, who were put to death in Nagasaki on that day.
Veneration
The Catholic Church recognizes Kisai as a saint. He is commemorated as one of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan. His feast day is observed on February 6.