The remains of the staircase which led towards Hinoe castle’s keep contains bits of more than one type of Buddhist pagoda. On some of these, the gold had only just finished being applied. It is unknown whether or not they were intentionally made as steps, although at that time, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines within the domains of Christian feudal lords were being destroyed. There is even a record suggesting that in the Arima domain alone over 40 were destroyed.

The ruler of Japan at that time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, confronted the missionary Coelho in the following way: “Why do the Padres destroy the Buddhist and Shinto temples and shrines? Why don’t they live in harmony with the [Buddhist] monks?”. Immediately following this, an edict was issued expelling the missionaries from Japan, and they were ordered to leave the country.

Some of Hideyoshi’s close aides, such as Konishi Yukinaga and Takayama Ukon, were also “Kirishitan Daimyo” (Christian feudal lords). After the Shimazu clan had surrendered to Hideyoshi, the next step towards unifying the country was to effectively govern the feudal lords. At first, even after the edict expelling the missionaries had been issued, trade with Portugal continued and Christian missionary activity was tolerated. Ten years later, however, twenty six men and boys (including foreign missionaries) were crucified in Nagasaki, an event which was triggered when a Spanish ship drifted ashore in Shikoku. These have become known as the Twenty Six Martyrs of Japan.