Manila on Thursday commemorated Blessed Takayama Ukon Day, in remembrance of a former Japanese samurai who was beatified as a saint by Pope Francis on 2016.

Matsuda Shigehero, director and first secretary of the Japan Information and Culture Center said the celebration "connects Philippines and Japan at the grassroots level."

"Takayama's legacy acts as a bridge, bringing together the communities of Manila and Takatsuki City; the Philippines and Japan; and the heart of every Filipino and Japanese in shared celebration of faith, culture, and history," Shigehero said at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) chapel in Intramuros.

He added that Takayama "serves as a poignant reminder of our two nations' enduring and deep-rooted relationship."

"It is a relationship woven into the fabric of history that goes beyond diplomatic ties. As we commemorate Takayama Ukon, we honor the historical journey our countries have traversed together," he said.

The commemoration began with a mass at noon at the Manila Cathedral.

It was followed by a procession from Postigo del Palacio to the PLM University Chapel, retracing the path that Takayama once walked.

Cardinal Thomas Aquinas Maeda, the Archbishop of Osaka-Takamatsu Archiodiocese presented Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna Pope Francis' Apostolic Blessing for presiding over the Manila City Council that passed a resolution in 2018 decreeing December 21 every year as Blessed Takayama Ukon Day in Manila, per Resolution No. 273, Series of 2018.

The celebration marks the 409th anniversary of Takayama's arrival in the city on December 21, 1614, along with 350 Japanese exiles from Tokugawa. Jaspearl Tan/DMS