Kuroshima Church in Nagasaki Prefecture, built in 1902. As of March 2024, around 80% of the island's approximately 380 residents were Christians.
The "Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region" comprise 12 sites connected to the history of Christianity in Japan. They were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018 for providing "unique testimony to a cultural tradition nurtured by hidden Christians in the Nagasaki region" during roughly 250 years of religious prohibition in the Edo period (1603–1868). These sites are spread across remote islands and peninsulas in Nagasaki Prefecture and the nearby Amakusa area of Kumamoto Prefecture.
Oura Cathedral and Hara Castle
The Hidden Christian Sites include Oura Cathedral in Nagasaki, Japan's oldest surviving church and a designated national treasure. They also include the remains of Hara Castle and 10 villages established during the ban on Christianity.
In the latter half of the 16th century, Kyushu saw the rise of vibrant castle towns under Christian daimyos, thriving through overseas trade. Among them, Hara Castle in Minamishimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture, played a significant role. Visiting the castle offers a glimpse into the final days of Japan's Christian era and the dramatic history of the Shimabara Rebellion.
Kuroshima Island
Another site included in the Hidden Christian Sites is the villages on Kuroshima in Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture. The island is rich in water resources, so much so that it was once called "Mizushima" or Water Island.
In the 16th century, Buddhist settlers migrated from Hirado and established the Honmura settlement in the northern part of the island. The Hirado Domain established a ranch on the island in the 17th century. As the need for farmland grew, the domain encouraged new settlers to cultivate the former ranch lands.
Many of these settlers were Hidden Christians, and of the eight settlements on the island today, six were founded by them. The Christians who came ashore built homes, windbreaks, and fields, many of which are still visible today. For around 80 years, they outwardly presented themselves as Buddhists while maintaining their faith in secret.
Kashiragashima Island
Archaeological remains from the Jomon and Yayoi periods have been found at Shirahama on Kashiragashima Island, showing that people once lived there. The island later became uninhabited and was temporarily used as a convalescent site in the 19th century. In 1858, Maeda Gidayu, a Buddhist from Hisaka Island in the Goto Islands, received permission from the local magistrate to settle and cultivate the island, marking the start of permanent habitation.
Later, several families of Hidden Christians seeking a secure place to live migrated from the Sotome area. The island's history as a convalescent site made it relatively isolated, and by living alongside Maeda Gidayu, they could outwardly present themselves as Buddhists while maintaining their faith in secret.
The settlers brought stonework techniques from Sotome, applying them to their homes, walls, and pathways, creating the beautiful cultural landscape that survives today.
Kashiragashima Church, built in 1919, is a rare stone church in Japan constructed using Goto Stone. Inside, the pale blue ceiling and floral motifs create a soft, gentle atmosphere.
Faith Practiced in Secret
Christianity began spreading worldwide in the 16th century during the Age of Exploration, but Japan largely resisted foreign Christian influence. During the ban, believers found ways to practice their faith in secret. They hid religious relics in Shinto shrines, moved to remote islands to farm, and repurposed everyday objects for religious devotion.
Without missionaries, these communities developed a unique system of belief centered on local leaders. Leaders were called by words with secret meanings, such as chokata (officials in bookkeeping duties), who presided over the ritual calendar, and mizukata (officials in charge of administering water supplies), who baptized adherents.
From the 17th to the 19th centuries, these communities continued practicing Catholic teachings in secret, despite the 1614 nationwide ban on Christianity issued by the Tokugawa shogunate. Over time, a combination of local leniency and the Christians' secrecy allowed these practices to endure for centuries.
Conservation of Communities
Around 1800, Kyushu faced overpopulation. To address this, the Nagasaki government encouraged residents of the Sotome area on the mainland to move to the more remote Goto Islands, a chain of islets off Nagasaki. About 3,000 people settled there, cultivating the land and forming Christian communities. At that time, more than 200 Christian communities existed across Nagasaki, Amakusa, and surrounding areas.
Many Christians were formally recognized as Catholics under the guidance of missionaries after the ban on Christianity was lifted in 1873. Some, however, refused to adopt modern practices and continued observing the traditions developed during periods of persecution. Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christian) is a modern term that refers to both these historical practitioners and their descendants who still maintain those traditional practices today.
Today, many Hidden Christian sites are located on remote islands and peninsulas facing rapid depopulation and an aging population. Maintaining and preserving these historical sites remains a significant challenge.
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Author: The Sankei Shimbun
