History of Christians and churches in Nagasaki Prefecture: Dec. 28-29

It is not possible to talk about the history of Christianity in Japan without referring to the stories in Nagasaki Prefecture.

Many people in the area accepted Christianity in the 16^th century; Nagasaki became a center of Christianity in Japan.

Then, the period of repression came. The Edo shogunate government banned the religion in the middle of the 17^th century. Foreign priests were forced to leave the country and Japanese Christians were compelled to abandon their believes.

Some people did not follow the order and kept their believes secretly.

The existence of the hidden Christians was found when the European and American priests returned to Japan in the Meiji era, about 250 years after the religious ban.

There were many underground Christians in Urakami district in the Edo era. The place was later destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945. (Visit “Memoriesof atomic bomb disasters in Nagasaki”)

Reconstructed Urakami Cathderal is now a center of religious activities.

Oura Church locates in the southern part of Nagasaki City. It was first built in 1865 by French priests. The discovery of the hidden Christians took place here. (See also the 2nd photo from the top)

Many hidden Christians lived in small villages in the mountainous areas in the Edo period. Priests were sent to these villages in the Meiji era. These areas included Shitsu, Ono and Kurosaki. 

They locate in the coastal area about 15 km from central Nagasaki City. The left photo is a scene of Shitsu settlement.

The Shitsu Church was built by a French priest Marc Marie de Rotz in 1882.

He also opened social-welfare facilities to improve people’s lives in the village.

The Ono Church was also built by priest de Rotz. (see also the top photo)

The 3rd photo from the top shows the scene of the sea from Ono.

The settlements of Shitsu and Ono are registered as the World Heritage sites.

Japanese novelist Endo Shusaku wrote a story titled “the Silence,” which focused on the repression on Christianity and hidden Christians. The monument is places in Shitsu.

Hidden Christians made prays using various camouflage measures. This Karematsu shrine in Kurosaki is used to make gatherings of the Christians.

The Kurosaki Church was planned by priest de Rotz and completes after his death.

Total 26 Christians were executed by crucifixion in 1597 in Nishizaka district in the central Nagasaki City. They are called the 26 Martyrs of Japan. A memorial and a museum were built in 1962.

Pope Francisco visited Nagasaki on Nov. 24, 2019. He visited several places including Urakami Cathedral, Oura Church and the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum. Former Pope John Paul II as well as Saint Teresa of Calcutta also visited the museum.

Memories of Atomic Bomb Disasters in Nagasaki: Dec. 28-29, 2019

Arriving in Nagasaki City, I immediately visited the sites related to atomic bomb. (Other Nagasaki-related posts: “Nagasaki, Hirado, Sasebo and Huis Ten Bosch” and “History of Christians and Churches in Nagasaki Prefecture”)

Nagasaki was destroyed by an atomic bomb on Aug. 9, 1945, during the World War 2. It was three days after Hiroshima’s disasters.

The bomb explored at about 500 meters above Urakami district, northern part of Nagasaki City. About 74-thousand people were killed.

Nagasaki Peace Park was later made in the area. The Peace Statue was created in 1955 to dedicate to the victims of the bomb. (See also the top photo)

A cenotaph stands at the hypocenter. The sky was blue over the ground zero when I visited. (See also the 2nd photo)

The exhibitions in the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum were very impressive and meaningful.

The exhibitions include: a clock which stopped at the time of the atomic-bomb exploration, replica of the atomic bomb, a model of the city to explain the disasters, destroyed walls, and many photos. (See also the 4th photo)

The original Urakami Cathedral stood about 500 meters from the hypocenter. It was completely destroyed. A new church was built in 1959. (See the 3rd photo)

A destroyed bell tower is preserved.

Pope Francisco visited Nagasaki on Nov. 24^th this year. He called for abolishing nuclear weapons in his speeches.

Special exhibition on his visit was held in the Atomic Bomb Museum.

Nagasaki, Hirado, Sasebo and Huis Ten Bosch: Dec 26-29, 2019

I visited Nagasaki Prefecture in Kyushu in my year-end holidays.

Where I stayed included Nagasaki City, Hirado, Sasebo, and Haus Ten Bosch.

There are many interesting spots in these places. I wrote the stories on the atomic bomb disasters as well as on the history of hidden Christians in different posts. (Visit “Memories of atomic bomb disasters in Nagasaki” and “History of Christians andchurches in Nagasaki Prefecture.”) This post focuses on other topics.

Hirado is an island which locates at the north-western side of the Kyushu Island. It is now connected by a bridge with Kyushu. It has a good port.

Hirado was one of the main ports of the trade between Japan and Europe four centuries ago. It was also a center of Christianity in Japan. Dutch and other European people lived here.

There was a Dutch Trading Post in the 17^th century. It was rebuilt in 2011.

Francisco de Xavier stayed Hirado in the 16^th century to teach Christianity. The religion was banned later in the 17^th century, but some people continued to believe it secretly. New churches were built after the Meiji period as the ban was cancelled.

The Hirado Xavier Memorial Church stands at a top of a hill. The scene of the towns and the sea was beautiful from the church. (See the top photo)

There are Buddhism temples around the church. The combination of the church and the temples are impressive.

Sasebo City hosts the bases of U.S. Navy and Japan’s Self-Defense Force. The port was beautiful.

Huis Ten Bosch is one of the largest theme parks in Japan. It has Dutch-style windmills and flower gardens.(See the 2nd photo from the top)

It attracts visitors with illumination of lights.

It also has a robot restaurant, where various kinds of robot host customers.

Nagasaki City was the only place in Japan where foreign trades were allowed from mid-17^th to mid-19^th century, when Japan took the policy to close the country. Only the trades with the Netherland and China were allowed then.

Dejima was the place where former Dutch trading post located and Dutch people stayed in the Edo era.

The trade restrictions were relieved in the late Tokugawa era (1850s and 60s); various foreign traders arrived in Nagasaki. Thomas Glover, one of the traders, built his house on a hill. The place is now known as the Glover Garden. The views of the port and the city from the garden are beautiful.

Streetcars run around the city. It costs 130 yen for a ride. (See the 3re photo)

Winter begins in Tokyo: Dec. 10, 2019

It is getting colder; the daytime is becoming shorter.

Tokyo is turning into winter.

The red color of maple trees has already finished its peak in the Gotokuji temple, in Setagaya City in western Tokyo.

The red leaves will soon start to fall.

The yellow leaves of gingko trees began to fall at Kokushikan University in Setagaya.

This is a photo taken a week ago on Dec. 3.

The shops are now in Christmas sales.

We see Christmas decorations everywhere in Tokyo..

Kobe: Nov. 16-17, 2019

I visited to Kobe to attend a conference. I spent some time during my stay to walk around the city.

Kobe locates between the Rokko mountains in the north and the Seto Inland Sea in the south. The population is about 1.5 million.

I watched the landscape of the city in the daytime from the observatory in the City Hall tower. The top photo is a view of the city with the Rokko Mountains in its back.

The left photo is a view of the sea area.

The City Hall is 132 meter high. The observatory is at about 100 meter in the 24th floor.

The landscape in the night was beautiful. I enjoyed it from Kobe University, which locates on a hillside of the Rokko mountains.

Sannomiya is the busiest area in the city. There are railway stations of JR, private railway Hankyu and Hanshin, as well as subway in the area.

Modern shopping malls were crowded with people.

There spreads a China town in Motomachi area, west from Sannomiya. (See also the 3rd photo)

Kobe Port is one of the largest ports in Japan. It has long history. I found people enjoying a beautiful day in a park near the port.

There are many western-style houses at the foot of the Rokko Mountains. There houses were built by the Europeans and Americans in the Meiji era. The came to Japan to engage in trade business; the Meiji government allocated some places for them to stay.

The old houses are now popular tourist spots. (See also the 2nd photo from the top) 

I found many foreign tourists, especially Chinese tourists, enjoying sightseeing in the area.

I also visited Ikuta Shrine, one of Kobe's oldest shrines. Many families were there to pray a good fortune for their kids. Japan has a kids festival in the middle of November.

Kobe was seriously hit by the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. Many buildings, houses, roads, railroads ports and highways were destroyed. Thousands of people were killed.

I visited Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institute, a museum where the records of the earthquake are displayed. The institute also shows recent developments on disaster reduction and other quake-related topics.

A 360 degree-wide panorama movie showed us the impacts of the quake. Other displays taught us how widely and deeply the earthquake hit the area.

There were groups of Japanese high-school students and foreign tourists in the institute. Everyone watched the displays seriously.

25 years passed since the Earthquake day. The destroyed towns, such as Sannomiya, were rebuilt. Still, people live with the memory of the disaster – it is the impression I received when I was talking with local prople.