World Cultural Heritage Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region

“Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region”
Information Centre

History of Christianity in the region.

On Nozaki Island is the Okinokamijima Shrine, which was founded in 704. The islanders formed a small community around the priests of Okinokamijima Shrine.
After 1797, two families moved to Nozaki Island during the period of farmers’ emigration from the Omura clan to various parts of the Goto Islands. The settlers formed the settlement of Nokubi in the center of the island.

At the end of the Edo period (1603-1867), several believers, probably from the Shitsu district of the Sotome region, settled in the Funamori area at the southern tip of the island, and the Funamori community was formed.It is said that the settlers were assisted by a shipping agent in Ojika.
The persecution of Christians that occurred during the Meiji era also affected Nozaki Island, and some were taken to Ojika and Hirado to be suppressed.

History of Nokubi Church

In 1882, the first churches were built in Nokubi and Funamori settlement in the central and southern ends of the island, respectively.
The first church built in Nokubi settlement was a wooden structure. In later years, plans were made to build a brick church, and the present church was built in 1908.
The present church was commissioned by Father Tokichi Nakata to Yosuke Tetsukawa and was completed in October 1908.

It is consecrated on October 25 by Bishop Cousin (Jules Aophonse Cousin:1842 – 1911).
After the period of rapid economic growth, the number of islanders on Nozaki Island gradually declined, and in 1971, six Catholic families in the Nokubi area left the island at once, and the Nokubi Church was closed.
The closed Nokubi Church was donated to Ojika Town by the Catholic Archdiocese of Nagasaki and was designated as a tangible cultural property of Nagasaki Prefecture in 1989.
The Funamori area at the southern tip of Nozaki Island lost its residents in 1966 when a group of islanders moved to Ojika Island. The priest’s house of Setowaki Church, which was located in the Funamori area, was moved to Ojika Island and still exists as the Catholic Ojika Church.

Surroundings and location

Nozaki Island is located at the northern tip of the Goto Archipelago, between Ojika Island and Hirado Island, and belongs to Ojika Town, Kitamatsuura County.
The island stretches long and narrow from north to south, with a narrow center, and much of the island is covered with steep mountains. As a result, settlements were formed on the limited flat land.

Nokubu settlement, where the old Nokubu Church stands, is located in the center of the island, with the Nozaki Dam to the east and the Shirahama coast to the west.
Nozaki Island, which has no inhabitants, is home to wild Japanese deer, and the mountainous terrain that covers much of the island is home to many native forests and rare plants and animals.