Beautiful Bay Islands with A Dramatic History
Amakusa is a chain of sub-tropical islands stretching out to the west from the coast of Kumamoto prefecture into the Ariake Sea. The area belongs to the Amakusa Unzen National Park, an area covering over 120 islands situated in the seas between Nagasaki and Kumamoto. Believers known as the "hidden Christians" lived here during the 200-year Edo period (1603-1868) in which Christianity was suppressed. This is why Amakusa came to be known as the islands of prayer. We invite you to experience history on these islands that have been nurtured by nature and culture.
Amakusa was once a stronghold for Christianity and churches still remain dotted around the islands. Owing to its relative proximity to the city of Nagasaki, where foreign missionaries first arrived in Japan, Amakusa became one of the nation's main centers of Christianity during a time when the religion was outlawed. Amakusa Christian Museum is the place to visit if you want to learn about the history of Amakusa and Christianity. Exhibits that tell of historical events are on display and include weapons used by Christian peasants in the Shimabara-Amakusa Ikki (the Shimabara-Amakusa Rebellion), as well as one of the three world's great religious flags.
Sakitsu is a fishing village where Christianity has continued to coexist with Buddhism and Shintoism since the Christian suppression. The Christian believers of Sakitsu revered seashells as sacred, as the patterns on the shells' interior resembled the Virgin Mary. A Gothic-style church of Sakitsu Tenshodo is one of the historical sites of “Churches and Christian Sites in Nagasaki and Amakusa” that are under consideration for becoming UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2018. The church was built where the residence of the village headsman once was, which is where the hidden faith was cracked down and oppressed.
The surrounding village is also an interesting place to explore while enjoying the quaint feeling of the fisherman’s town where the traditional way of living remains.
Amakusa is still a rural backwater mainly because of the travel times and infrequent public transport. Amakusa is unspoilt, and very peaceful with some beautiful beaches, lovely sunset views and wonderful seafood – a place to really get away from it all. Although most people today visit Amakusa to enjoy the area's rustic beauty and marine activities, history buffs interested in this period will find plenty to discover in the area's numerous museums and churches.
Amakusa was once a stronghold for Christianity and churches still remain dotted around the islands. Owing to its relative proximity to the city of Nagasaki, where foreign missionaries first arrived in Japan, Amakusa became one of the nation's main centers of Christianity during a time when the religion was outlawed. Amakusa Christian Museum is the place to visit if you want to learn about the history of Amakusa and Christianity. Exhibits that tell of historical events are on display and include weapons used by Christian peasants in the Shimabara-Amakusa Ikki (the Shimabara-Amakusa Rebellion), as well as one of the three world's great religious flags.
Sakitsu is a fishing village where Christianity has continued to coexist with Buddhism and Shintoism since the Christian suppression. The Christian believers of Sakitsu revered seashells as sacred, as the patterns on the shells' interior resembled the Virgin Mary. A Gothic-style church of Sakitsu Tenshodo is one of the historical sites of “Churches and Christian Sites in Nagasaki and Amakusa” that are under consideration for becoming UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2018. The church was built where the residence of the village headsman once was, which is where the hidden faith was cracked down and oppressed.
The surrounding village is also an interesting place to explore while enjoying the quaint feeling of the fisherman’s town where the traditional way of living remains.
Amakusa is still a rural backwater mainly because of the travel times and infrequent public transport. Amakusa is unspoilt, and very peaceful with some beautiful beaches, lovely sunset views and wonderful seafood – a place to really get away from it all. Although most people today visit Amakusa to enjoy the area's rustic beauty and marine activities, history buffs interested in this period will find plenty to discover in the area's numerous museums and churches.
