Sanno Shrine

 

 

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Sanno Shrine is located approximately 800 meters away from the ground zero of Atomic bomb.

The Shrine was instantly obliterated by the explosion and the 4000 degrees Celsius heat wave

vaporized nearby trees.

The only thing that remained is the Torii gate standing on a single column, reminding us of the

tragedy that took place.

 

The surviving trees of Sanno Shrine have become another living demonstration of destruction

and re-growth. Two large camphor trees were scorched, burned and stripped of all leaves by

the Atomic bomb’s shock wave; and yet, despite everything, the trees survived.

The surviving camphor trees are now a symbol of World Peace.

 

 

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Nyokodo, Dr. Nagai Takashi

 

 

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Dr. Nagai Takashi (3 February 1908 – 1 May 1951) was a Catholic physician specializing in

radiology, an author, and a survivor of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. His subsequent life

of prayer and service earned him the affectionate title “saint of Urakami”.

 

Nyokodo, which is adjacent to the Takashi Nagai Memorial Hall, is Dr. Takashi Nagai’s hospital

room and study. This 2-tatami building was built as a new home for the doctor, with the generosity

of the people of Urakami and fellow Catholics who were left penniless by the atomic bombing.

The doctor named this building “Nyokodo,” meaning “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and spent

his later years here. Dr. Nagai fought the onslaught of leukemia and worked hard to write even

though he was bedridden. From this room of just two tatami mats, the doctor continued to harass

the people of Urakami, writing novels such as “The Chains of the Rosary,” “Leaving the Child,”

“The River of Life,” and “The Bells of Nagasaki.

 

Massage for World Peace from Dr. Nagai

The person who pray for peace must not hide even needles, for a person who possesses

is not qualified to pray peace.

 

 

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Saint Kolbe Memorial Museum, at Hongouchi Church

 

 

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Father Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland in 1894 and was a priest of the Conventual

Order of St. Francis.

He had been active in promoting the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

He came to Japan in 1930 and began educating seminarians and publishing a monthly

magazine ” the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary.”

After that, the number of Japanese people who understood God’s teachings increased,

and Hongouchi Church was established in 1931.

 

After six years in Japan, he returned to Poland for health reasons.

And then, he volunteered to die in place of a man named Franciszek Gajowniczek in the

German death camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland.

 

Saint Kolbe Memorial Museum was built to commemorate his canonization in 1986.

 

 

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Oura Cathedral

 

 

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The Cathedral is one of the significant Christian Pilgrimage site in Japan.  Established 1865,

this church is officially known as “Oura Cathedral, the Church of 26 Martyrs.” It was built by

the French priest Bernard Petitjean of Fier who had been dispatched by the Foreign

Missionary Church of Paris to dedicate prayers to the 26 saints martyred on Nishizaka hill.

For this reason, the church faces Nishizaka hill. It was designated as a National Treasure in

1933 for its value as Japan’s oldest Gothic-style Cathedral.

 

“On March 17, 1865, a group of peasants from Urakami came to the church and professed

their faith to Father Petitjean, thus revealing that Christianity had survived through the 

centuries of persecution. The white marble statue of the Holy Mother at the entrance was built

in commemoration of the dramatic discovery of the “Hidden Christians.

 

 

 

 

Kurosaki Church

 

 

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The Church is located in Kurosaki district, where was place of the setting for Endo Shusaku’s

novel Silence.  In 1897, the foundations were laid down according to Father de Rotz’s design.

Construction followed and in 1920 the church was completed.

 

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The followers built it brick by brick with their own hands. The modest design serves to bring out the

beauty of the bricks.  Experience the depth when you come inside and see the rib vault ceiling.

The church’s stained glass also leaves a lasting impression.

 

 

Sotome Pilgrimage sites

 

 

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Sotome is located between Nagasaki-city and Saikai-city, and face to East China Sea. 

During the ban on Christianity from 17 century to end of the 19 century, Sotome was

home to communities of  “Hidden Christians”, many of whom emigrated there from

other parts of Nagasaki as the remote region allowed them to practice their religion

in secret.

French missionary Father Marc Marie de Rotz played a large role in reestablishing the

religion in the area. He established Shitsu Church on a hill overlooking the sea.

 

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Shitsu Church

On an elevation commanding a view over the Sea of Goto, Father Marc Marie de Rotz

established a church at his own expense 1882. The building was extended and renovated

again and again. A statue of Mary that he ordered from France is standing in the bell tower.

 

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Former Shitsu Aid Center        

I want to save people in the Sotome from poor life. Former Shitsu Aid Centeris indispensable in

talking about the history and culture of the region.

 

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Endo Shusaku Literary Museum         

The setting of Endo Shusaku’s novel Silence. Sotome is blessed with a unique history and

culture of Christianity. In particular, the area in which the Endo Shusaku Literary Museum

stands is known as the site of a Christian village, one of Endo’s most notable work, Silence.

 

General information  

Address	Shitsu, Nagasaki-city
Access	50 minutes by a vehicle from JR Nagasaki Station

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Peace Fountain at Peace Park

 

 

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Peace Fountain reminds us of the tragic scene unfolded shortly after America dropped

the Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki at 11:02 am on Aug. 09, 1945. With the completion of the

Peace Fountain on Aug. 3, 1969, a monument inscribed with an epitaph was constructed.

Many people were burned deeply and died, crying and groaning for water. When people

recovered their peaceful life in 1965, a campaign for a Peace Fountain was launched.

 

Recorded on the monument are the name of the founder including the People’s Congress

for Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and Promotion of Peace and the Committee for the

Construction of the Peace Fountain.

 

 

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General information

Address	Heiwakoen, Matsuyama-machi, Nagasaki-city
Access	3 minutes walk from Heiwa-koen-shita Tram Station

Atomic Bomb Museum

 

 

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The museum exhibits a number of photograph that depict the devastation

caused by atomic bomb showing the lead-up to this tragic day, the history of the development of

nuclear arms and our desire for peace.

 

 

 

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General information

Address	7-8 Hirano-machi, Nagasaki-city
Access	5 minutes walk from Genbaku-shiryokan Tram Station
Open hours	8:30 to 17:30  September to December 8:30 to 18:30  May to August 8:30 to 20:00  August 7 to 9
Admission fee	JPY 200
Days closed	December 29 to 31

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Urakami Cathedral

 

 

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Construction of the original Urakami Cathedral, a brick Romanesque building, began in 1895,

after a long-standing ban on Christianity was lifted.

When completed in 1914, it was the largest Catholic church in East Asia.

 

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The Atomic bomb dropped on August 9, 1945 explored in Urakami, only 500m from the cathedral,

which was completely destroyed.

What remained of the cathedral is now on display in the Atomic Bomb Museum.

A replacement was built in 1959, and remodeled to more closely resemble the original in 1980.

 

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The nearby the Ground Zero in Peace Park contains remnants of the Ruins of Urakami Cathedral

 

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General information  

Address	1-79 Moto-machi, Nagasaki-city
Access	8 minutes walk from Heiwa koen Tram Station
Open hours	9:00 to 17:00
Admission fee	No fee is required, please donate to the donation box
Days closed	No closing days

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St. Andrew Chistian Seminary

 

 

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St. Andrew Christian Seminary building stands on the eastern end of Dejima

and features a light blue exterior and a tower with a cross.

It is the oldest surviving Protestant Seminary building in Japan.

It was built as a church school in 1878 and opened the following year as the Dejima

Shinbashiguchi English and Japanese School.

It later changed its name to Dejima Shinbashiguchi Anglican Seminary and offered

theological education. After closing in 1886, it was used as accommodation for foreign

missionaries.

 

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