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History–Tours
15971597–1873 · Nagasaki

The 26 Martyrs and the Hidden Christians of Nagasaki

Oura Cathedral, dedicated to the 26 Martyrs, at the top of its stone steps in Nagasaki
Photo: Masoud Akbari. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1597 Toyotomi Hideyoshi had 26 Catholics crucified on Nishizaka hill in Nagasaki, and in 1614 the Tokugawa shogunate banned Christianity outright. Thousands were killed or forced to renounce their faith, yet villages on the Sotome coast and the outer islands kept it in secret for more than two centuries. In 1865 some revealed themselves at the newly built Oura church, and the ban was lifted in 1873.

Sites

  1. Site 1: Twenty-Six Martyrs Monument and Museum, NishizakaBronze relief of the 26 on the hill where they died, with a museum behind.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: Oura CathedralThe 1864 church where hidden Christians made themselves known to a French priest.Map ↗
  3. Site 3: Shitsu village, SotomeCoastal village of hidden Christians with a stone church and museum.Map ↗

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