【WORLD HERTAGE SITE】The Old Gorin Church is on Kugashima Island, and a 30-minute taxi ride after a 20-minute ferry ride from Fukue Port on the Goto Islands, Fukue Island. At the time of settlement from the Omura feudal clan at the end of the 18th century, the village was formed because it contained hidden Christians from the Sotome district. The first church on Kugashima Island was the Hamawaki Church in 1881, which was relocated to the Gorin district and became the Old Gorin Church. The Old Gorin Church is the second oldest church in Japan after the Oura Cathedral. It has the appearance of a private house, and has a rib vault ceiling with a tiled wooden structure.This is a typical example of an early wooden church building in Japan.
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:7-9)
GOTO ISLANDS Ⅰ
EGAMI CHURCH
【WORLD HERTAGE SITE】Egami Church is located near the western end of Narushima Island in Nakagoto, and About 15 minutes by car from Naru Port. The Gospel of Christianity is preached to the Goto Islands at the end of the Warring States period, but it has been cut off due to a ban. After that, hidden Christians moved there in the end of Edo era. The current wooden church by Yosuke Tetsukawa was completed in 1918. The cream-colored outer wall and the blue window frame are surrounded by greenery and are very beautiful. It is one of the most organized wooden churches built in Nagasaki since the 19th century.
KASHIRAGASHIMA CHURCH
【WORLD HERTAGE SITE】Kashiragashima Church is a 20-minute drive from the Kami Goto Arikawa Port on the Goto Islands. It was completed in 1919 as a stone church by Yosuke Tetsukawa. It is a stone church, which is rare in Japan, and its design is excellent. The decoration of the camellia inside is beautiful, and it is also called the "Flower Cathedral". Hidden Christians that migrated there in the end of Edo era made the chuch by cutting out sandstone on a nearby island.
OLD NOKUBI CHURCH
【WORLD HERTAGE SITE】To reach the Old Nokubi Church, it takes an hour and a half by a high-speed boat on the waves from Sasebo Port to to Ojikajima Island. There is also a convenient night ferry from Hakata port. From Ojikajima Island to Nozaki Island, it takes about 30 minutes by the town-run ferry named Hamayu. In the late Edo era, hidden Christians migrated from the Sotome district to Nozakijima Island at the northern end of the Goto Islands. The Old Nokubi Church was built in 1908 by Yosuke Tetsukawa who was famous for church construction, on the hill of Nozaki Village on Nozakijima Island, and has retained the appearance of a hidden Christian settlement adapted to the harsh natural environment. Nozakijima Island is an uninhabited island at present, but it is managed by the NPO named Ojika Island Tourism, so you can go sightseeing in Nozakijima Island if you contact the NPO in advance. A brick church on a hill surrounded by green meadows and crystal-clear beaches are worth a look, even if you take the time to get there.