0
Welcome to the Museums of Nagasaki
Let’s open a treasure chest
And depart on a journey
Across the gulf of time
The history of Nagasaki is shaped by layer upon layer of diverse cultures. Although complex and intricate, these layers form an accumulation of treasures ready to pass on to the unseen world of the future. The term ONE ANSWER means “connecting countless treasures to arrive at a single answer.” Visitors are invited to use this as a watchword and enjoy the museums and art galleries of Hirado, Nagasaki, Shimabara Peninsula, Sotome, and the Goto Islands, where they will discover the key themes of “international exchange” and “religious faith” in the treasure chest of Nagasaki history.
※Some of the featured collection items are not on permanent display. Please contact each institution for current exhibition information.
Overseas trade has been conducted via maritime routes since ancient times.
Ports began to open inlets across Japan,
bringing a new vitality to the country.
Even during the period of national isolation (1641-1859),
Nagasaki continued to flourish as an international trading hub.
Among the items carried from overseas was religion.
Japan’s Christian era began with the missionary work of Francisco Xavier.
The people baptized had no way to know that a wave of religious persecution was yet to come.
From Hirado, Nagasaki,
and the Shimabara Peninsula
to the open sea
and the Goto Islands,
let us embark on a journey
to unravel the history of international
exchange and religious faith,
connecting countless treasures
and arriving at a single answer.
Museum Guide
Missionary work in Nagasaki
began with the arrival of
Portuguese ships.
Blooming as a foreign trade port,
Nagasaki passed through periods
of prosperity and persecution
before welcoming a new era of religious freedom.
The Shimabara-Amakusa Uprising
rocked 17th-century Japan.
Reminders of the peasants' struggles
can still be seen at Hara Castle.
The people living in a harsh,
forbidding terrain cherished their faith
and eventually set off on
a journey across the sea.
Sparkling isles of prayer.
People migrating across the sea
kept the light of
religious faith burning.
World Cultural Heritage
What are the “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region?”
The 12 component sites span two prefectures, six cities, and two towns, telling the remarkable story of a group of people who secretly passed on their faith under the national ban on Christianity.
Official Website
*This timeline lists major events.
About ONE ANSWER
Let’s open a treasure chest
And depart on a journey
Across the gulf of time
The history of Nagasaki is shaped by layer upon layer of diverse cultures. Although complex and intricate, these layers form an accumulation of treasures ready to pass on to the unseen world of the future. The term ONE ANSWER means “connecting countless treasures to arrive at a single answer.” Visitors are invited to use this as a watchword and enjoy the museums and art galleries of Hirado, Nagasaki, Shimabara Peninsula, Sotome, and the Goto Islands, where they will discover the key themes of “international exchange” and “religious faith” in the treasure chest of Nagasaki history.
※Some of the featured collection items are not on permanent display. Please contact each institution for current exhibition information.
World Cultural Heritage
What are the “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region?”
The 12 component sites span two prefectures, six cities, and two towns, telling the remarkable story of a group of people who secretly passed on their faith under the national ban on Christianity.
Official Website
