Traditional scenes of the Christian era Nagasaki City Sotome District

National Route 202 winds its way through steep terrain and tranquil landscapes where hidden Christians once maintained their faith in secret, enduring countless hardships, while others crossed the sea seeking new horizons. The sunsets these dauntless people witnessed still shine across the sea and illuminate the daily life of a Christian village.

Diverse and complicated
The religious faith of the hidden Christians

Sotome Museum of History and Folklore

Diverse and complicated
The religious faith of the hidden Christians

Sotome Museum of History and Folklore

The museum is located in the Sotome district, where settlements dot the beautiful coastline. The history and culture of Sotome are introduced through a wide range of materials collected since the days of the former Sotome Town. The exhibits include many valuable artifacts conveying aspects of the hidden Christian faith, especially items not commonly seen in Hirado or Ikitsuki, such as the higurichō Christian calendar used to continue religious activities in the absence of European missionaries. The museum also features connections to the Goto Islands, including displays on sweet potatoes, which the lord of the Omura domain is said to have cultivated throughout the Nishisonogi Peninsula in the early 18th century, as well as the processed food kankoro.

Exhibits

Sotome Museum of History and Folklore

2800 Nishidetsu-machi, Nagasaki City TEL. 0959-25-1188
Opening Hours: 9:00–17:00
Closed: December 29 – January 3
Admission: Adults ¥650, Students ¥330
Admission includes entry to the Father de Rotz Memorial Hall.

Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region

Shitsu Church

Component site:
Shitsu Church in Sotome

In 1879, the French priest Marc-Marie de Rotz was assigned to Sotome. Encountering people living in dire poverty amidst harsh natural conditions, relying solely on their Christian faith, he designed and built the Shitsu Church by hand and established a work center that supported women's independence. Visitors see evidence of Father de Rotz's love and lifelong devotion to the people of Sotome.

Ono Church

Component site:
Ono Village in Sotome

This is a small branch church built by Marc-Marie de Rotz in 1893, blending traditional local architecture with European features. Made of locally quarried stones set in a plaster of red clay mixed with lime, the so-called "de Rotz wall" is installed in front of the north entrance to serve as a windbreak.

Historical Figure

Human love that rescued the people of Sotome

Marc-Marie de Rotz

1840–1914

French priest Marc-Marie de Rotz arrived in Nagasaki in 1868 with Bernard Petitjean. During the Urakami Fourth Wave of Persecution, he continued his missionary work by printing a catechism known as the ōura Cathedral Edition using lithography. In 1879, he was assigned to the Sotome district. Shocked by the extreme poverty of the village, he resolved to help the people "in both soul and body" and devoted his personal wealth to their assistance. Never once returning to France, he lies in eternal rest in his cherished Sotome district.

Transmissions to the Present Day

A traditional preserved food of simple flavor
born from the cultivated earth

Easy to cultivate even in poor soil, sweet potatoes were grown from ancient times on the sunny slopes of the Nishisonogi Peninsula, including the Sotome district. Thinly sliced sweet potatoes are boiled and sun-dried to make kankoro. Simple yet intensely sweet, kankoro keeps well and is valued as a preserved food. In areas such as the Goto Islands and Nishisonogi Peninsula, kankoro mochi, that is kankoro mixed with steamed glutinous rice and sugar, remains a popular traditional food.
Photography courtesy of Shitsu Nōraku-sha.

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