Although Kashiragashima was known as the “Christian Paradise,” it was not to last. One day, rosaries were discovered around the island, revealing the locals’ true faith to the government. “Are you all Christians?” asked the investigators. For so long they had hidden their faith; they could have stayed silent here, too. But this time was different. Those investigated affirmed they were Christian.
Why did they do it? The answer is in an episode that occurred here some years ago.
When the Shogunate opened Nagasaki’s port to the outside, foreigners built a settlement there. A church, Oura Cathedral, was built for them. There, a “discovery of the faithful” occurred, known in Japanese as the “shinto-hakken.” A Hidden Christian woman approached Father Petitjean and confessed, “Our hearts are the same as yours.” After 250 years of hiding, a Christian openly proclaimed her faith. Word of this moment crossed the sea and reached Gotō.
Then, unable to contain himself, a man called Matsujiro Domingo Mori acted. He’d traveled in secret to Nagasaki to visit Oura Cathedral. There, he begged Father Petitjean to dispatch priests to Gotō. His wish was realized before long–a priest came to Gotō, and there he held the first Mass service since the outlawing of Christianity. In that moment, every secret prayer made in their long exile found shape in the light of day.
Afterwards, Matsujiro relocated to Kashiragashima and converted his home into a house of learning and prayer. Young people from all over Gotō gathered, then took what they learned back to their own villages. Kashiragashima became a pillar of support for the Christian faith. That bliss, however, would not last for long.
The shinto-hakken galvanized the people. In every region, Christians began emerging from hiding and proclaimed their faith. However, that courage brought new persecution. A suppression movement called the “Collapse of Gotō” began. It was then that the rosaries we mentioned earlier were discovered. Many Christians were seized and brutally tortured. However, with the help of the faithful, Matsujiro alone managed to get away. Having lost even their leader, the faith was all but shattered in the hearts of the believers.
Meanwhile, Matsujiro’s home was used to imprison the captured Christians. A hallowed place of learning was forced to abandon its faith. People were chased out of Kashiragashima, and in time, the island returned to its deserted state. Yet the story doesn’t end here.
Word of the persecution of Christians in Japan eventually reached the outside world. The outcry of people calling for freedom of religion grew both inside and outside the borders, until 1873, when the government repealed the ban on Christianity. Finally, people could openly pray in peace. As people returned to Kashiragashima, they first built a small wooden chapel on the ruins of Matsujiro’s home. They resolved to construct a proper church later on. You are now looking at that very church: Kashiragashima Cathedral.
While the church is magnificent, the village itself is far from bustling. Unable to afford high-quality brick, the locals opted instead for local sandstone. They quarried it from the coasts of Kashiragashima as well as the surrounding islands, carried and stacked the stones one by one with their own hands. Each stone weighed 300 kilograms, and it would take an entire day to transport just one.
They saved their money for construction, pausing the work when the money ran out. They repeated this process until it was done. Those who worked on the building were unable to farm or fish–everyone shared their food as the work continued.
It’s said that, of the approximately 40 Christian families living here at first, about half left because the work proved too much to bear. It’s also said to this day that the village sold their mountain to raise funds. All in all, it took ten years to finish this church. Why did they go to such lengths?
If you step inside, look up at the ceiling. In contrast to the austere stone facade, the ceiling is teeming with flowers. The people called this space the “Flower Cathedral," grown by those who ultimately survived persecution. Take a minute to contemplate the hopes and desires that went into this space.
Due to the history it conveys, the Kashiragashima Cathedral has been recognized as a World Heritage Site.
