Nagasaki – Intersecting Cultures Since the Middle Ages

©World Heritage Nagasaki Churchtrust

Source: ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan
(https://colbase.nich.go.jp/collection_items/kyuhaku/A136?locale=en)

©World Heritage Nagasaki Churchtrust

We can see why this port city has had ties to the West from long ago.

With lush green mountains, churches, and Western-style architecture lining the seashore . . .

Foreigners lived in their “Minamiyamate and Higashiyamate” settlements. If you go there, you’ll see the history of “Nagasaki” that began from the sea.

Nagasaki first received visitors who arrived on Portuguese ships in the 16th century. It has also accepted cultures from China and Europe.

From Castella, karasumi, bidoro, Chinese-style temples, dragon dance, and Western-style architecture to the stone pavement.

Its long history of interacting with other countries fills Nagasaki with an exotic feeling.

Among those who sailed the vast sea to come to Nagasaki were missionaries who preached Christianity.

Nagasaki welcomed their new God. Many churches were built, and devout prayers filled the city.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, however, fearing the power of prayer, issued the Bateren Edict, which resulted in many years of persecution and martyrdom throughout Japan.

This oppression was triggered by a public execution that took place on Nagasaki’s Nishizaka Hill.
A total of twenty-six foreign missionaries and Japanese believers were martyred.

The remaining believers went into hiding and continued to pray in secret for the next 250 years.

When Japan opened its ports to trade in the 19th century, Nagasaki grew into an international trading port.
The “Higashiyamate and Minamiyamate” settlements were completed for merchants and foreigners to live in.

“Oura Cathedral” was built on top of a hill that overlooks the sea from Minamiyamate. It was dedicated to those twenty-six martyrs and came to be known as the “Basilica of the Twenty-Six Holy Martyrs of Japan.”
That is why this cathedral was built facing Nishizaka Hill, the place of their martyrdom.

On the front side of the building, you can see the name of the cathedral (Tenshudo) in large Japanese print.
Because of this, even the Japanese can clearly see that this is a “House of God.”
This was done because its founders appreciated their weighty mission to “discover the descendants of the Christians in Nagasaki.”

Oura Cathedral, built in Nagasaki, kept waiting for a miracle.

©World Heritage Nagasaki Churchtrust

The “French Temple” Blended Western and Eastern Construction Methods

The design of Oura Cathedral was unique. It embodied a weighty mission, and its construction was greatly blessed by its members.

It was completed on December 29, 1864, and was dedicated the following year on February 19, 1865.

The front of the building was done in Baroque style with a circular rose window.There was a Gothic-style tower with a triangular roof. A golden cross shone brightly on a steeple. The building had a tiled roof in a traditional Japanese style. A technique called “Namako wall” was adapted for its walls and its square plasters were tiled.

This cathedral is a blend of Japanese and Western styles. European construction methods and Japanese traditional methods were combined, resulting in a unique architecture found nowhere else in the world. It was called the “French Temple.”

The dedication ceremony of Oura Cathedral was conducted by Father Girard, Father Furet, and Father Petitjean, French missionaries sent from the Paris Foreign Missions Society. Its construction was contracted to a carpenter, Koyama Hidenoshin of Amakusa (present-day Amakusa City in Kumamoto Prefecture).

Traditional Japanese construction techniques and materials such as bamboo and plaster were used. A Japanese sense of design was incorporated despite its limited budget. Its unique style and design gathered much attention.

When it was first constructed, it was only a small chapel. But in time its members increased. The building was also damaged by a large typhoon. As a result, a large-scale remodeling took place in 1879 in the areas surrounding the chapel.

The floor space was doubled and the building was transformed into the smart Gothic-style design we see today. During this remodeling the rose window that was in the front was moved to the right-side wall of the chapel, retaining its original beauty.

Oura Cathedral survived the war years.
The atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945 instantly burned the city to the ground.

The cathedral was in a suburb that was spared from the fire. However, the intense blast of the explosion severely damaged the roof, main entrance, and stained-glass windows.

Still, the light of prayer was never extinguished.

Oura Cathedral is a place that achieved its freedom to pray after 250 long years. Prayers were continuously offered there despite persecution and the atomic bomb.

This cathedral has been protected by many willing hands. It is the oldest surviving Catholic church in Japan, and its design represents the early periods when European-style architecture was introduced to Japan. It was designated as a national treasure in 1933.

The House of God that Attained the Freedom to Pray

Upon entering the cathedral, you are instantly enveloped in its solemn atmosphere.
A rib vaulted ceiling soars far above your head and intricate stained-glass windows bring soft red and blue light into the hall.

Once inside, you sense that this is a sacred place.

Sit on the well-polished long bench and clasp your hands together.

Looking upward you’ll see the skill of the Japanese carpenters who used bamboo curves to create the arch-style rib vaulted ceiling.

Six side altars were added when the building underwent a major renovation in 1879. These were built to accommodate the statues of St. Francis Xavier, St. Joseph, St. Bernard, and St. Mary which were brought from France. This cathedral came to be known as a house that attained the freedom to pray, inspiring many worshippers to visit it.

In the front, there is a richly decorated main altar. A beautiful stained-glass window depicting “Christ on the Cross” welcomes you.

It was donated by the Carmelite Monastery in France to celebrate the anniversary of the cathedral’s 1865 dedication.

It is said to be one of the oldest stained-glass windows in Japan. However, it was badly damaged by the atomic bomb. The present one was restored by Roger & Co. of Paris.

Stained-glass windows that decorate the interior are mixtures of collections as you can see from their varying color and transparency. Some were added during the 1879 renovation. Others were badly damaged by the 1945 atomic bomb and were restored after the war. Still others were damaged by the 1990 typhoon and were later repaired.

After taking in the beauty of stained-glass windows, we want to think about Father Petitjean who is laid to rest under the cathedral.

Walk through the aisle in the center and go up to the front of the main altar. You’ll see a pagodite board monument embedded in the wall on the right.

This is the tombstone of Father Petitjean, who dedicated his life to building Oura Cathedral and to discovering descendants of the Christians.

For twenty-two years after coming to Japan, Father Petitjean worked unceasingly to teach seminary students in various parts of Japan and to build churches. He suffered from a heart attack in Kagoshima and immediately returned to Nagasaki. But despite efforts to nurse him back to health, he passed away on October 7, 1884.

Father Petitjean was buried under the altar according to his wish, to quietly watch over Oura Cathedral.

©World Heritage Nagasaki Churchtrust

The Discovery of Christians

Why was Father Petitjean laid to rest in Oura Cathedral?
For no other reason than that he was there when the miracle of religious history called “The Discovery of Christians” occurred.

Sometime after noon on March 17, 1865, just one month after the dedication ceremony of February 19, 1865 had been conducted, a group of hidden Christians from Urakami Village secretly mingled among the many visitors. One of them approached Father Petitjean, who was praying inside the cathedral and made this confession.
“All of us here are of one heart with you. Nearly everyone living in Urakami is of one heart with us.”

He then asked, “Where is the statue of St. Mary?”

Finally, Father Petitjean had discovered the descendants of Christians.
Father Petitjean guided them to the statue of the Virgin Mary that had been brought from France. When the Christians from Urakami Village saw the statue, they joyously exclaimed, “It’s true! It really is St. Mary! Look, she has in her arms the infant Jesus.”

When Father Petitjean heard the words “the statue of St. Mary,” he was convinced that these people were descendants of Christians.

This moment proved that faith in Christianity had survived despite being under ban.

During the long period of 250 years when there were no foreign missionaries, Christians in Urakami Village had held on to three oral prophecies.

“After seven generations pass, a padre (priest) will come from Rome on a ship.” “That padre will be single.” “He will bring a statue of St. Mary.” These prophecies were fulfilled at the “Discovery of Christians.”

Father Petitjean witnessed this moving event. But from the perspective of the believers in Urakami Village, it was “a discovery of the Father and the statue of Mary.” This marked the beginning of the freedom to pray, which was something that these hidden Christians had long been waiting for.

In Oura Cathedral, two statues of Mary mark this historic event.

One is a statue of the Virgin Mary that witnessed this miraculous encounter. This “Statue of Mary of the Discovery of Christians” is still enshrined in the cathedral.

The other is the “Statue of the Japanese Virgin Mary” which welcomes visitors at the cathedral’s front entrance.

Poverty-stricken believers of Urakami Village contributed a large sum in gratitude for the mass. Father Petitjean used their contribution to obtain this statue from France.

Prayers had been made in hiding for over two centuries. These prayers were for family happiness.

They were made in secret because the believers lived under severe conditions. The believers were humble and hard-working.

The believers were humble and hard-working.

These two compassionate statues of Mary are aware of all these things.

Virtual Tour of Oura Cathedral

Intersecting Prayers Over the Years

One hundred fifty years have passed since the “Discovery of Christians.” Oura Cathedral is now a World Heritage site and welcomes many visitors.

Ocean liners visit Nagasaki’s port, lush forests sway in the sea breeze.

If you walk up Dutch Slope early in the morning, you’ll hear the sound of hymns.

If you continue walking along the stone pavement from Oura Cathedral, you’ll approach a narrow alleyway.

There in front of you stand the gates of Myogyoji Temple and Ourasuwa Shrine.

You’ve entered the “triangular zone of prayer,” where a shrine, a temple, and a church stand next to each other. You’ll feel the atmosphere of respect, respect for individual prayers, as well as the atmosphere of generous heartfelt acceptance.

This is the nature of Nagasaki which has long been embracing various cultures.

In the evening, you can hear the graceful sound of choirs.

Church bells, temple gongs, and steam whistles echo from the port.

You’ll have to pause a bit to remember which country you are in.

Nagasaki is also a city of slopes.

If you walk up the stone steps along the Prayer Slope in Minamiyamate, you’ll reach Ouratenbo Park with its beautiful view.

Glover Garden with its Western-style houses and church are on this hill, they are protected and maintained for visitors to see and experience how the foreign residents lived.

If you look toward Higashiyamate Hill, you’ll see Western-style buildings such as mission schools that have existed since the days of the foreign settlement, and the sites of consulates of various countries.

September—the time when the summer heat gradually begins to ease up a bit.

“Nagasaki Foreign Settlement Festival” is held on the property that includes Glover Garden and the entire area of the settlement.

The theme is “People, Community, and the World—Love the Settlement, Connect with People, Connect with the World.”

It’s an event that began with the local residents who love the settlement.
They organized an executive committee to turn their city into one that highlights its history and townscape.

There’s a commemoration ceremony for Thomas Glover, a merchant who devoted himself to developing and modernizing Nagasaki.There’s also a competition of running up Glover Slope. Restaurants and bars in the settlement offer food and drinks, allowing guests to eat and drink while strolling at night. This festival bustles with people every year.

The history of buildings. The way our predecessors lived. The beauty of the city.All these make up our heritage that connects the past to the present.
Love for the settlement. That is what can be felt at this event. The desire to understand its value and the desire to convey it to others.

“The settlement was a place where foreigners with dreams came to live. They came here to challenge themselves, to try new things. That’s why I want this to be a place where our young people can try new things.”
That was the desire of the chairman of the executive committee. He hopes young people will take an interest in this area and create their future, their own new stories.

There are Western-style houses where the foreign residents used to live. Young people are reutilizing them by turning them into cafés.

Some slopes overlook the harbor. Newcomers have settled there and have renovated old houses, infusing them with a new style of living.

There are former monasteries that have witnessed the long history of the settlement. People have given them new life by turning them into hotels.

And there are volunteer tour guides who guide us through the settlement’s past and present.

Buildings remaining on this land are being reborn. The history of our predecessors who once lived here and their ways of life continue with us unchanged.
But by the hands of those who love this land, new life is being instilled. The buildings are being reborn as a new hub of international exchange.

Time has passed, but what’s important remains unchanged.

The devout prayers of our neighbors, the wishes of those who once lived here. Unchanging scenery.These have all been inherited by, and can be seen reflected in, the people here today.

On the last Thursday of each month, lively voices can be heard from a meeting room in one of the buildings in the Nagasaki settlement.
It’s a meeting of the Nagasaki Settlement Town Development Council. Local residents, owners of historic buildings, managers of tourism facilities, educators, and government officials get together for discussions.

This diverse group of members involved in the Nagasaki settlement learn from each other and discuss ideas, sometimes passionately. At times they speak quietly. Their minds are always geared toward the future of their city.
This council and the government have worked together to draw up the Nagasaki Residence History Town Grand Design and action plans. These are essential to developing this town.

Our future history is being written into this town development plan that makes full use of our region’s history.

Developing the Historical Town

Throughout Japan, there are castles, shrines, and temples of great historical value. Historical districts with traditional wooden townhouses and samurai residences built by our predecessors can be found among these buildings. In these regions, festivals, traditional events, and former ways of life continue to form a unique atmosphere and charm in these historical towns.

We must protect, develop, and pass down this beautiful and historical culture to future generations.

From long ago, Nagasaki City has been interacting with many countries and developing its unique historical culture. After the end of the Edo period, it took on the role of modernizing Japan.

In 2020, Nagasaki City drew up the “Historical Town Development Plan” to protect these regional assets that we want future generations to inherit. This plan has been certified by the government and has received support from the relevant ministries and agencies. As a result, the government and residents of Nagasaki have been collaborating to develop their city.

The “Higashiyamate and Minamiyamate” areas possess the history and culture of the Nagasaki settlement. They emit foreign energy that combines different cultures and times. A new story of this settlement is being written now. It’s a story of coexistence. It’s a place where the values of these historical assets are utilized and where people will continue to thrive.

Historic Landscape of International Exchange in the Nagasaki Foreign Settlement

The Minamiyamate Preservation District of Historic Buildings in Nagasaki City
On the left bank of Oura River, Church facilities that include Oura Cathedral on the north side of a hill spread towards the south. The hill overlooks Nagasaki Bay, the Former Glover House, and other Western-style houses that dot the hillside all the way to the top. These buildings were constructed during the early days of the foreign settlement that spanned from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period.
Buildings that served as the customs office and banks were built facing the sea along the waterfront of Nagasaki Port. The layout of the district provides clear hints as to how land was divided in the days of the foreign settlement. Even today, these Western-style houses of the early to mid-Meiji period are in relatively good condition. They remain standing in a peaceful residential area and create a townscape with an exotic feel.
In April 1991, the Higashiyamate and Minamiyamate districts were selected as National Important Preservation Districts of Historic Buildings.

1.Former Glover House
Thomas Blake Glover came to Nagasaki from Shanghai in September 1859. He was a British merchant engaged in trade. He established Glover & Co., and built this Western-style wooden house for his guests.
The signature of its carpenter confirms that it was built in 1863, making it the oldest Western-style wooden building in Japan.
Koyama Hide of Amakusa, who was also contracted to build Oura Cathedral, is thought to have been its master carpenter.
Glover Garden is located in the Minamiyamate Preservation District of Historic Buildings. The Former Ringer House and the Former Alt House (also designated as National Important Cultural Properties) are also in this district. They were both houses for merchants from the same period, and both have been relocated to their present-day locations and restored.
2.Ourasuwa Shrine
This shrine, along with Oura Cathedral and Myogyoji Temple, makes up the “triangular zone of prayer.”
Ourasuwa Shrine is said to have been founded during the Tensho era (1573-1592). It is also said to have been erected in 1693 by Omura Suminaga, the feudal lord of Omura.
The major festival “Oura Kunchi,” held at Ourasuwa Shrine, is an important traditional event that has continued since the Meiji period.
3.Myogyoji Temple
This temple, along with Oura Cathedral and Ourasuwa Shrine, makes up the “triangular zone of prayer.”
When the foreign settlement was first established, a part of the temple grounds was used as a tentative office for the British Consulate until the British Consulate building was completed. George Morrison was the first consul to work there.
This temple has been located on the hill of Yamate since before the foreign settlement was established.
4.Oura International Cemetery
At the end of the Edo period, in 1861, at the request of the consulates, this international cemetery was established near the Oura foreign settlement (current-day Kawakamimachi). The oldest legible tombstone dates from 1861. Many of those buried here were sailors. The cemetery was expanded and also used for foreigners of the settlement until it became too cramped in the late 1880s. The site gives a sense of the activities of those who lived in the settlement at that time, as well as the settlement’s streetscape.
5.The Former Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Nagasaki Branch Museum
Completed in 1904, this is the only existing building designed by Shimoda Kikutaro, an architectural genius of the Meiji and early Showa periods. It is designated as a National Important Cultural Property.
One of the largest Western-style buildings in Nagasaki City, its three-story brick and stone design emphasizes its front facing the sea. It contains various features, such as a continuous arched arcade on the first floor, Corinthian-style columns that support the second-floor and third-floor ceilings, and a triangular gable roof.
The Nagasaki Branch of Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank was the only foreign bank west of Kobe at the time. It was a special exchange bank whose main business was trading foreign currencies from London, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, mainly for foreign residents, particularly traders.
6.The Former Nagasaki Customs Sagarimatsu Branch
When Japan was in national isolation, Nagasaki Port was its only gateway to the world. After Japan reopened, Nagasaki Port played an important role as a trade port with a customs office established there.
This new building for customs was completed in 1898. It is a single-story brick-building government office that faces the sea. Both sides of its front were designed neatly with triangular gables. The building and brick walls that surround the property have been preserved in their entirety, they well convey what the customs buildings of the Meiji period were like. Not only does this building provide important historical information, but it also adds to the scenery of the Kaigan Dori seafront road.

The Higashiyamate Preservation District of Historic Buildings in Nagasaki City
In the early days, Portuguese and American consulates and chapels were built here. The area was often called “Consulate Hill.”
Since then, more and more mission schools have been located where those original buildings once stood.
The Western-style buildings in the preservation district have hip-and-gable roofs. Many of their outer walls were painted in Shitami-itabari style. Their balconies provide a sense of openness. Their main rooms face the sea.
Buildings used as consulates, schools, and residences remain today, with their sloping cobblestone streets, stone walls, stone ditches, and stone signposts made for the foreign settlement.
In April 1991, the Higashiyamate and Minamiyamate districts were selected as National Important Preservation Districts of Historic Buildings.

7.Western-Style Houses at Higashiyamate
This group of seven Western-style houses was built in the latter half of 1887.
The houses share many aspects. For example, their exterior and interior designs are quite basic, imitating European-style buildings. They were made with similar materials. The two houses on the upper level have floor plans and facades that are particularly similar.
From these features, we can assume these houses were built as company or rental housing.
Since no other group of houses of similar purpose still exists in Japan, this Higashiyamate neighborhood is visually unique and significant.
8.Western-style House at No.12, Higashiyamate
Located in the Important Preservation District of Historic Buildings in Higashiyamate, this building is presumed to have been built in 1868. It is representative of early Western-style architecture, and is the oldest surviving structure in the Higashiyamate District.
The main house has a wide veranda that extends to three areas in the front. There is also an attached annex at its rear, and a separate annex building. Its mid-corridor floor plan is characteristic of consulate architecture of the time. It is also the oldest example of Shitami-itabari-style exterior walls in Japan.
Today, this building is open to the public as a museum. It conveys the history of the mission schools that operated in Nagasaki’s foreign settlement, such as Kwassui Gakuin. It bustles with activities such as school festivals for Kwassui Women’s University.
9.Western-style House at No.13, Higashiyamate
A Western-style house built in the Higashiyamate foreign settlement in the mid-Meiji period, its first resident was A. B. Anderson, the first agent of the Nagasaki Branch of Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank.
The building is relatively large, with standard-size rooms, and is characterized by its simplistic spatial structure. It is historically important as a Western-style rental house built for important tenants of the mid-Meiji period.
Today, this building is used as a rest area for visitors, with a café on the first floor and exhibits on the second floor where visitors can imagine what life was like for the original residents.
10.Dutch Slop
11.The Former British Consulate in Nagasaki
When the multinational Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed in 1858, Nagasaki opened its port to free trade and diplomatic affairs also began.
Located in the Higashiyamate Historic Buildings Preservation District, this building was designed to be a Consulate of the United Kingdom by William Cowan, a British engineer from Shanghai. It was constructed by Goto Kametaro of Ouramachi, Nagasaki City. It was completed in 1908.
As a Western-style building from the latter half of the Meiji period, it is not only historically and scenically significant due to its form and design, but is also of great value as a source of insights into the history of modern Japanese diplomacy. The consulate was closed in 1941, acquired by Nagasaki City after the war, and, as a science museum and art museum, has come to be appreciated by many local visitors.
12.Ikegami House
This is a two-story Western-style wooden house that was built around 1887.
Apparently built as a house for British merchants, then used as company housing for foreign employees of Holme Ringer & Co., it was later acquired by a Japanese employee of the same company.
The Shitami-itabari exterior walls were made in a Western-style architecture. The floor plan includes an entrance with a hallway and a staircase in the center. Rooms for residents are arranged symmetrically on the left and right. On the second floor, there is a veranda, which is characteristic of the houses of Nagasaki’s foreign settlement.
It is the only remaining house from the foreign settlement period in the flatland area of Oura District.
13.The United Church of Christ in Japan, Nagasaki Church
The completion of this two-story wooden church was reported in a newspaper article dated October 22, 1925. We can see from the photograph of the front of the church that its appearance hasn’t changed.
The front of the building was finished in “Dutch wall” style that became common in the Taisho period.
The simple, modern design with minimal exterior and interior ornamentation is said to be characteristic of Reformed (Protestant) churches. It was designated as a Structure of Landscape Importance in 2015.