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Saikai NPKujukushima, Nagasaki
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On Dec. 24, 1873, French missionary Pierre-Théodore Fraineau celebrated Goto’s first Christmas Mass on Dozaki’s shore after the ban was lifted. Worshippers gathered here by small boat.
A relic of St. John Goto—born on Goto and one of Japan’s 26 martyrs—is enshrined here. He was executed at age 19 in 1597; after a long journey overseas, the relic came to Dozaki in 1977.
Dozaki’s story includes child care as well as worship: in 1880, Father Marmand and local Catholic women began a “child room” in a rented home for children in need. It later moved beside the church and grew into Okuura Jikeiin.
The church museum displays an “Ocho” solar calendar dated 1634, handed down through local chōkata, the leaders who helped preserve hidden-Christian traditions. Its survival links the collection to generations of secret worship.
For decades, parishioners came to Dozaki by boat, so the church faces the sea. Before a newer church became the area’s center, a conch shell—not a bell—announced Mass here.
At low tide, 2 rounded rocks appear on the shore beside Dozaki; locals call them “apple stones.” Iron gathered into the rock over time, while waves and wind wore away the softer material around it.
Dozaki’s red-brick walls use “American bond”: 5 courses laid lengthwise alternate with 1 course laid end-on. Inside, the 3-aisle church has delicate plastered rib-vault ceilings.
Master carpenter Nohara Yoki led the church’s construction, with Tetsukawa Yosuke working under him as an apprentice. Tetsukawa later became a leading builder of churches in the region.
In the late 18th century, about 3,000 people—mostly Christians—moved from Sotome to Goto under a group-resettlement policy. The first group landed at Muka beach in Okuura, the community later served by Dozaki.
