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Saikai NPKujukushima, Nagasaki
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About 2 km off Kasuga lies Nakaenoshima, a separate, uninhabited sacred island. Hidden Christians revered it as a place of martyrdom and collected holy water from seepage in its rocks.
A Jesuit letter from 1561 describes a procession-like route leading to a cross in Kasuga. Records show the village had a Misericordia confraternity by 1562—a Christian association devoted to helping the sick and poor.
A 1656 land register and an 1866 map show Kasuga’s rice fields, roads and settlement pattern remarkably close to today’s. These terraces are not a reconstructed heritage scene: rice is still grown here.
When Japan lifted its ban on Christianity in 1873, Kasuga’s Hidden Christians did not return to the Catholic Church; they continued their inherited form of faith instead. That is why the village has no church building.
Kasuga’s hegi-mochi turns rice into a long-lasting snack: mochi is rolled thin, cut into strips and dried for about a week. It keeps for a year, then is toasted over charcoal until crisp.
Kasuga’s nando-gami were Christian devotional objects—such as images, wooden tablets and holy water—kept boxed in a storage room and brought out for worship only a few times a year.
Mt. Yasumandake was revered as a sacred mountain before Christianity reached the area. Hidden Christians also worshipped there, blending devotion to the mountain with their Christian faith; local believers called it “Oyama-sama.”
Archaeologists found traces of a Christian cemetery on Maruo-yama, a small hill in Kasuga. Crosses once marked graves there; today, a small stone shrine stands on the hill, preserving its place in the village’s sacred landscape.
After planting, Kasuga marked Sanabori with kakara dumplings offered at Kasuga Shrine. Made from glutinous rice and wheat dough with sweet red-bean filling, they are wrapped in young kakara leaves and steamed.
At Katarina, Kasuga’s heritage center, residents share village stories over tea and homemade pickles. The center opened in 2018, giving visitors a chance to hear about the community from people who live there.
