Hirado Christian Sites

What to know

Christianity arrived in Japan in the mid-1500s and gained many followers in what is now Nagasaki Prefecture, the main entry point for Westerners. When the religion was banned during the Edo Period and Christians were forced to renounce their faith, some believers—known as the "Hidden Christians"—continued to practice in secret for over two centuries. Some did so in the remote villages of Hirado Island.

In the late 1800s, the ban on Christianity was lifted. Many Hidden Christians rejoined the Catholic Church and built new churches with the help of foreign priests. However, a few chose not to rejoin because their religious practices had evolved significantly over the centuries and were no longer compatible with Catholicism.

Below are some of the Christian-related sites of interest in Hirado:

The St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church sits on a hill overlooking Hirado Port. It is about a 15–20 minute uphill walk from the Hirado Bus Terminal.

The church can be reached in about a 30-minute walk from Nishi-Tabira Station on the Matsuura Railway (80 minutes, 1,460 yen one way from Sasebo, hourly departures). Alternatively, a taxi from central Hirado takes about 15 minutes and costs around 2,500 yen one way.

Hourly buses run between the Hirado Bus Terminal and the Ikitsukiohashi-koen mae (生月大橋公園前) bus stop, from which the museum is a 5-minute walk. The one-way bus ride takes 30 minutes and costs 740 yen.