Sotome

What to know

Sotome (外海) is a rural coastal area on the peninsula north of central Nagasaki. During the Edo Period, when Christianity was banned, Sotome became a refuge for "Hidden Christians" who moved there from other parts of Nagasaki to practice their faith in secret. After the ban was lifted in the late 1800s, many locals returned to the Catholic Church.

French missionary Father Marc Marie de Rotz was instrumental in reviving Christianity in the region. He built Shitsu Church on a hill overlooking the sea, constructed in 1882 using local materials. The church still serves the local Christian community and welcomes visitors to admire its peaceful interior.

When Father de Rotz arrived, Sotome was impoverished. He established social programs to help local women gain independence, including the Shitsu Aid Center—a vocational school where young women learned to make macaroni, somen, and textiles, as well as reading, writing, math, agriculture, architecture, fishing, flour milling, and bread making.

The brick and white plaster buildings, originally built in 1883, have been restored and now house a museum about the women who studied there and the skills they learned. The center also continues to function as a community hub, hosting workshops and hands-on activities.

Next to the aid center is the de Rotz Memorial Museum, located in a former fishing net factory. It displays the father's personal belongings, medical instruments, documents, religious items, and farming tools from the aid center. The ticket also grants entry to the nearby Sotome Museum of History and Folklore, which covers local history and culture.

Father de Rotz also built Ono Church, a satellite of Shitsu Church, in a neighboring district to better serve the community. Ono Church features a distinctive, simple architectural style of piled stones common in the Edo Period. The understated rural sanctuary sits on a hill off the main road. Visitors can view the exterior, but it is not open to the public without prior reservation.