“The church is the origin point of our reason for living, and a crucial place for living humanely.” This statement comes from Ikuta Mitsunori, a 66-year old man whose grandparents were involved in the construction of Oso Church. He was reminiscing on how they managed to cut into a building site half-covered in solid rock, no easy task considering that they did not have machinery in those days. On Sundays, he also said, many Christians would gather at the school and listen as hard as they could to the preaching of a severe priest. At that time, people knelt in seiza position on a wooden-board floor, but at the time of the church’s 75th anniversary chairs like you see today were installed. Here, too, Christians are aging rapidly. Mr. Ikuta says, with much feeling, “In 2014 this church will greet its centenary. The church is a place of prayer, and where one goes to open one’s heart and turn to God. In the morning we clasp our hands together and say ‘Grant me your aid today,’ and in the evening we thank Him for the day we have just spent. It is our mission to pass on this place, held together by prayers, to the next generation.”