- Kuroshima is an island located southeast of Hirado, off the coast of Sasebo. Many people came and settled here in the 18th century.
- When the ban on Christianity was lifted in Japan, all of Kuroshima’s Hidden Christians chose to formally rejoin the Catholic Church. In 1880, Kuroshima’s first ever church was built in the same spot as the present church currently stands.
- In 1897, Father Marmand was appointed pastor at Kuroshima. He took responsibility for designing the present church and managing the whole construction process, as well as for providing practical instruction to his flock, who were devotedly assisting him. By their strenuous efforts, the present church was built.
- At the front of the church there is a multilayered roof with a bell tower. Its outer walls are made of brick. The interior has three isles, with an arcade, triforium, and clerestory nave. Porcelain tiles from Japan’s Arita region have been laid on the floor around the altar. The floor is a normal wooden floor, although until recently they laid tatami mats on the floor during the winter.
- Kuroshima church is one example of a church built on a remote island in a village where Hidden Christians lived prior to their return to the Catholic Church in the nineteenth century. It is also a representative example of a large-scale brick church built under the guidance of a French missionary priest.
Website of the Churches and Christian Historical and Cultural Heritage of Nagasaki
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Kuroshima Church
Articles related to this asset
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Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
A church of 400,000 bricks
It is said that 400,000 bricks were used to construct Kuroshima church. Some of these were made on Kuroshima itself by the Christians who were living there.
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Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
A unique pulpit
Father Marmand decorated Kuroshima church’s pulpit with ornamentations which he himself carved by hand. There are only a small number of pulpits in Japan.
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Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
A “Crossroad” for the Hidden Christians
Those Hidden Christians who migrated to Kuroshima during the Edo period came in search of new land.
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Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
A meeting of East and West
Kuroshima church is built in a beautiful Romanesque style. Many of the items within the church are of French origin, having been sent away for by Father Marmand.
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Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
First Mass
When the first mass was celebrated on Kuroshima, Christianity was still officially banned within Japan. The priest who went there to say Mass crossed the ocean in disguise so as to avoid detection.
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Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
A romance which blossomed in the shade of Kuroshima Church
Kuroshima Church took two years to complete. Among the carpenters who took part in the church’s construction was a young shipwright from the Goto islands…
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Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
A church containing porcelain tiles from Arita
Local materials were used in Kuroshima church’s construction
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Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
Island of prayer
On Kuroshima, there is a special adjective meaning “pious” or “devout”. All of the islands Christians possess a picture of the Virgin Mary, a crucifix, a rosary and such like.
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Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
Financial obstacles during the church’s construction
Father Marmand gave his all to construct Kuroshima church. However, spiralling financial costs meant that construction had to be halted for a while.
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Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
A hand-painted wooden ceiling
One striking feature of Kuroshima church is its magnificent rib vault ceiling. Interestingly, its wood grain was painted on by hand.
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Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
黒島の島めしとふくれまんじゅう
大きくて堅い豆腐や素朴なまんじゅうは、
カトリック集落に伝わる昔ながらの味 -
Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
黒島天主堂の鐘の音
シスターが鳴らす黒島天主堂の鐘
透き通ったその音色の秘密とは・・・ -
Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
祈りの島の墓地をたずねる
黒島は天国のほうが人口密度が高い!？
十字架が密集するカトリック共同墓地 -
Nothern Nagasaki Prefecture
潜伏キリシタンの生活を助けたサザンカ
樹齢250年以上といわれる巨大サザンカは
西彼半島からの移住者が持ち込んだもの
