・This is a Christian gravestone located on the precincts of a public cemetery of Ryugenzan Saihoji Temple in Yamadera Town (designated as a historical site by Nagasaki Prefecture).
・On the front side of the gravestone made of a natural stone, there is a carved Calvario crucifix design (a crucifix with a stand), with the inscription “Madareina” next to it.
・The “Madareina” inscribed on the gravestone is a woman’s Christian name.
・It is supposed that this gravestone was built before 1614, when a new era of cruel crackdown on Christians and martyrdom for faith began.
・Many Christian gravestones still existing in the Shimabara Peninsula are semicylindrical-shaped or box-shaped ones placed horizontally on the ground. However, this “Madareina” gravestone, made of a natural andesite rock with a length of 73 cm, a width of 63 cm, and a depth of over 30 cm, is very rare in that it is vertically placed on the ground.