Heritage church standing in the ruins on Nozaki Island, Nagasaki

Church standing in the ruins on Nozaki Island, Nagasaki

Nokubi church was designed and built by a well-known Japanese architect named Yosuke Tetsugawa in 1908. The building was his first brick church. Architectural styles of churches back then were in the transitional era, shifting from wooden structure to brick. The original shape of the church is still preserved. It is considered one of the best church buildings in Japan.

Windows of Nokubi Church that stands in the ruins on Nozaki Island, Nagasaki

Ever since the island was uninhabeted, the church was abandoned and damaged. In 1985, the Ojika-cho government decided to preserve the church as a cultural property and passed large budgets for the project. The building was completely fixed and has been well preserved. In March 1989, the church building was registered as a cultural property by Nagasaki prefecture. Then, in 2007, the building was added to the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Site as a part of “Churches and Christian Sites in Nagasaki”.

Stained glasses in the Nokubi Church on Nozaki Island, Nagasaki

Stained glasses in the Nokubi Church on Nozaki Island, Nagasaki

Stained glasses in the Nokubi Church on Nozaki Island, Nagasaki

Stained glasses in the Nokubi Church on Nozaki Island, Nagasaki

The parabolic ceiling in the Nokubi Church on Nozaki Island, Nagasaki

Preaching pedestal in the Nokubi Church on Nozaki Island, Nagasaki

There is a history of 17 suppressed Christian families and their hardship during the anti-Christian policy behind the establishment of the original Nokubi church. In remembrance of the suppressed Christian families, the church still stands and watches over the lost Nozaki settlement from the top of the hill.

The church that stands in the ruins on Nozaki Island, Nagasaki

Name of area : The Nokubi settlement in Nozaki Island

Access and reservation:
http://nozakijima.jp/english/access.html
http://nozakijima.jp/english/before_visit.html

Contact : Ojika Island Tourism Office
Located at Ojika harbor terminal building
Email communications only. Please write either in Japanese/romaji or English
yoyaku＠ojikajima.jp

Related web :
https://www.japansociety.org/resources/legacy/event/uploaded/documents/Churches-and-Christian-Sites-in-Nagasaki.pdf

Photograph by meguru hayata