Depopulation in Japan Attributed to Decrease in Hidden Christians; Estimated to be Less than 100 Hidden Christians in Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, December 27, 2024

A group of “hidden Christians” on Ikitsuki Island in Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture, where believers have practiced their faith for 466 years since 1558, was dissolved earlier this year.

Hidden Christians originate from those who secretly continued to practice their Christianity-based faith when the religion was banned from the 17th-19th centuries. When the ban was lifted in the Meiji era (1868-1912), they did not turn to Catholicism but continued to practice their religion. In addition to Nagasaki Prefecture, hidden Christians mostly lived in such prefectures as Kumamoto, Fukuoka and Osaka in the late Edo period (1603-1867). In 1945-54, the number of hidden Christians is estimated to have been less than 30,000.

Ikitsuki Island is believed to be one of the first places in Japan where many people converted to Christianity at the same time.

However, due to such factors as depopulation, the number of people to carry on the faith has decreased, making it impossible for the group to carry on as an organized religion. The sacred objects that have been preserved for generations have been donated to a museum on the island, where a special exhibition is now being held.

The exhibition, “Kirishitan no Sobo” (aspects of hidden Christians), is being held at the Shima no Yakata, a museum on Ikitsuki Island. About 80 items donated by the disbanded group in the Sakaime community and its believers are displayed.

“It is a cast object with the image of the Virgin Mary on it,” said museum director Shigeo Nakazono about a metal plaquette, a sacred object. “It was made in Spain and might have been brought here about 450 years ago.”

According to the museum, Francis Xavier, a Spanish missionary, introduced Christianity to Hirado in 1550, and local people in Sakaime and other areas converted en masse in 1558.

A church was reportedly built in Sakaime in 1561. However, it is believed that the church was destroyed when Christianity was banned.

In Sakaime, there is an area where the bodies of slain believers were burned and a sacred site where other martyrs are buried, telling the story of oppression.

The hidden Christians made it appear as if they were embracing Buddhism and Shintoism but maintained their faith by singing “Uta Orasho,” a prayer song that originated from Latin chants.

According to documents, nearly 90% of the island’s 11,000 residents were considered to be hidden Christians in 1953, and there were nearly 25 faith organizations. Of these, three groups in Sakaime combined to form one group in 1983 due to depopulation. However, the group disbanded in March this year.

Five hundred items, including plaquettes, sacred paintings and rosaries that have been handed down for generations, were donated to the museum.

The number of hidden Christians is expected to decrease. Another group dissolved in July, leaving only two groups remaining on the island. One plans to dissolve in January next year.

The decrease is partly due to certain aspects of the religion, such as not having a full-time religious leader and not conducting missionary activities. Currently, it is estimated that there are less than 100 hidden Christians.

The exhibition, which is scheduled to run through Jan. 5, also displays photos of religious ceremonies.

“I hope that people will learn about the religion that has been handed down by looking at the items and photographs on display,” Nakazono said.