Sasebo & Nagasaki Pilgrimage/佐世保＆長崎巡礼

佐世保港に行ってきました。港が駅の目の前、日本一長い商店街も近く、クルーが喜ぶこと間違いない

I visited Sasebo Harbour. The harbour is right in front of the station, and Japan’s longest shopping street is nearby too, so the crew are bound to be delighted.

翌日は長崎へ。巡礼ツアーの下見で、江戸時代の禁教下で迫害を避けるために、表向きは仏教徒を装いながら密かにキリスト教信仰を守り続けた人々のことを思いながら山の上の教会を巡りました。

I walked from church to church on the hill, thinking of those who, under the Edo‑period ban on Christianity, outwardly lived as Buddhists while secretly preserving their Christian faith.　It’s a place I would highly recommend to any Christian.

潜伏キリシタン指導者「バスチャン（Bastian）」の住居跡

バスチャンは精神的支柱として祈りや儀礼を導いた人物。現在は建物こそ残っていませんが、潜伏キリシタンの信仰形態を象徴する重要な史跡として世界遺産の構成資産に含まれています

The former residence of Bastian, a leader of the Hidden Christians. During the Edo period, the people of the Kasuga settlement secretly maintained their faith despite the ban on Christianity, and Bastian guided them as a spiritual leader, preserving their prayers and rituals. Although the building no longer remains, the site is recognized as an important symbol of the Hidden Christians’ religious practices and is included as part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing.