Mar 25, 2014 - 1 min read

Kamigoto 1: Ebukuro Church

The oldest wooden church in Japan

By Takako Sakamoto

Community writer

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The statue of Jesus on the Ebukuro Church grounds

The alter viewed from the entrance of Ebukuro Church

The sign explaining the history of Ebukuro Church

Alter close-up

The sign says Ebukuro Church is a designated cultural property of Nagasaki prefecture

Stained-glass windows of Ekukuro Church

Another alter on the left, inside the church

In Japan, Catholicism was banned by the Japanese government from the early Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period (1614 - 1873). Japanese Christians who tried to escape oppression went underground and practiced their forbidden religion secretly. They were called 'Kakure (hidden) Christians' and some of them escaped to the Goto Islands, which is the reason there are many churches here. Ebukuro Church was built in 1882, and it's the oldest wooden church in Japan. Although it was burnt down by fire in 2007, it was restored in 2010 using the undamaged remains of the original church. Please see photos for details.