Amakusa Christian Museum
| A premier historical repository in Amakusa City, housing over 200 artifacts including the legendary Amakusa Shiro Battle Flag and poignant relics of Japan’s Hidden Christians. |
| The Amakusa Christian Museum serves as a profound window into the turbulent and resilient history of faith in the Amakusa region. Located on a hilltop that once served as the site of Hondo Castle, the museum provides a chronological journey through the introduction of Western culture, the heights of Christian prosperity, the tragedy of the Shimabara-Amakusa Rebellion, and the centuries of secret devotion that followed. The museum’s collection of approximately 200 items is anchored by the Amakusa Shiro Battle Flag, a National Important Cultural Property. This 17th-century banner, used by the teenage leader Amakusa Shiro during the final siege at Hara Castle, is one of the “world’s three major holy flags”. It depicts a chalice and the Holy Eucharist, and still bears the arrow marks and bloodstains of the conflict. Beyond the rebellion, the museum showcases the quiet ingenuity of the Hidden Christians (Kakure Kirishitan), featuring artifacts like the Maria Kannon (Buddhist statues used for secret Christian prayer) and the original fumi-e (trampling plates) used by authorities to test believers. |
