Maruo Church

Maruo Catholic Church holds a place of profound cultural honor, as it stands on the very land where the legendary master builder Yosuke Tetsukawa was born. Before the establishment of a formal church, the local community of approximately 20 households gathered in a modest meeting hall known as an Iemido, which functioned as a clandestine chapel. The transition from a private residence to a public landmark began under the leadership of Father Osaki Yae of Aosagaura Church, who oversaw the construction of the original white church on the Maruo hillside.

The current structure underwent a significant renovation in 1972, further defining its graceful silhouette against the coastal landscape. In 1975, the community achieved a major milestone by becoming an independent parish, stepping out from the jurisdiction of Aosagaura. The church’s simple, clean white exterior serves as a living monument to the man who designed many of the region’s most iconic brick and stone cathedrals, returning the legacy of Christian architecture to his own ancestral soil.