Omizu Church

Omizu Catholic Church is dramatically situated on the steep northern slopes of Mt. Bangake, tucked away from the main island roads. This elevated position provides a spectacular, unobstructed view of the East China Sea, but its isolation served a more serious purpose in the past. During the Meiji-era persecutions, Omizu was a small, unorganized settlement without formal missionaries or leadership. Paradoxically, this lack of visibility acted as a shield. Because the community was so low-profile, it largely escaped the brutal “Goto Kuzure” disasters that devastated other island parishes.

However, this same isolation meant that the village’s formal “reunion” with the Catholic Church was delayed compared to other regions. It was only through the dedicated missionary work of Akabane Sukesaku and Akabane Kita that the villagers were eventually baptized and formally brought back into the fold. The current church stands as a monument to that quiet, patient endurance, offering a peaceful atmosphere where the sound of the wind from the sea meets the greenery of the mountain.