Hirado Sacred Sites and Villages (Kasuga Village and Mount Yasuman)

Kasuga Village represents a profoundly authentic landscape where the spiritual and the agricultural have been inextricably linked for centuries. Following the prohibition of Christianity in the 17th century, the inhabitants of this coastal region practiced their faith in secret, a tradition that evolved to incorporate the natural environment as objects of veneration. In 2010, the area was recognized as a National Important Cultural Landscape, and it later gained UNESCO World Heritage status as a critical component of the “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region”.

The village is architecturally and visually defined by its sweeping rice terraces, which descend in a dramatic tapestry from the foothills of Mount Yasuman to the edge of the sea. These paddies are supported by high, hand-built stone walls that demonstrate the remarkable engineering and quiet resilience of the original settlers. The persistence of these agricultural techniques offers a tangible link to the daily lives of the Hidden Christians who managed to sustain their community in this remote geography.