Saint Joseph’s Church

The memorial stone is now in the buildings of the catholic religious congregation Otsuge no Maria.

Saint Joseph’s Church was one of the four secret churches in the Motohara area. The church was in the home of TAKAGI Senemon who was a leader of the Hidden Christians. At midnight on 14th July 1867, the governmental authorities rushed into the secret church and Senemon and his second son Keisaburo were arrested. This event was the trigger for a new wave of persecutions which is now known as the fourth ‘falling’ of Urakami. All Hidden Christians in the Urakami area were arrested and forcibly relocated to other places in western Japan.

The leader, Senemon, never renounced his faith during his severe time in prison. Later he was called ‘the Saint of Urakami’ because of his strong and pure Christian faith.