Egami Village

Atlas / Goto Islands

Short answer

A wooden church painted white and blue in a quiet valley on Naru Island.

RegionGoto Islands

PeriodHidden Christians

TypeHidden Christian village

UNESCOYes, World Heritage

Getting thereBoat to Naru, then car

Suggested time1 h + travel

Visiting

Reach Naru by boat from Fukue, then by car or taxi.
Advance notice is requested for visits to several Goto components; see the official information center.

On these routes

The Goto Islands: churches at the edge of the sea

The story

Egami was settled by Hidden Christians from Sotome. The present church, designed by the master builder Tetsukawa Yosuke, is raised off the ground against damp, and its pillars are hand-painted with wood grain. The village is a UNESCO component.

Sources & further reading

whc.unesco.org/en/list/1495
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egami_Church
kirishitan.jp
Downes, 'Kakure Kirishitan' (on Christal Whelan's film Otaiya)
The Triumph of Perseverance: Kakure Kirishitan

Visiting

On these routes

The story

Also in Goto Islands

Hisaka Island villages

Kashiragashima Village

Nozaki Island village ruins

Dozaki Church