Japan 26 Martyrs Museum

After the A-bomb museum, I headed to the 26 Martyrs Museum for a double dose of tragedy in just one afternoon.

I had a one-on-one informative tour of the museum by the manager.

 

One of my original introductions to Kyushu and its historical links with overseas cultures is the book ‘Silence’ (Chinmoku) a novel based on historical fact by Shūsaku Endō about the persecution of the Christian missionaries in the 16th century. It was made into a movie by Martin Scorsese in 2016. There are things made for the movie on show in the museum. Wasn’t expecting to find a little bit of Hollywood in a small museum in Nagasaki! To see first hand the original letter by one of the 26 martyrs written in 1621 and sent to Rome to inform of the persecution is incredible. It’s also written on washi paper which clearly ages well. There are books and paraphernalia on display. A porcelain figurine with its glaze melted and one foot broken off, a result of the atomic bomb blast, acts as a double metaphor for tragedy. Man’s inhumanity to man twice! If caught with one of these figurines at the time of the banishment of Christianity, you would be arrested and killed if you didn’t repent.

 

With all the museums and history Nagasaki offers this city offers a very educational (and sometimes shocking) experience for the foreign visitor.

It is an important part of the history of modern Japan. This is clearly evident by the number of school children visiting the museums.

The monument to the 26 martyrs who lost their lives in Nagasaki.
Original movie memorabilia from the Martin Scorsese movie 'Silence' (2016) about the persecution of the Christians in Japan in the 1600th century.
Our Lady of the Snows painting that survived the persecution. An example of Western-Japanese Nanban art using Japanese materials and paints.