Nagasaki
Trading Gateway During Seclusion
The city of Nagasaki is located in the western part of the island of Kyushu, Japan, only 800 kilometers away from the land of China. Nagasaki was the window of communication between Japan and the world, even during the Tokugawa Shogunate’s Lockdown period. On August 9th, 1945, an atomic bomb exploded over the Urakami area of Nagasaki, Japan surrendered a few days later, which led to an end of World War II.
City of Overseas Trading
Since 1571, when Portuguese ships arrived in the port of Nagasaki, Nagasaki has become a window on Japan and the world. During the Tokugawa Shogunate period, Nagasaki was the only international trade port in Japan, and formed many communities of foreigners, including Dejima (出島) and Shinchi Chinatown.
In the late 19th century, the center of Nagasaki’s overseas trading had shifted to the Minami Yamate area. The mansions built by the famous merchants from Europe, such as Glover, are still standing intact in the Glover Garden.
Catholicism in Nagasaki
Catholicism was introduced to Japan in the 16th century and became widespread quickly. In 1587 Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued a ban on the Church and executed 26 Catholics at Nishizaka (西坂) in Nagasaki. This state had lasted for hundreds of years until the 1860s when Catholicism returned to Nagasaki, the famous Oura Catholic Church (大浦天主堂) and Urakami Cathedral (浦上天主堂) in Nagasaki were built in this period. In 2018, Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region were inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Second City Struck by Atomic Bombs
On 9 August 1945, the third day after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki was struck by the second atomic bomb in human history. A few days later, Japan surrendered and the Second World War officially ended. To console the dead and pray for peace, Nagasaki built a Peace Park near the site where the atomic bombs exploded. The Fountain of Peace and the Peace Statue in the park are a constant reminder of the importance of peace and the horrors of war.
