Sotome (Shitsu Village & Shusaku Endo Literary Museum)
外海・出津集落
The Shitsu Village, a World Heritage site linked to hidden Christians, and the setting of the novel Silence. The white church on the sea cliffs and the sunset here are moving.
Sotome lies along the Sumo-no-hama coast, about 30 km northwest of Nagasaki City. During the ban on Christianity, many hidden Christians lived here. Shitsu Village was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2018 as part of the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki and Amakusa Region. The white Shitsu Church, built in 1882 by the French priest Father Dros, is low and sturdy to withstand the sea winds. Nearby are the Father Dros Memorial Museum and the former Shitsu relief institution. Shūsaku Endō set his novel Silence in this area. The Shūsaku Endō Literary Museum by the sea (about 360 yen) offers views of the setting sun. From Nagasaki Station, the bus takes about 1 hour, and service is limited, so driving is more convenient.
Opening hours
Church approx. 09:00–16:00 (closed irregularly, e.g., Mon); literature museum 09:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Mount Inasa Night View
- Nagasaki Peace Park
- Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
- Urakami Cathedral
- Sanno Shrine One-Legged Torii
- Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum
- Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum & Mizubenomori Park
- Dejima