Nakaenoshima (中江ノ島) is an uninhabited island 2km off the coast of

Hirado is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The part historically named Hirado is located on Hirado Island. With recent mergers, the city's boundaries have expanded, and Hirado now occupies parts of the main island of Kyushu. The component ...

, Japan. It is located in the

East China Sea The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...

. During Japan's ban on Christianity many Japanese Christians were

martyred A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

on the island and it is now closed to all tourists. it was inscribed as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 2018 as part of the

Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region ( ja, 長崎と天草地方の潜伏キリシタン関連遺産) is a group of twelve sites in Nagasaki Prefecture and Kumamoto Prefecture relating to the history of Christianity in Japan. The Nagasaki ...

Geography

Nakaenoshima is a small island with a coastline of 900 meters. It is mostly forested, and its highest point is 34.6 meters above sea level. It is designated as part of

Saikai National Park is a marine national park located in Nagasaki prefecture of northwest Kyūshū, Japan. It consists of the coastal regions of Matsuura Peninsula, extending northward from the port city of Sasebo and encompasses the Kujūku Islands, with over ...

. The island has minimal development, and its natural environment has remained unchanged since the

Meiji Era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...

. The sea around Nakaenoshima has also not underwent major development and has been conserved in good condition.

History

During Japan's ban on Christianity many Japanese Christians were

on the island. The island was

venerated Veneration ( la, veneratio; el, τιμάω ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Etymo ...

by many Japanese Christians and holy water from the Island was used in many

baptisms Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation and Adoption ...

in the surrounding areas. In 2018 the island was inscribed as a

, part of the

Access

Tourists are prohibited from visiting the island due to its geography. Only Hidden Christians from Ikitsuki are allowed to visit and permission is granted to these Christians during

Omizutori ''Omizutori'' (), or the annual, sacred water-drawing festival, is a Japanese Buddhist festival that takes place in the Nigatsu-dō of Tōdai-ji, Nara, Japan. The festival is the final rite in observance of the two-week-long Shuni-e ceremony ...

when holy water is drawn from the island's rocks. Although the island is closed off to non-religious tourists, the city of

has begun sponsoring waste clean-up missions to the island, in hopes of conserving its preserved state. Since the island's inscription as a

, viewing cruises have been planned to Educate visitors on the island's history.

References

{{reflist Uninhabited islands of Japan Islands of Nagasaki Prefecture Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region