Kashiragashima Church

Kashiragashima is a small island off the east side of Nakadori, now joined to it by a bridge. It was once used to isolate people with contagious illnesses, which is why nobody lived there, and why Hidden Christian families from Tainoura on Nakadori (whose forebears had come from Sotome) moved over in 1859: an empty island was a safe place to keep a secret. Their descendants began a stone church in 1910 to a design by Tetsukawa Yosuke. Money ran out twice. The congregation fished for squid at night to fund it and spent their days quarrying sandstone from the shore and nearby Rokuro Island, and it was finished in 1919. The outside is plain and heavy. Inside, pale blue walls and a ceiling of carved flowers, probably camellias, earned it the name "hall of flowers." It is an Important Cultural Property and part of the Kashiragashima village UNESCO component. Getting there is the hard part: the local bus ended in March 2026, so plan on a car, taxi or tour, and give notice before you visit.