The Tomb of the Christian

On my drive home on the highway I frequently passed by a sign pointing to “The Tomb of the Christian”. I was curious what it could be. It uses the more archaic spelling in Japanese of “Kirishitan” (キリシタン) derived from Portuguese “Cristão”. This is the word used to refer to early Japanese adherents of Christianity who converted following the arrival of European traders in the 16th and 17th century. Today it is more commonly spelled “Kirisuchan” or “Kiristo-kyouto” (follower of Christ), so I thought this could be a historical site, perhaps where Christian martyrs were buried after the Shogunate government cracked down on the religion in the 1600s. I decided with the extra time I had today I would drive there and check it out for myself.

Little did I know the treacherous drive I would face to get there. The road was entirely unpaved and very narrow. Even with my tiny car it would have been impossible to pass anyone going the other way. There were some sheer drops and no guard rails. It was wet and muddy with rain and I was worried about getting stuck. There were sections where the road was completely torn up by rain runoff which creating numerous meandering streams that carved away the road. It was a bumpy and slow ride. My car and I made it through alright though. I credit the valuable off-road experience I gained on the Gambler 500 earlier this year!

It turned out it was indeed a tomb where the early Christian followers of Sado were buried following a quelled uprising by Christians in the Southeast of Japan. Following this uprising, the Japanese government took a hardline stance and banned the practice of the religion. It remained this way until the Meiji restoration nearly 200 years later. The tomb was very peaceful. The sprinkling sound of rain created a forlorn atmosphere. I was the only person there. The grounds were well maintained though. Even though the drive was a bit frightening, it was rewarding to get to the top where I learned little bit more about Sado history.