rrived in Nagasaki, e i, and Mermet-Cachon in Hakodate 1859.Cachon was fluent in Japanese and was such an energetic man that by the end of the year he arrived he had built a small ch (Commentary) ①The missionary work began in 1549 by the Jesuit Francis Xavier. Missionary work was either permitted or rejected depending on the feudal lord.
However, in 1613, Christianity was clearly banned, persecutionbegan through out the country, and many were martyred.
From this point on, ostensibly Christians no longer existed .
All the churches in the country were destroyed.
(They were called Nanbantemples at the time.)
In the mid-19th century, the Vatican saw signs of Japanopeningup to the world, and asked the Paris Foreign MissionsSociety (Missions Etrangeres de Paris; M.E.P.) to sendmissionaries toJapan.
After the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between JapanandFrance was concluded in 1858, M.E.P. sent threemissionariesto Japan.
One arrived in Nagasaki,one in Yokohama,and
MermetCachon in Hakodate 1859.
Cachon was fluent in Japanese and was a sociable man, sohequickly became friends with the officials. And by the end oftheyear 1859 he arrived , he had built a small church on thetemplegrounds.
The existence of which is confirmed in officialgovernmentdocuments and photographs were discovered by Dr RiichiMiyake 2023.
Cachon's church built in the courtyard of the Shomyo Temple
Initially, foreigners were asked to live within the safety ofthetemple grounds, as it was very dangerous in downtown.
In the areas to which the other two missionaries were sent,church construction was as follows:
Yokohama 1862,
Nagasaki 1865
②Almost all of the statues and altars in this church weremadeabout 100 years ago by the Ferdinand Stuflesser workshopinTyrol, Italy. This workshop has a long history ofproducingexcellent works, and they were exported all over theworld.
Many of which are treated as cultural assets in the countriestowhich they are exported.
A painter who was taking closeup photos of the statuestocreate a website for the church was so impressed bythebeauty of the sculpture that he asked Dr. Miyake toinvestigatethe identity of the sculptor.
Maria's eyelids are red and swollen from tears.
In His agony, Jesus said, "Take this cup from me."
But now it's all over.
However, the statues are in the dark and far away, sotheycannot be seen clearly.
If you want to see a larger, clearer image, click next.
The altar statuesStations of the Cross
These magnificent statues are gifts from Pope Benedict XV.
It is extremely rare for the Pope to give a gift to aspecificchurch.
Dr. Miyake Riichi visited the workshop and discovered allthecentury-old documents from ordering to delivery to payment,and even discovered that the altar statues of thepreviouschurch were made in this workshop.
③When Zembei was baptized in 1868, the ban onChristianitywas still in effect.
Therefore, to be baptized meant being prepared for death.Actually by 1870, many Nagasaki believers had been arrested,exiled, brutally tortured, and killed.
Zembei was baptized in secret to avoid being caught bytheauthorities.The one who baptized him was Father Muniku.
This church keeps a baptismal register of all the peoplewhohave been baptized here, and Zembei's name is listed firstinthe baptismal register.(After each of the numerous fires,themissionaries' first priority was to protect thebaptismalregisters.)
Baptismal register remaining at Motomachi Church
Zembei came into contact with many people in theHakodatearea who wanted to be baptized, and expanded thecircle of hisdoctrinal studies. He acted as godfather for thesecondbaptismal candidate,Takachi.
④Repeated fires forced the Believers to rebuild the church.Hakodate is a city of strong winds. Since the Meiji period,therehave been 26 fires that destroyed more than 100houses.
Rebuilding the church was a huge burden for the smallnumberof believers.
I will show you the appearance and construction date ofthechurch from the first generation to the present.
18591’st church in ShomyoTemple. (The temple was
located not far from the present church)
↓
1867The second church was built on the same site as
the current church.
↓
1877A large wooden church
↓
1910It was a sturdy Gothic cathedral made of brick.
↓
It was destroyed in the Hakodate fire in 1921.
However, the brick walls and stained glass windows
survived the fire.
↓
The current church was built using the surviving foundations,walls and stained glass.
The Bishop loved the previous church and wanted to keep itassimilar as possible. However, because a new bell towerwasinstalled, The main entrance was moved to the base ofthetower.
Built in 1923 (partly 1910)
This is what Motomachi Church looks like today.
We are grateful to Bishop Berlioz for his efforts
in rebuilding the 4th and 5th church.
⑤ThemysteriousStations of the Cross.
The Stations of the Cross in this church feature manyrealisticcarved figures in a small space.
The above is from other modern churches in Japan.
Thus, in most churches in Japan, the Stations of the Crossaremade up of a few symbolic figures.
In comparison, the one at Motomachi Church is very crowded !
Why did they carve so many statues in such a small space?
The theme here is "Jesus falls for the first time under the
cross" Therefore, there should be no need for anythingotherthan a statue of Jesus lying down.???????
The reason why they go to great lengths to carve somanystatues is because they have something they want toexpressstrongly.
Here's a hint:
They were made in Itally 100 years ago.
At that time, church icons and stained glass were also usedtoeducate illiterate people.
"
What's most important here is how the Roman soldiers behave.
"
Got it?
Let's take a look at some other Stations of the Cross statues.They are all worth a closer look. They might be helpful.
Now this is your homework.
If you like art, check out these sites!
ReReligious paintings,
Watercolor landscapes,
Watercolor flowersligious paintings,Watercolorlandscapes,
Great job ! See you at Motomachi Church !
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