Christianity has its longest and deepest roots in the Kyushu district. Francis Xavier and the Jesuits arrived in Kagoshima in 1549. Christianity spread to Okinawa, Tane Island, and Kagoshima, and then to other areas of Kyushu and Japan until it was made illegal and severely oppressed. Many died as martyrs and many others abandoned their faith. Some sought to keep their faith as secret Kirishitan, and Christianity vanished from the public eye.
When Catholic missionaries resumed their work in the Meiji era, they were amazed to find secret Kirishitan who had survived the persecution. Because of the long years of isolation their faith had |
become very corrupted, to the extent that it often was difficult for the Kirishitan and the missionaries to clearly identify each other as having the same faith. Protestant missionaries also came to Kyushu at the beginning of Meiji with work centering around Nagasaki, Kumamoto, and Sage. the work of the Southern Baptists dates back to the Meiji era, but their postwar outreach was especially blessed, leading to the founding of many Baptist Renmei churches. Other smaller mission groups have been able to start churches in smaller towns around Kumamoto, Oita, and Miyazaki. thankfully these churches are continuing on in spite of decreasing population. |