Egami Church | A Small World Heritage Church Nestled in the Forests of Naru Island

Near the center of the Goto Islands lies Naru Island. From Naru Port, the road follows the coast before turning into a green valley, where white timber walls and pale-blue window frames begin to appear between the trees.

This is Egami Church.

It is not a vast, imposing church or a sightseeing attraction filled with lavish ornament. Instead, it is small, serene, and almost delicate—as though it had been gently set down in the forest.

Behind its modest appearance, however, lies the story of people who endured a long period of religious prohibition and continued to hope for the day when they could pray openly.

Reaching Egami Church means crossing the sea to Naru Island and traveling deep into a quiet valley. The journey takes a little effort, but that sense of distance makes the first glimpse of its white-and-blue exterior all the more memorable.

A Small Church Between Forest and Sea

Egami Church stands in Egami Village on the western side of Naru Island.

The Naru Strait stretches out in front of the village, while large tabunoki, or Japanese bay trees, surround the church. The Egami River flows nearby, carrying spring water from the hillside behind the building.

The church occupies a narrow strip of land in a valley close to the sea. Its white weatherboard walls, pale-blue window frames and shutters, and rows of semicircular-arched windows blend gently into the surrounding greenery.

At first glance, the scene seems almost like an illustration from a storybook.

Yet this peaceful landscape is more than a beautiful setting.

Hidden Christians migrated to this remote valley, cultivated its limited flat land, built homes on the slopes, and maintained their religious community away from the island’s established villages.

The sea, river, forest, settlement, and church are all part of the story preserved here.

A Church Built from the Silver Catch of Kibinago

The ancestors of Egami’s Catholic community were Hidden Christians who migrated to Naru Island from the Sotome area during the period when Christianity was prohibited in Japan.

In 1881, four families in Egami were baptized and began their new life as a Catholic community.

There was no church in the village at the time. Believers gathered for Mass in private homes or traveled by boat to churches in other settlements.

A simple church was built on the present site in 1906, but the community longed for a more permanent and dignified place of worship.

Construction of the present Egami Church began in 1917. The believers commissioned Yosuke Tetsukawa, a master builder responsible for many of Nagasaki’s historic churches, to design and construct it.

Egami was a small community of only around 40 to 50 households, and its residents were far from wealthy.

Even so, they pooled the money earned through kibinago fishing and other work. They cleared tabunoki trees and prepared the site with their own hands.

In March 1918, their long-awaited church was completed.

Egami Church was not funded by a powerful patron or a wealthy institution.

It was built by islanders who went to sea, worked for their living, saved what they could, and joined together to create a place where their community could pray.

When you look at its white timber walls, it is easy to imagine the hopes of those families resting in every board.

Architecture Shaped by Naru Island’s Climate

The charming appearance of Egami Church was not created for beauty alone.

The building stands close to the sea, a river, and a natural spring, making the surrounding environment particularly humid. To protect the church from moisture, its floor was raised high above the ground.

Rather than relying solely on a Western-style brick foundation, the builders used traditional Japanese timber floor supports, creating space beneath the building for air to circulate.

Cross-shaped ventilation openings were also incorporated beneath the eaves. They appear decorative, but they serve the practical purpose of releasing trapped moisture.

The large tabunoki trees surrounding the church help soften the winds blowing in from the sea.

Egami Church is therefore not simply a Western church transplanted onto a Japanese island. It combines Catholic architectural ideas with local carpentry techniques and practical responses to Naru Island’s climate and landscape.

Although it is a relatively small, single-story wooden church, its roof is divided into different levels over the central nave and side aisles. Even from outside, the building hints at the three-part interior space within.

Egami Church was designated a Nationally Important Cultural Property in 2008. It is regarded as one of the finest surviving wooden churches in Japan and an important representative work by Yosuke Tetsukawa.

Inside, a Warm Sanctuary Made of Wood

Step through the door, and the interior feels more formal and spacious than the modest exterior suggests.

A central nave is flanked by two side aisles, while a graceful rib-vaulted ceiling extends overhead. Its curved form is sometimes nicknamed the “bat-wing ceiling” because it resembles the wings of a bat in flight.

Wooden ribs lead the eye toward the altar, giving the small sanctuary rhythm, depth, and a quiet sense of dignity.

The columns are decorated with flowing faux wood-grain patterns, traditionally said to have been drawn by hand using a comb.

Delicate floral designs, including cherry blossoms, appear on the window glass. The altar incorporates motifs such as wheat, grapes, and roses.

These details were not created with extravagant imported materials. They were shaped through the skill and ingenuity of island craftspeople and believers who wanted their church to be beautiful.

That modest craftsmanship gives Egami Church its particular warmth.

It is not simply a historic building. It is a place where the devotion, imagination, and care of the community remain visible in every detail.

Photography and video recording are prohibited inside the church.

Set your camera aside and take time to follow the curves of the ceiling, study the hand-painted columns, and notice the flowers on the windows with your own eyes. You may not leave with a photograph of the interior, but its stillness is likely to remain in your memory.

Why the World Heritage Site Includes More Than the Church

Egami Church lies within the UNESCO World Heritage property “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region,” inscribed in 2018.

The church building alone, however, is not the full component.

Its official name is “Egami Village on Naru Island (Egami Church and its Surroundings).”

During the period when Christianity was prohibited, Hidden Christians migrated to this secluded coastal valley. They cultivated the small amount of flat land available, built houses along the slopes, and adapted their lives and religious community to the local terrain.

After the ban on Christianity was lifted in 1873, the believers of Egami rejoined the Catholic Church.

Their previously hidden faith gradually became visible. A simple church was built in 1906, followed by the present Egami Church in 1918.

The building therefore represents more than the establishment of a Catholic place of worship. It visibly marks the end of the community’s long period of hiding.

The sea, narrow valley, rice fields, waterways, houses, forest, and church all contribute to the site’s World Heritage value.

When visiting, do not look only at the church itself.

Notice the spring water flowing from behind the building, the damp ground beneath your feet, the trees that shelter the village from the wind, and the small amount of land available for settlement.

The surrounding landscape tells the story of how people lived, adapted, and preserved their faith.

A Church Worth Crossing the Sea to See

Egami Church has no monumental tower or lavish sculptural decoration.

What it offers instead is a white timber exterior, pale-blue windows, a warm wooden ceiling, hand-painted details, and the memory of people who protected their faith while living alongside the sea.

There were the fishermen who turned their earnings into a church.

There were the craftspeople who adapted the building to the island’s humidity and winds.

And there were generations of believers who continued to care for it as a place of prayer.

The appeal of Egami Church lies not in grandeur, but in the presence of those largely unnamed people whose devotion can still be felt throughout the building.

Cross the sea to Naru Island, travel into its green valley, and wait for the moment when the church appears between the trees.

Because it takes some effort to reach, the encounter feels all the more special.

Before You Visit

Egami Church remains an active Catholic church where Mass and other religious services are held. It is not simply a tourist facility, but a sacred place of worship for the local community.

Advance notice is required for both individual and group visits to the interior.

Online requests are generally accepted from six months until two days before the planned visit. For later requests, contact the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region Information Centre directly.

Visitor reception hours are from 9:00 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The church is closed to visitors on Mondays. When Monday is a national holiday, it is generally closed the following day instead.

On the third Sunday of every month, religious services are held and visitors may not enter either the church or its grounds. Additional closures may occur for Mass, funerals, weddings, maintenance, or other church activities.

Always check the latest official information before traveling.

Visitor parking is available at the site of the former Egami Elementary School next to the church. Cars and bicycles may not enter the church grounds.

Photography and video recording are prohibited inside the church. Do not enter restricted areas near the altar or touch objects within the sanctuary.

Ferries to Naru Island may be delayed or canceled because of weather and sea conditions. It is best to plan your ferry, rental car or taxi, and church visit together.

Before or after visiting Egami Church, consider stopping at the Naru Island World Heritage Guidance Center.

Its displays introduce the history of Egami Village and the Hidden Christians, as well as the architecture of the church. A full-size reproduction of part of the church’s column and decorative structure helps visitors recognize details that may otherwise be easy to overlook.

Once you understand the story, even the raised floor, waterways, white walls, and surrounding trees become part of the experience.