目的Purpose

　16世紀の半ばにフランシスコ・ザビエルによって日本に伝えられたキリスト教は中世の多くの日本人の心をつかみ、一時は織田信長、豊臣秀吉にも受け入れられキリシタン大名が数多く登場しました。その後、禁教令によって日本のキリシタンに暗黒の時代が訪れます。そのような時代に数百年にわたって秘かにキリスト教の信仰を守りつづけてきた人々がいます。「かくれキリシタン」といわれる人々です。かくれキリシタン（以下 現在の呼称「潜伏キリシタン」）の存在は、キリスト教史の一部と考えられてきました。しかし、その存在に言及せずして日本の歴史を語ることは出来ません。潜伏キリシタンの信仰生活は日本人の精神の在りように触れるものだからです。それは、たとえば、遠藤周作の『沈黙』や長与善郎の『青銅の基督』といった文学作品にも見て取れます。日本のキリスト教は、「繁栄→弾圧→潜伏→復活」という波瀾の歴史を歩んできました。禁教期におけるキリスト教信者は、これまで「隠れキリシタン」と紹介されてきました。しかし、その信仰の形は様々です。また、明治時代に入って禁教が解かれた後の信者たちの信仰の形も、集落によって独自のものがあります。その呼び方も最近の研究により「潜伏」「かくれ」「はなれ」と使い分けされるようになりつつあります。

　2018年には、長崎・天草地方の潜伏キリシタンが育んだ、宗教文化の伝統を物語る12の構成資産による世界遺産登録を目指しています。一方で、いわゆる「かくれキリシタン」の信仰活動は、伝承者の減少もあって失われつつあります。時と共に退化・風化してしまう日本の潜伏キリシタンの有形、無形の遺物や文化財を調査収集し、その姿を記録して後世に伝え、他に類を見ない一冊とします。併せてシンポジウムや展覧会を催し、日本の歴史を改めて検証するものです。

Christianity was conveyed to Japan in the middle of the 16th century by Francis Xavier, and the religion charmed the hearts of many Japanese people. For a while, prominent lords such as Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi approved of Christianity, and several Christian daimyos (feudal lords) appeared around the country, but in time the persecution of Christianity commenced, and this heralded the dark ages for Christians in Japan. Nevertheless though there did exist people who secretly adhered to their faith for several hundred years, and the existence of such people who were termed “Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians),” and who are currently known as “Senpuku Kirishitan (Underground Christians),” is now conceded as constituting a part of Christian history. Indeed, no discussion is possible on the history of Japan that fails to mention their presence, since the pious and conscientious lives they led stirred the very core of Japanese spirituality. This is a fact verified in literary works such as the novel Silence by Shusaku Endo, or the screenplay Seido no Kirisuto (Christ in Bronze) by Yoshiro Nagayo. Christianity in Japan endured a gruesome past, a history that varied from prosperity to oppression, concealment, and revival. Those who managed to sustain their faith during the period of the ban were termed “Kakure Kirishitan.” They upheld their faith in a diversity of ways, and subsequent to the lifting of the ban in the Meiji Period, their lives took on a variety of unique forms in diverse communities. As an outcome of recent research distinct labels are now being used to refer to them, including “senpuku (underground),” “kakure (hidden),” and “hanare (isolated).”

AIn 2018, a total of 12 assets that provide us an account of the religious culture and tradition fostered by the Hidden Christians or so-called Kakure Kirishitan in Nagasaki and the Amakusa region, were nominated for listing as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Yet in the meantime, the culture of their religious activities is being lost, owing to fewer numbers of successors remaining in order to maintain their tradition. This project aims at studying, collecting, and documenting the tangible and intangible relics and cultural assets of the Hidden Christians in Japan, lest they decline and be consigned to oblivion with the passage of time. This is done in order that they may be passed on to future generations. At the same time however symposiums and exhibitions will be organized, in order to shed new light on the history of the country.