Atomic bomb, Christian and industrial city of Japan - Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining 1484; Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region 1495; Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese, notably for the celebration of New Year 00869; Raiho-shin, ritual visits of deities in masks and costumes 01271
What and Why
Nagasaki (Japanese: 長崎) is a city of diorama of diverse unexpected: It is clearly known to be the second (and fortunately last) inhabited city to experience a real nuclear bombing. It is the main industrial site of Japan during Meiji Restoration (明治維新, Meijiishin), responsible mainly for the mining and shipbuilding industries. Without knowing, this was the main Japanese city to interface with the west, mainly with Portugal, during the colonisation period and that was when Christianity was proliferated into the city. All three had contributed significantly to the history and culture of the city and hence established itself as a culturally rich city with two UNESCO WHS.
Toponymy
Nagasaki means a long rugged cape, describing the city's own terrain.
See
Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum (長崎原爆資料館)
Three days after the Hiroshima bombing, Nagasaki was dropped with a plutonium bomb, code named 'Fat Man' at 11:02 am. The bomb was carried by the same aircraft bomber Enola Gay, as in the earlier blogged Hiroshima (広島). Nagasaki was chosen as the target because it was the main naval shipbuilding site for the imperial force. 35,000 people were killed instantly but the damage was much less compared to Hiroshima in spite of the fact that the Fat Man is a much more powerful bomb. It was because prior to the bombing, the American force had bombed the city with conventional bombs and hence much of populations have been evacuated. Moreover the city itself is more uneven and hence the casualty is not as massive as that of Hiroshima.
Compared to the Hiroshima version, this museum is definitely less impressive, but certainly still worth to pay tribute.
Site of the Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan (日本二十六聖人殉教地)
The Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan (日本二十六聖人, Nihon nijūroku seijin) were a group of Catholics who were executed by crucifixion on 5th February 1597 CE at Nagasaki. Their martyrdom is especially significant in the Christian history of Japan.
Christianity, or strictly speaking, Catholicism proliferate promisingly in the early Portuguese missionaries during the 16th century CE in Japan, with perhaps as many as 300,000 Catholics by the end of the century. However as in usual political struggles, the spread faced complications from competition between the missionary groups, political difficulty between Spain and Portugal, and factions within the Japanese government. The government was particularly concerned as they saw Catholicism as a threat or a mean of colonisation, and started persecuting Catholics. Christianity was then suppressed and outlawed, and it was during this time that the 26 martyrs were executed. While there were many more martyrs, the first 26 missionary and convert martyrs came to be especially revered, the most celebrated of whom was Paulo Miki (パウロ 三木).
I was later told how these Christians were persecuted and chased after during the period. A tablet called fumie (踏み絵), literally meaning 'a picture to step on', to locate Christians. Fumie is a small tablet with a picture of either Jesus (Hebrew: ישוע, Yehoshua) or Mary (Hebrew: מרים, Maryam) on it. The tablet was then brought from house to house and people were asked to trample on the icon, in order to prove that they were not Christians. Once located they would either be tortured or killed. Fumie was first used in Nagasaki in 1629 CE. Since then, Catholicism had been driven underground until Christian missionaries returned to Japan 250 years later, when they found a community of hidden Catholics that had survived underground, and hence the present UNESCO WHS.
Ōura Church (大浦天主堂)
The oldest church in Japan, Ōura Church (大浦天主堂, Ōura tenshudō) is also known as the Church of the 26 Japanese Martyrs, it is situated along the path to the Glover Garden. The construction was initiated by French missionaries to pay tribute to the 26 martyrs in mid-19th century CE.
Glover Garden (グラバー園)
Following the slope along Oura Cathedral, one will be led to the famed Glover Garden (グラバー園, Gurabā-en). The park is built for Thomas Glover, a Scottish merchant who contributed to the modernisation of Japan in shipbuilding and coal mining. In it stands the Glover Residence, the oldest Western style house surviving in Japan.
The park and in particular the residence followed a Georgian style of architecture, against contemporaries in Hong Kong and China. The stone-floored verandas, latticed arches, and French windows are several of the distinctive foreign elements in the residence and in the park, and reminds people a bit of various French quarters in the world. The main residence bungalow is now a gallery cum museum. The park is easily the number one tourist attraction in Nagasaki. This is attributed to the Meiji Industrial Revolution as Glover was one of the leaders in the industrialisation of Japan during the era.
Glover Bungalow.
Kōshi-byō (孔子廟)
First built in 1893 CE by Chinese residents of Nagasaki with the support of the Qing (Chinese: 清) government, Kōshi-byō (孔子廟) was designed to serve as a place of worship and learning for the Chinese community, and housed a Confucian sanctuary and primary school.
Hashima (端島)
Hashima (端島) used to be totally abandoned, until it was made super-famous by the recent James Bond movie Skyfall. The ruin suddenly becomes a tourist site, which looks pretty much like a spooky ghost town. While it resembles a bit like Alcatraz in San Francisco, this island oozes serious creepiness. However the now abandoned island also recites almost the entire history of coal-mining of Japan.
Hashima is around 15 km or a 30-minute ferry ride from the port of Nagasaki. By the way Hashima means the tip-island. You must book the ferry ticket at least a few days before as it is now very popular.
Coal was first discovered on the island around early 19th century CE, and the island was continuously inhabited from 1887 to 1974 CE as a seabed coal mining facility. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 CE and began extracting coal from undersea mines, while seawalls and land reclamation, which tripled the size of the island.
In 1916 CE the company built Japan's first large seven-storey reinforced concrete building to accommodate the increasing number of workers. Over the next 50 years, the island became a fully developed city with apartment blocks, a school, kindergarten, hospital, town hall, a clubhouse, cinema, communal bath, swimming pool, rooftop gardens, shops, and even a pachinko parlour.
In the late 1950s CE, the island's population reached its peak of 5,259. However that was also the beginning of the end, as petroleum started to replace coal in Japan in the 1960s CE, coal mines began shutting down across the country, and Hashima's mines were no exception, and the island is officially abandoned in 1974 CE.
Inasayama (稲佐山)
Meaning the rice padi hill, the mountain provides an excellent panoramic view of Nagasaki, especially at night. Most postcard photograph came from here.
Meganebashi (眼鏡橋)
Nothing historic, but equally important as it was some of the first bridges in Nagasaki. It received the name 'spectacles bridge' because its two arches and their reflection in the water create the image of a pair of spectacles. A good photospot.
Along the streets of Meganebashi, we saw an interesting exhibition of bizarre monsters known as raiho-shin (来訪神), literally meaning visiting spirits.
Raiho-shin is a folk tradition for Japanese households around the region, especially Tōhoku (東北), Kyūshū (九州) and Okinawa (沖縄), and these monsters perform similar duties as the more affable Santa Claus in the western world! Raiho-shin are kami (神) or spirits from the the supernatural, and are usually portrayed as scary and spooky. Raiho-shin then visit children from house to house around the community and 'warn' them to be good, especially asking the children to admonish laziness and practise good behaviours throughout the year or they would return to haunt them! The children are pre-given cakes on their backs for good luck while the adults prepare food for the deities visiting their household, and thank them in warning their children. This tradition is slightly different from region to region, the monsters take different forms, but the general ethos remains the same. By performing the rituals, local people, notably children, have their identities moulded, develop a sense of affiliation to their community, and strengthen ties among themselves. This ritual is recently being inscribed as an ICH.
Eat and Drink
Kurobuta (黒豚)
The famous dish of Nagasaki is the champon (ちゃんぽん), which is a Chinese-inspired ramen bowl. It differs from the Japanese ramen by having more vegetables and a clearer broth.
However the highlight of the meal was made when we travelled to Kagoshima (鹿児島) to savour the famed kurobuta (黒豚) the black pig.
Kurobuta is a signature dish in Kagoshima, best served in the form of Japanese hotpot or shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ). The pork is super tender with just the suitable amount of fat.
The restaurant, Juan (寿庵), meaning 'temple of blessing', is considered an icon in Kagoshima serving a traditional Juan or temple-style cuisine, which I have to confess have no idea what it is, as I suspect a temple would serve a lavish pork dish like this.
For what I know, you are given a number of flavoured salt, in my case rosemary, tangerine, basil, curry, garlic and you dip the meat in a soup and sprinkle different salt onto the meat.
In any case the setting itself is so impressive that you will spend enough time watching the demonstration before you savour the meat. Absolute gem but very pricey.
Getting There and Around
Extremely well connected with trams and JR from the Nagasaki station (長崎駅, Nagasaki-eki). There is an entrance fee of JPY 600¥ to the Glover Garden. The one-hour ferry ride to Hashima is 4,000¥.
UNESCO Inscriptions
The site encompasses a series of twenty three component parts, mainly located in the southwest of Japan. It bears testimony to the rapid industrialization of the country from the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th century, through the development of the iron and steel industry, shipbuilding and coal mining. The site illustrates the process by which feudal Japan sought technology transfer from Europe and America from the middle of the 19th century and how this technology was adapted to the country’s needs and social traditions. The site testifies to what is considered to be the first successful transfer of Western industrialization to a non-Western nation.
Located in the north-western part of Kyushu island, this serial property consists of ten villages, remains of the Hara Castle and a cathedral, dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries. They reflect the era of prohibition of the Christian faith, as well as the revitalization of Christian communities after the official lifting of prohibition in 1873. These sites bear unique testimony to a cultural tradition nurtured by hidden Christians in the Nagasaki region who secretly transmitted their faith during the period of prohibition from the 17th to the 19th century.
Washoku is a social practice based on a set of skills, knowledge, practice and traditions related to the production, processing, preparation and consumption of food. It is associated with an essential spirit of respect for nature that is closely related to the sustainable use of natural resources. The basic knowledge and the social and cultural characteristics associated with Washoku are typically seen during New Year celebrations. The Japanese make various preparations to welcome the deities of the incoming year, pounding rice cakes and preparing special meals and beautifully decorated dishes using fresh ingredients, each of which has a symbolic meaning. These dishes are served on special tableware and shared by family members or collectively among communities. The practice favours the consumption of various natural, locally sourced ingredients such as rice, fish, vegetables and edible wild plants. The basic knowledge and skills related to Washoku, such as the proper seasoning of home cooking, are passed down in the home at shared mealtimes. Grassroots groups, schoolteachers and cooking instructors also play a role in transmitting the knowledge and skills by means of formal and non-formal education or through practice.
Raiho-shin rituals take place annually in various regions of Japan – especially in the Tohoku, Hokuriku, Kyushu and Okinawa regions – on days that mark the beginning of the year or when the seasons change. Such rituals stem from folk beliefs that deities from the outer world – the Raiho-shin – visit communities and usher in the new year or new season with happiness and good luck. During the rituals, local people dressed as deities in outlandish costumes and frightening masks visit houses, admonishing laziness and teaching children good behaviour. The head of the household treats the deities to a special meal to conclude the visit, and in some communities the rituals take place in the streets. In some communities, men of a certain age become the Raiho-shin, while in others women play such roles. Because the rituals have developed in regions with different social and historical contexts, they take diverse forms, reflecting different regional characteristics. By performing the rituals, local people – notably children – have their identities moulded, develop a sense of affiliation to their community, and strengthen ties among themselves. In accordance with their ancestors’ teachings, community members share responsibilities and cooperate in preparing and performing the rituals, acting as the practitioners responsible for transmitting the related knowledge.
References
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