Christian Grave of Lucia at Tanigawa
nature
Christian Grave of Lucia at Tanigawa
谷川 「流しや（ルシヤ）」 キリシタン墓碑
Overview
Reaching the grave of Lucia requires a short walk up a steep hill to a small graveyard sitting above a picturesque cluster of rather higgledy-piggledy old farmhouses.
A short walk up a steep hill outside Nagasaki brings you to a small graveyard holding one of Japan's rarest artifacts: a well-preserved Christian gravestone from 1610. The flat andesite slab is inscribed in legible script with the name Lucia, aged 20, and bears a cross fleury on its face. Given the expense of stone gravestones, Lucia likely had ties to the Arima clan, whose lord controlled nearby Shimabara before being executed in 1612. Of Japan's 192 confirmed early Christian gravestones, 146 are found in Nagasaki Prefecture.
Practical info
- Japanese name
- 谷川 「流しや（ルシヤ）」 キリシタン墓碑
- Nearest station
- Isahaya Station (50 min drive)
- Reservations
- not required
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