Ikitsuki Island

Connected to Hirado by a striking red bridge, Ikitsuki was once a major whaling base and the last refuge of hidden Christians in the region. The island's western coast features dramatic basalt cliffs called Shio-ae no Heki dropping straight into the East China Sea. The Ikitsuki Museum of Island Culture documents both the whaling heritage and the secret devotional objects. Marian icons disguised as Buddhist statues, that hidden Christians used for centuries.