Karematsu Shrine

This small shrine on Nishisonogi Peninsula marks the burial site of San Juan, a Spanish Franciscan friar who died here of cold and hunger. He is remembered as the mentor of Bastian, who compiled the Japanese church calendar used by the region's Hidden Christians during the long period of persecution. A hollowed-out space beneath a large flat rock nearby is said to have served as a place where Hidden Christians practiced their prayers in secret. The current wooden shrine building dates to 2003 but is identical to the original from 1938. A yearly interfaith ceremony called the Karematsu Festival brings together local Catholics, Hidden Christians, and Buddhists each November.