The Cave of Jihei

A forty-minute walk from the nearest parking lot, through a lush valley following a stream, brings you to this remote cave on Fukue Island where the Japanese Christian priest Jihei, also known by his baptismal name Tomás de San Agustin, is believed to have hidden from authorities after the 1614 edict banning Christianity. He had fled to the Philippines when the ban was declared but eventually slipped back into Japan to preach in secret. He was captured near Nagasaki in 1637 and martyred. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 as one of 188 Japanese martyrs. A guide is recommended for this walk to avoid getting lost.