The Four Christian Gravestones of Nakasukawa

Four dacite gravestones line the edge of National Road 251 in Minamishimabara, moved there after they were found in a nearby grove of trees in 1902 by local historian Mori Toyozo, whose discovery sparked a wider search for Christian gravestones across Nagasaki. Two of the four are unmarked flat slabs. One square-pillared stone bears a well-preserved cross fleury carved in relief. The fourth has an unusual five-sided ridge shape and a patriarchal cross. Local people had been venerating the stones as Suijin-sama, water deities connected to good harvests, before their origins were identified. A Christian seminary is believed to have once stood nearby.