Former Shitsu Rescue Center

Former Shitsu Relief Institution: A French Priest's Legacy of Compassion in Nagasaki

Perched on a quiet hillside in the Sotome district of Nagasaki City, the Former Shitsu Relief Institution (旧出津救助院, Kyū Shitsu Kyūjōin) stands as a powerful testament to one man's extraordinary devotion to the people of a remote Japanese village. Built in 1883 by French missionary Father Marc Marie de Rotz, this vocational training facility was established to empower impoverished women and uplift an entire community. Today, the complex is designated as a National Important Cultural Property and forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region," inviting visitors from around the world to discover a remarkable story of faith, compassion, and cultural exchange.

The Story of Father de Rotz and the Sotome District

Marc Marie de Rotz was born in 1840 into an aristocratic family in Normandy, France. After completing his theological studies, he joined the Paris Foreign Missions Society and arrived in Japan in 1868—a time when the persecution of Christians was still underway. He served in Nagasaki and Yokohama before being appointed as the head priest of the Sotome district in 1879.

Upon arriving in the Sotome area, Father de Rotz was deeply shocked by the extreme poverty of the local inhabitants. Many of the residents were descendants of Hidden Christians (Kakure Kirishitan) who had secretly maintained their faith for over 250 years during Japan's period of religious suppression. Determined to improve their lives, Father de Rotz declared that "it is necessary to save not just the soul, but also the body and livelihood of the people." He invested his entire personal fortune—inherited from his noble family in France—into building facilities and establishing industries for the community.

Father de Rotz dedicated the remaining 35 years of his life to the Sotome district, never once returning to France. He passed away in 1914 and was buried in the Nomichi Christian Cemetery nearby, where he rests to this day. The local people affectionately refer to him as "De Rotz-sama," and his legacy continues to inspire generations.

Why the Former Shitsu Relief Institution Is Designated as an Important Cultural Property

In December 2003, the Former Shitsu Relief Institution was designated as a National Important Cultural Property of Japan. The designation recognizes its significance on several levels:

• It is one of the earliest surviving examples of a vocational welfare facility from the Meiji period, making it an exceptionally rare historical asset with virtually no comparable examples in Japan.
• The buildings demonstrate a fascinating fusion of Western and Japanese construction techniques. Father de Rotz, who possessed extensive knowledge of European architecture and engineering, incorporated Western structural methods while adapting them to locally available materials and traditional Japanese building practices.
• The complex features the distinctive "De Rotz Wall" (ド・ロ壁), an innovative masonry technique developed by Father de Rotz himself. This method uses local crystalline schist stones bonded with a mixture of red clay, lime, and sand—a solution he devised after discovering that the traditional Japanese bonding agent called amakawa was vulnerable to rain damage.
• The facility provides invaluable insight into the reception and adaptation of Western architectural technology in early modern Japan, serving as an important case study in the history of cultural exchange.

Furthermore, the Former Shitsu Relief Institution is located within the "Shitsu Village in Sotome" component of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region," inscribed in 2018. This recognition highlights the broader significance of the Sotome district in the history of Christianity in Japan.

Architectural Highlights and Key Buildings

The Vocational Workshop (Sanjōba)

The vocational workshop is the central building of the relief institution, completed around 1883. This two-story structure of wood and stone construction features a hip roof with tile cladding. The ground floor served as a spacious workshop where women produced cotton textiles, somen noodles, bread, macaroni, soy sauce, and various other goods. Twelve columns line the interior, creating an open single-room workspace. An underground storage cellar lies beneath the central floor, lined with cut stone and covered with wooden lids.

The second floor housed the living quarters for members of the Society of St. Joseph (later the Annunciation of Mary Religious Order), who helped manage the facility. A large 40-tatami room functioned as a dormitory, weaving workshop, and chapel. A harmonium reed organ, brought from France by Father de Rotz around 1889, remains on the second floor and is occasionally played for visitors today.

The Macaroni Factory

Located along the road east of the vocational workshop, this brick building with a gabled roof and tile cladding was purpose-built for manufacturing pasta. The interior was divided into two rooms: the western room featured a mezzanine floor, while the eastern room housed iron stoves. Pasta-making machines imported from Europe were installed here, and the macaroni produced was sold to foreign residents in Nagasaki. Production continued until after Father de Rotz's death in 1914.

The De Rotz Wall

Adjacent to the macaroni factory stands the iconic De Rotz Wall, a distinctive masonry structure that has become one of the most recognizable features of the site. Father de Rotz developed this unique technique using irregularly stacked local natural stones bonded with a mixture of red clay dissolved in water, combined with lime and sand. This innovative method proved far more durable than the traditional amakawa bonding agent used in the region.

The Sardine Net Factory (Now De Rotz Memorial Museum)

Built in 1885 across from the main complex, this single-story building of wood-framed brick construction originally served as a factory for making sardine fishing nets—a major local industry at the time. After production ceased, the building was converted into a childcare facility before being renovated as the De Rotz Memorial Museum in 1968. It was designated as a National Important Cultural Property as part of the relief institution complex in 2003.

The Flour Mill and Pharmacy

The flour mill, designated as a Nagasaki Prefectural Historical Landmark, was where wheat imported from France was processed into flour using water-powered milling equipment. The resulting flour was combined with locally grown peanut oil to produce the distinctive "De Rotz-sama Somen" noodles still beloved today. The pharmacy was established when typhoid fever spread through the region; Father de Rotz imported medical instruments and medicines from France and England and hired a doctor to provide healthcare services. Today, the pharmacy serves as the reception and entrance facility for the relief institution.

Visitor Experience

The Former Shitsu Relief Institution reopened to the public in April 2013 after extensive conservation and repair work that began in 2007. Guided tours are available, led by local volunteers who share stories passed down through generations about Father de Rotz and life in the Sotome district. The guides bring the history alive with personal anecdotes and detailed explanations of each building and its purpose.

Visitors can explore the interior of the vocational workshop, view historical artifacts and tools from the Meiji period, and listen to the gentle tones of the harmonium organ on the second floor. The former flour mill now houses hands-on experience activities where visitors can try traditional food preparation techniques associated with Father de Rotz's legacy.

The on-site café restaurant "Voslorr"—named after Father de Rotz's hometown in France—serves home-cooked meals, handmade bread, and herbal tea grown in the institution's own gardens, offering a delightful way to conclude a visit.

Surrounding Attractions

The Former Shitsu Relief Institution is situated within the Shitsu Cultural Village area, which contains several related heritage sites that can be explored on foot within two to three hours:

• Shitsu Church (出津教会堂): Built by Father de Rotz in 1882, this dignified white-walled church with twin towers is a National Important Cultural Property and a component of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Advance reservations through the Nagasaki Church Information Center are recommended before visiting.
• De Rotz Memorial Museum (ド・ロ神父記念館): Housed in the former sardine net factory, this museum displays personal belongings, tools, and documents related to Father de Rotz's wide-ranging contributions to the community.
• Sotome Museum of History and Folklore (長崎市外海歴史民俗資料館): This museum provides a comprehensive overview of the region's history, including exhibits on Hidden Christian culture, traditional farming and fishing tools, and local industrial heritage.
• Endō Shūsaku Literary Museum (遠藤周作文学館): Located nearby at the Michi-no-Eki Yūhi ga Oka Sotome roadside station, this museum is dedicated to the celebrated author whose novel "Silence" (Chinmoku) was set in the Sotome district and later adapted into a film by Martin Scorsese.
• Ono Church (大野教会堂): Another church built by Father de Rotz, located in a secluded village setting and also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.