A Gothic Church on Iojima Island
The Magome Church (馬込教会) is a Catholic church of 1931 in Iojimamachi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 4, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey reinforced concrete church with a tiled roof and a building area of 340 square metres; registration number 42-0010.
A Church in the South of Iojima
Magome Church is a three-aisled church in the south of Iojima, an island just west of Nagasaki Harbour (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Outside, its roofs are stacked in tiers; inside, the nave rises in three levels under an eight-part ribbed vault, and the front is richly decorated with buttresses, spires and pinnacles.
The Japan Tourism Agency explains that during the ban on Christianity the island was ruled by the Saga domain, and many hidden Christians settled here. After the "discovery of the hidden Christians" in 1865, persecution followed from 1867 until 1873. Father Joseph Marmand of the Paris Foreign Missions Society built a church in 1890, but it was badly damaged by lightning in 1927 and a typhoon in 1930, and the present white-plastered Gothic church was built in 1931.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape, as an early reinforced concrete church that shows the ingenuity of local master carpenters throughout.
What to Look For
Look at the buttresses, spires and pinnacles of the front, and the eight-part ribbed vault inside (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is an active church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nagasaki, and no official information on visiting was found.
Q&A
- When was Magome Church built?
- In 1931 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is Magome Church?
- In the south of Iojima island, Nagasaki City.
- What is special about Magome Church?
- An early concrete church with a pinnacled front and an eight-part ribbed vault.
- Was there an earlier church at Magome?
- Yes, a church of 1890, wrecked by lightning and a typhoon (Japan Tourism Agency).
- When was the Magome Church registered?
- On December 4, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Magome Church (馬込教会) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-617 Iojimamachi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000/12/04 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey reinforced concrete, tiled roof, 340 m² |
| Owner | Catholic Archdiocese of Nagasaki |
| Public Access | Active church (no visiting information) |
References
- Magome Church (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002101
- Magome Church (Japan Tourism Agency multilingual commentary database)
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/common/001541688.docx
Last verified: 2026.10.15