Gotō Islands

The Gotō Islands are an archipelago in the East China Sea, west of Kyushu, administered as part of Nagasaki Prefecture. Their landscapes and history reflect maritime exchange, Christian communities, and fishing.

Fukue Island: The largest and southernmost major island of the Gotō archipelago, home to its main urban center. Its port city and historic sites make it the archipelago’s principal gateway.
Nagasaki Prefecture: A Japanese prefecture on Kyushu and nearby islands, with Nagasaki as its capital. The Gotō Islands form its western island region.
Hidden Christians: Japanese Christians who maintained religious practices in secret during periods of government prohibition. Communities in the Gotō Islands preserved Christianity after its suppression in Japan.
Japanese fishing industry: The commercial harvesting and processing of marine resources in Japan. Fishing remains a longstanding livelihood across the Gotō Islands.
Tsushima Island: A Japanese island in the Korea Strait between Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula. Like the Gotō Islands, Tsushima sits on a maritime corridor between Japan and Korea.
Hisaka Island: An island in the Gotō archipelago known for historic villages and churches associated with hidden Christians. Its former Christian communities illustrate the islands’ religious history.
Kyushu: The southwesternmost of Japan’s four main islands, containing Nagasaki Prefecture. The archipelago lies offshore to Kyushu’s west.
Christianity in Japan: The history and practice of Christian faith in Japan, from its sixteenth-century arrival to the present. The islands’ churches and communities form a distinctive chapter in this history.
Aquaculture in Japan: The farming of aquatic organisms in Japanese marine and freshwater environments. Island communities use coastal waters for farmed seafood production.
Iki Island: A Japanese island in the Tsushima Strait, administered as part of Nagasaki Prefecture. Iki shares the prefecture’s offshore geography and long maritime history.

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