National Parks · Nagasaki
Saikai National Park
西海国立公園さいかいこくりつこうえんSaikai Kokuritsu KōenIslands at the western edge, and the churches of hidden faith
Saikai National Park covers the island world off north-western Kyushu, from the crowded islets of Kujūkushima near Sasebo to Hirado and the Gotō Islands. Designated in 1955, it protects a seascape of islands and cliffs together with villages where Christians kept their faith in secret.
Overview
Saikai, 'the western sea', is Japan's national park of islands. It extends over the coasts and islands of northern and western Nagasaki Prefecture: the maze of Kujūkushima off Sasebo, the islands of Hirado and Ikitsuki, and the Gotō archipelago some 100 km west of Nagasaki, including Ojika and Nozaki. Few other parks consist so completely of islands, straits and headlands.
The park was designated on 16 March 1955. Its landscape ranges from sheltered, pine-covered islets to the sheer cliffs of Ōsezaki facing the East China Sea, and from white-sand beaches to grassy volcanic cones on Fukue.
These islands were also Japan's western gateway. Envoys to Tang China sailed from Gotō, Portuguese and Dutch traders came to Hirado, and during the centuries of the ban on Christianity many believers retreated to remote coves of Gotō and Hirado. Several of their villages and churches in the park belong to the World Heritage property of Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region, inscribed in 2018.
Landscape and formation
Kujūkushima is a drowned landscape: a hilly coast of sedimentary rock that subsided, leaving the tops of hills as some 200 islands packed into a stretch of sea about 25 km long, one of the densest island clusters in Japan. Hirado and Ikitsuki are built of sediments capped by basalt lava plateaus, with steep cliffs on the western side.
The Gotō Islands are formed of older sandstones and granites overlain by young volcanoes. On Fukue, small scoria cones such as Onidake rise from lava plains, and the western cliffs of Ōsezaki drop some 100 m or more into the sea. Between the islands, strong currents and the warm Tsushima Current make the waters rich in fish.
Highlights
- 九十九島Kujūkushima
A cluster of some 200 islets off Sasebo, best seen from the viewpoints of Tenkaihō and Ishidake or by boat.
Hirado
平戸島HiradoshimaIsland of the first European trading post in Japan, with the terraced rice fields and Christian heritage of its western coast.
Ōsezaki
大瀬崎ŌsezakiTowering cliffs and a lighthouse at the western tip of Fukue, facing the East China Sea.
Takahama Beach
高浜海水浴場Takahama KaisuiyokujōA white-sand beach with turquoise water on Fukue, often counted among the finest in Japan.
Onidake
鬼岳OnidakeA grass-covered volcanic cone above Fukue, used for kite-flying and views over the islands.
Nozakijima
野崎島NozakijimaA near-deserted island off Ojika with the former Nokubi church and a large herd of sika deer.
Ecology
The climate is mild and maritime, and the islands carry evergreen broadleaf forest, pine woods on the islets and extensive grassland on volcanic Fukue. Camellias are so common on Gotō that camellia oil is a traditional product. The park lies on a major flyway: in autumn, large numbers of migrating raptors pass over Gotō towards the continent.
Flora
Japanese camellia
ヤブツバキyabutsubakiAbundant in Gotō, where its seeds are pressed for camellia oil.
Japanese black pine
クロマツkuromatsuCrowns the islets of Kujūkushima.
Ubame oak
ウバメガシubamegashiForms windswept scrub on exposed coasts.
Fauna
Chinese sparrowhawk
アカハラダカakaharadakaPasses over Ōsezaki in large flocks in September on its way to South-East Asia.
Sika deer
ニホンジカNihon jikaRoams freely on Nozakijima, where people have almost entirely left.
Pacific oyster
マガキmagakiFarmed in the calm waters of Kujūkushima.
Culture
Gotō was the last Japanese landfall for envoys to Tang China; the monk Kūkai sailed from here in 804. From 1550 Hirado hosted Portuguese ships, and later English and Dutch trading posts, until foreign trade was concentrated at Dejima in Nagasaki in 1641.
When Christianity was banned, believers from the Sotome area near Nagasaki settled in the late 18th century on remote coasts of Gotō, where they practised their faith disguised as Buddhism and Shintō. After the ban was lifted in 1873, they built small churches in wood, brick and stone, many designed by the builder Tetsukawa Yosuke. The islands of Hirado and Ikitsuki were also centres of whaling in the Edo period.
- 江上天主堂Egami Tenshudō
A wooden church of 1918 on Naru Island, raised on stilts against humidity; part of the World Heritage property.
- 頭ヶ島天主堂Kashiragashima Tenshudō
A stone church built by the islanders themselves, completed in 1919.
- 春日集落Kasuga Shūraku
Terraced rice fields where Hidden Christians worshipped the sacred mountain Yasumandake.
Dutch Trading Post, Hirado
平戸オランダ商館Hirado Oranda ShōkanA reconstruction of the Dutch East India Company warehouse of 1639 on Hirado harbour.
Dōzaki Church
堂崎天主堂Dōzaki TenshudōA brick church of 1908 on Fukue, now a museum of the Christian history of Gotō.
History
804
Kūkai departs from the Gotō Islands with an embassy to Tang China.
1550
A Portuguese ship calls at Hirado, beginning its era as an international port.
1609
The Dutch East India Company opens a trading post at Hirado.
1641
The Dutch are moved to Dejima in Nagasaki, ending Hirado's foreign trade.
late 18th century
Christians from Sotome settle on the Gotō Islands.
1873
The ban on Christianity is lifted; church building begins on the islands.
1955
Saikai is designated a national park on 16 March.
2018
Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region are inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Through the seasons
Spring
Camellias finish flowering and the islands turn green; calm seas for boat trips.
Summer
Beach season on Gotō; warm, clear water, with typhoons possible from late summer.
Autumn
Raptor migration over Ōsezaki in September; settled weather for island hopping.
Winter
Camellias flower on Gotō; north-westerly winds can make crossings rough.
Routes and trails
Kujūkushima boat cruise
Excursion boats from the Pearl Sea resort in Sasebo thread between the islets.
Kujūkushima viewpoints
A drive or walk between Ishidake, Tenkaihō and other lookouts on the hills above the islands.
Gotō church circuit
A tour of Fukue, Hisaka, Naru and Nakadōri by car and small boat to the churches and Christian villages.
Ōsezaki lighthouse walk
A cliffside path from the viewpoint down to the lighthouse at the western tip of Fukue.
Practical notes
- Sasebo is reached by train from Fukuoka or Nagasaki in about one and a half to two hours; Kujūkushima is on its doorstep.
- Ferries and jetfoils connect Nagasaki and Sasebo with the Gotō Islands; Fukue also has an airport.
- Some churches are active places of worship and ask visitors to give advance notice; check with the Nagasaki church information centre.
- Crossings between the islands can be cancelled in rough weather, especially in winter.
Frequently asked questions
How many islands does Kujūkushima have?
The name means '99 islands', but there are some 200, packed into the sea off Sasebo.
Which World Heritage sites are in Saikai National Park?
Several components of the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region, including villages and churches on Hirado and the Gotō Islands, lie within the park.
When was Saikai National Park designated?
On 16 March 1955.
How do I get to the Gotō Islands?
By ferry or jetfoil from Nagasaki or Sasebo, or by air to Fukue.
Related
Sources
- 1.環境省_西海国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省 (Ministry of the Environment)
- 2.環境省_国立公園_国立公園一覧 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省 (Ministry of the Environment)
- 3.Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- 4.National Parks of Japan (opens in a new tab) — Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan