Friday, Sept. 15
Shimabara
| After breakfast we biked about a mile under sunny
skies to Shimabara Castle, a tower dating to 1618. Today it is a museum
containing Christian relics. Christians were persecuted and the religion
was driven underground in Shimabara in the 1600s. In 1637, the people of
Shimabara, led by 16-year-old Amakusa Shiro, rebelled and occupied Hara
Castle for 90 days, then ended their lives in martyrdom. |
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There was a brief downpour while we were inside the castle. But
by the time we went outside, the sun was out again.
In Shimabara, a typical Japanese cemetery
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At another cemetery there's a statue of Buddha entering Nirvana,
preaching right up until the last moment.
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