Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Exploring Sakitsu Village A Church Across the Bay and the Sweetness of Sugi Yokan
Sakitsu Village is one of the sites that make up the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region. I took in the view from across the water one August morning. I’ll tell you about that, and the time I savored Sugi Yokan one bite at a time.
I’ll tell you about the summer view across the bay and Sakitsu’s Sugi Yokan.
SummerA morning in August
A Church Across the Bay and the Sweetness of Sugi Yokan
A church steeple rose above the rooftops across the bay. On an August morning, looking over Sakitsu Village from the opposite shore, it was the first thing I noticed. I’d come to see the church, but once I could see the water, the houses, and the mountains too, I couldn’t decide how much of it to fit into the frame. I stood there for a while before taking a photo.
I adjusted the sunglasses perched on my head and felt the breeze coming in off the sea. The morning air felt lovely against my skin in my gingham top and white shorts. Once I’d taken in the church’s size and looked at the surrounding rooftops, I could see how well it fit into the town. From across the bay, I could take in the church and fishing village together, and I knew I’d remember them that way.
I’d heard that Buddhism, Shinto, and Christianity coexisted in Sakitsu even during the period when Christianity was banned, giving rise to a form of faith shaped by life in a fishing village. I remembered that as I looked at the houses across the bay. This wasn’t just a pretty view with a church in it. Thinking about everyday life here made me want to linger over the whole town a little longer.
I unwrapped my Sugi Yokan and spotted a fine red line across the little rice cake. I noticed the cedar leaf tucked alongside it, too, and found myself studying its shape before taking a bite. My eyes had been on the bay; now all my attention was on the sweet in my palm. I’d been carrying it so carefully, but as soon as I opened the wrapping, I wanted to eat it.
I bit into the rice cake and tasted the bean paste inside. I’d heard this sweet—bean paste wrapped in a non-glutinous rice cake—was passed down by envoys from the Ryukyu Kingdom. Remembering that as I looked out to sea made me curious about the story behind the sweet and how it reached this town. Before eating the rest, I took another look at the red line in my hand.
When I finished the Sugi Yokan and looked up, the church was still there between the rooftops across the water. The view hadn’t changed, but now I knew more about the town’s way of life and its history of faith, and I’d tasted its sweet, too. I had even more I wanted to carry home with me. I’m glad I had time to take it all in slowly. For my last photo, I widened the frame to include the houses around the church, too.
The story sections are fiction inspired by this location. For accurate information, please consult official tourism and information websites.
Local specialty
Sugi Yokan
Sugi Yokan, sold at Minamikaze-ya in Sakitsu, is a traditional sweet made from non-glutinous rice cake wrapped around bean paste and marked with a red stripe made with dragon fruit juice. I’d heard it was passed down by envoys from the Ryukyu Kingdom. I admired its shape before savoring it one bite at a time.
Highlights
A bay view with a fishing village and church
There’s a Gothic-style church in the village. From the opposite shore, I wanted to remember the steeple rising between the rooftops along with the sweep of the bay.
A faith carried on through everyday life
During the period when Christianity was banned, Buddhism, Shinto, and Christianity coexisted here, giving rise to a distinctive form of faith shaped by life in a fishing village. After learning that history, I found myself looking again at the houses lining the shore.
Road details
Around Sakitsu Village
I parked at the Sakitsu Village Guidance Center and explored the town on foot. I wanted to take in the view across the bay, too.
Take some time to look at the church and the houses around it together. The line of rooftops across the bay stayed with me, too.
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