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A dozen sites linked to Japan’s persecution of “hidden Christians” have been awarded world heritage status largely because they show how believers defended their faith at all costs, experts say.

The Advisory Board, which was proposed by the government, proposed its own proposed sites, which led to them being selected as world heritage sites on 30 June.

Christianity was introduced to Japan in 1549 by Saint Francis Xavier – a Basque and Jesuit native of what is now Northern Spain-and his companions. Japan’s hidden Christians have been in the spotlight in recent years since Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pontiff, mentioned them in a speech.

“Even when all lay missionaries and priests had been expelled from the country, the faith of the Christian community did not grow cold,” Francis said in his 2015 address to the bishops of the episcopal conference of Japan to commemorate the discovery of the hidden Christians in 1865 despite a ban and persecution that lasted more than 200 years.

“These two pillars of Catholic history in Japan, missionary activity and ‘Hidden Christians’, continue to support the life of the Church today,” the Pope said.

When Japan originally nominated “Churches and Christian places in Nagasaki” in 2015, it offered 14 seats, but withdrew because the international Council on monuments and places suggested Japan pay more attention to the persecution of Christianity, the Tokugawa Shogunate since the 17th century.

Japan abandoned two sites that ICOMOS did not consider sufficiently related to the ban period and reapplied in 2017.

A world heritage site in southwestern Japan includes the remains of Hara castle, the most important site of The shimabara rebellion (1637-38), which involved mostly Christian peasants and subsequently led to the country’s seclusion policy.

Also included were villages on Kashiragashima Island, where hidden Christians camouflaged their faith under the guidance of a Buddhist man. They migrated to the island, which was then used to quarantine smallpox patients, to avoid persecution.

“They took our proposal positively and demonstrated flexibility and creativity in changing the components of ownership and its boundaries,” said Toshiyuki Kono, a Professor of international law at Kyushu University who became the first Japanese to lead ICOMOS for the last time in December.

“We were able to have a very effective academic dialogue, which led to a high assessment of ICOMOS,” he said.

Officials also expressed appreciation for the specific and constructive recommendations of ICOMOS.

“If you look at cases where there have been world heritage sites of the country in the past, ICOMOS has not given any specific advice on the issues to be done,” said Chihei Suzuki, a senior world heritage specialist at the cultural Affairs Agency.

“This time, however, ICOMOS has shown a clear direction and they have also said that we will work together to achieve this goal. It was important, ” said Maki Sakamoto, division chief of the world cultural heritage Office.

In comparison with other world heritage sites directly related to the religious suppression, the objects in Nagasaki is unique in that these communities continued independently to practice their religion in secret in difficult conditions for a long period.

They also hid themselves from society by outwardly behaving as Buddhists and Shinto followers. Japan points out such differences in its “justification for inscription” to the World Heritage list.

For example, compared to the Turkish Goreme national Park and the rocky sites of Cappadocia, “the Japanese laity themselves converted to the Christian faith in the complete absence of priestly instructions, while it is believed that the clergy remained in the communities in Cappadocia and this contact was maintained with Constantinople and other centers of Christianity,” the document says.

In addition, Christian communities in Cappadocia hid in caves to shelter from attacks, while hidden Christian communities in Nagasaki coexisted with locals of other faiths despite the threat of persecution.

With all the leaders of the Catholic Church expelled, the hidden Christians in Japan were led by community leaders called chokata, who presided over the observance of the liturgical calendar, and mizukata, who performed baptisms.

“We have basically shifted our focus away from the value of the architecture of the hidden Christians themselves, how they hid, as well as their daily lives and customs,” Suzuki said.

After the ban on Christianity was lifted in 1873, many hidden Christian communities joined the Catholic Church under the guidance of missionaries sent by the Vatican, while others continued their distinctive beliefs and practices.

Those who were not reintegrated into the Catholic Church were called kakura kirishitan, and a small number still exist in the area today. There were also those who converted to Buddhism and Shinto.

In villages where hidden Christians reunited with the Catholic Church, people helped build churches in places Dating back to the prohibition period, such as the homes of former hidden Christian leaders, some of which are now considered part of a world heritage site.

It is relatively easy for the U.N. to recognize churches in terms of cultural heritage, but residents in Japan needed explanations about why their farmlands received the same status, Suzuki said.

“People have wondered why this field, Bush or forest is part of a world heritage site. They needed to justify its significance in relation to the history and traditions of hidden Christians, ” Sakamoto said.

Those overseeing real estate in Nagasaki, especially on remote Islands, face difficulties in securing enough people to preserve the properties due to aging and depopulation, like other heritage sites across Japan.

“Since they have received world heritage status as villages, they must be preserved as villages first (to maintain their value),” Kono said, adding that extensive knowledge and coordination between staff in various fields is needed.

Kono stressed the importance of developing sustainable tourism, in which the number of visitors remains low enough to maintain the structural integrity of the area and protect the daily lives of the villagers.

“I think the stakeholders need to find a new direction, find new forms of tourism that no one has thought about or discussed before,” he said.

He also expressed hope for Japan’s continued international cooperation in the protection and restoration of cultural property around the world, as it has a long history of doing so domestically.

“Japan has preserved cultural values in difficult conditions: frequent natural disasters, high temperatures and high humidity,” Kono said. Sharing such know-how with others would be greatly appreciated .”

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