Inheritance of faith(7)
The First Missionary who brought Christianity to Japan
Francis Xavier was a Jesuit born in the Basque Country of Spain. He was the first to bring Christianity to Japan and was known as the apostle to the East.
He landed in Kagoshima in 1549, and for the subsequent two-plus years he proselytized in such places as Hirado and Yamaguchi, baptizing more than 500 people. In 1551, Otomo Sorin invited him to Oita City, where he engaged in missionary work, and in 1553, he established Funai Church in Bungo Province.
Xavier then returned to India, the base of operations for missionary work in the East, taking with him four young Japanese men. He intended to do more missionary work in China, but he died outside the port of Guangdong in 1552 (during the Sengoku Period). The Catholic Church declared him a saint in 1622.
Related Spots
Yuho Park
There is a statue of Francis Xavier in Yuho Park, which was built as part of a postwar restoration project in Oita City in 1951. In 1557, Japanese people sung a hymn as part of a performance using Western musical instruments inside Funai Church. Then, in 1560, there was a performance of a Western play on Christmas in Funai. For this reason, Funai is known as the birthplace of Western music and drama in Japan, and there is a monument in Yuho Park.
Location: Otemachi, Oita-shi, Oita
PH: 097-537-7043 (Oita City Tourism Division)
Website: Oita City Tourist Association (Japanese only)
https://www.oishiimati-oita.jp/spots/detail/176
Closed: Visitation is available everyday
Admission: Free
Transportation: 15 min walk from JR Oita Station/2 min walk from "Kencho Seimon-Mae" bus stop
Approx. 17 min from Higashi Kyushu Expressway Oita Interchange
Parking: Unavailable