When was nagasaki founded

More commonly known as Gunkanjima , Battleship Island in English, because seen from a distance the island resembles the shape of a battleship, Hashima is a ghost island with a post apocalyptic landscape of crumbling concrete and abandoned buildings that was once the most densely populated place on the planet.

Meganebashi " Spectacles Bridge " is the oldest foreign style bridge in Japan and lies south of the main station across the Nakajima River. The double arches of the stone bridge resemble spectacles when reflected in the water, hence the name. The Nagasaki Lantern Festival is a must-see festival if you are in the area in late January and early February as the city celebrates Chinese New Year. The museum details Nagasaki's international exchange with China, Holland, Portugal, Spain and Korea and displays industrial arts and crafts produced in Nagasaki as a fruit of the city's international trade.

The remains of the church were discovered during building work on the Sakuramachi Elementary School next door. The Kameyama Shachu Memorial Museum is a restoration of the building that housed a shipping company begun by Sakamoto Ryoma , a prominent activist in the struggles to overthrow the Tokugawa regime in the 's and 's. The museum is a minute walk from the Kokaido-mae tram stop close to Kokufuji Temple. Oura Catholic Church is Japan's oldest Gothic church built for the foreign community in the nineteenth century under the supervision of a French missionary, Petit Jean.

The church is on the way to Glover House and is closely tied to the history of Japan's Hidden Christians kakure kirishitan who were persecuted, often martyred and forced into hiding by a Tokugawa government ban on Christianity. In particular the church commemorates the martyrdom in of 26 Christians - 20 Japanese including 3 young boys and six foreigners 4 Spaniards, 1 Mexican and an Indian - who were crucified and run through with spears in Nagasaki on the orders of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Japan's military ruler at the time.

The site of the actual incident is Nishizakamachi - a short walk from Nagasaki Station. The monument below and adjacent Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum were completed in The museum has an excellent collection of historical artifacts relating to the introduction of Christianity in Japan including original statues of the Virgin Mary, disguised as Kannon, the Japanese goddess of mercy, and fumi-e , metal images of Jesus or Mary, that Christians were forced to stamp on to renounce their faith.

The museum also covers the Hidden Christians kakure kirishitan who continued their faith in secret throughout the Edo Period. This fine brick building and reputedly the largest church in the East is a replica of original destroyed by the atom bomb in You can still see scorch marks on some of the restored statues near the front entrance and the first belfry which collapsed into the church grounds and is preserved as a memorial.

Urakami Cathedral was originally built to serve the many kakure kirishitan Hidden Christians , who had retained a version of their faith during the times of persecution under the Tokugawa regime in the Edo Period of Japanese history The original Urakami Cathedral was completed in and the building we see today dates from Glover came to Japan at age 21 and never left.

He worked in shipbuilding, coal, arms dealing and brewing, ultimately being awarded the Second Class Order of the Rising Sun.

The Glover house and grounds sit atop a hill that commands a view of the entire city - and speak of a bygone era of fabulous luxury. This district was settled by foreigners after Nagasaki opened as a Treat Port in and contains some attractive western-style, clapboard buildings preserved as museums, cafes or private residences.

Connected to the Atomic Bomb Museum is the impressive and moving Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims with a registry of all the victims of the bombing kept in a solemn and beautiful, subterranean Remembrance Hall.

Peace Park is a few minutes walk away, and was the epicenter of the atomic bombing in Go up the stairs to the beautifully laid out garden, with its Peace Fountain, the famous Peace Statue, and with memorials for peace donated by several different countries, many of them from the former Eastern Bloc. Tourist information can be found at Nagasaki Prefectural Tourist Association: on the second floor of the Ken-ei bus station, and Nagasaki City Tourist Association: There is a tourist information office at Nagasaki Station Nagasaki's main festivals include the Kunchi Matsuri in early October from th centered on Suwa Shrine and including Chinese dragon dances, fireworks hanabi and colorful costumes.

The Shoro Nagashi Festival takes place on August 15 when hand-made floats are placed in the ocean at Nagasaki Harbor in a ceremony in honor of one's ancestors. Nagasaki's main entertainment area is Shianbashi - the warren of narrow streets and arcades around Shianbashi tram stop: bars, restaurants, soaplands provide all night entertainment. The Nagasaki Dejima Wharf has a number of nice restaurants and cafes overlooking the harbor. The Hamano-machi area, with the Kanko-dori and the Hamano-machi arcades, is ideal for shopping with the Hamaya Department Store also here.

Nagasaki makes for an ideal base to visit the historic island of Hirado to the north, which has a fine castle and a number of spectacular Christian churches. Huis Ten Bosch theme park and the port city of Sasebo famous for its giant-size Sasebo burgers are on the way on the journey north to Hirado. Heading east are Unzen and Shimabara , from where visitors can take the car ferry to Kumamoto.

The Nishisonogi Peninsula has a rugged coastline with a route on either coastline as you travel north. Since the opening of its port in , it has prospered as a window for trade with the West and with China. As a result, it has built a unique culture in which Japanese and foreign cultures coexist. An atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki City in The city has fully recovered since then, and it is now a thriving international city. Each year, Nagasaki promotes the importance of world peace, and a world without nuclear weapons.

The scenery of central Nagasaki City, which is surrounded by mountains on three sides, is unique and beautiful. The northern area includes Sasebo City, the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture; and Hirado, a city with a long history of trade with Western Europe, even before Nagasaki City Port. Other must-see places in Sasebo include "Huis Ten Bosch," Japan's largest theme park for families; and the downtown area where American culture, such as jazz and hamburgers, lives on through the influence of the US Navy Base.

Some of the highlight attractions include the elegant St. The peninsula is located in the southeastern part of Nagasaki Prefecture that overlooks Kumamoto Prefecture and Fukuoka Prefecture across the sea. Formed through hundreds of thousands of years of volcanic activity, you can enjoy the charms of both the mountains and the sea, centered around Mt.

Unzen, the highest peak in Nagasaki Prefecture, with a height of 1,m. To discourage such threats, Hideyoshi lost no time in marching the captain around the country in disgrace. Later, he would crucify 26, Christian Franciscans and a few Japanese, in Nagasaki City as a further deterrent. Under the rule of Tokugawa Ieyasu almost two decades later, conditions hardly improved.

Christianity was banned in , and all missionaries who did not going into hiding, as well as daimyo who would not apostatize, were deported. An incredibly brutal persecution campaign followed, and thousands across Nagasaki and other parts of Japan were killed and tortured.

The Christians, however, did put up some initial resistance. In , in the Nagasaki enclave of Shimabara, vagabond Christians and local peasants mired in penury erupted into Japans most startling rebellion. The numbers quickly swelled to 40,, capturing Hara Castle and humiliating local daimyo. In retaliation, the shogunate dispatched , soldiers to quash the uprising, thus ending Japans brief 'Christian Century.

During this time, the Dutch had been quietly making inroads into Japan. Although the shogunates policy called for ending foreign influence, the Dutch demonstrated that they were interested in trading alone. In fact, during the Shimabara rebellion, the Dutch were ordered to fire on the Christians in a test of loyalty.

In , their grudging if not damning loyalty won them Dejima, an artificial island in Nagasaki Bay, to which their activities would be confined. From this date until , Japans contact with the outside world was limited to Nagasaki.