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Experience the museum

Welcome to Miki Sawada Memorial Museum

Museum Guide

1F Exhibition Room

2F Chapel

1F Entrance

Welcome, and thank you for visiting our museum. Above the front door of the entrance, you can find a woodwork of the nativity scenes which was donated by a temple in Chiba.
Mother Mary is on the right, Joseph is on the left and Jesus is in the middle.

1F Exhibition Room

In this exhibition room, about one third of 874 items of hidden Christians' relics is displayed.
Furthermore, the histories of Miki Sawada and Elizabeth Saunders Home will be exhibited in the future.

2F Chapel

The second floor is Miki Sawada Memorial Chapel where the children in Elizabeth Saunders Home come and pray on the Lord's Days (Sundays), on Easter, and on Christmas.

Ohzora no KyoenIn 1941 (Showa 11), Miki Sawada wrote this book for the spirit of her late sister Sumiko.
Only 300 copies were printed.
She introduces what she collected during her pilgrimage in Kyushu with some historical description based on Christian relics in Japan.
It is an outstanding book with Miki's deep sympathy for people who believed in the same religion as hers under prohibition and presecution.
“A picture of Litany to Holy Communion and Meditation” - “A picture of Fifteen Mysteries”This religious painting shows the lives of Mary and Jesus.
It describes 15 scenes such as the Annunciation, the Passion and the Coronation of the Virgin.
It also has Latin words of prayers written in Japanese Kana.
It assumed that it is created by a believer whose the christian name is “Goshusshouirai Sengohyakukyujuninen Hauro (Paolo)” in 1592.
Ukon Takayama : a Statue of MadonnaLegend has it that Ukon Takayama picked up a piece of driftwood and carved this statue on a boat when he was exiled to Luzon Island.
The Madonna is holding the child Jesus in her hands and wearing a chain with a cross.
Fumi-eThis picture was used by the Edo Bakufu (Shogunate) to reveal practicing Catholics and sympathizers.
The Nagasaki Bugyo (Magistrate) started using it in 1626 (Kan-ei 3), after the ban on Christianity was issued.
Magic MirrorIt is assumed that this mirror is from the late Edo period, 160 - 170 years ago.
Currently there are two magic mirrors in Japan, one is in Miki Sawada Memorial Museum and the other one is in Seinan Gakuin University Museum in Fukuoka.
The mirror has three layers and its surface has been thinned to 1mm by using a tool called “Yasuriyasen”.
When it reflects light, a image of Jusus Christ appears clearly on the wall.
Wooden Statue of Mother Mary and her ChildIt is believed that the statue is from before A.D.1600, when Christianity was still allowed.
It was brought by a Spanish missionary, and has a western hairstyle.
The Virgin Mary is picking up a fig with her right hand and the Christ is also holding one in his left hand.
Originally this statue was quite large with its legs, but as the prohibition of Christianity started, the lower part was cut down and the upper body was hidden in a straw rice-bag.