Sunday, September 3, 2017

Shusaku Endo`s Literary Museum: Sotome, Nagasaki Prefecture

Please click on the video below to see the trailer of the original author`s new Hollywood Movie called Silence directed by Matin Scorcese.



Please click on the video below to see more of the Shusaku Endo`s Literary Museum




The Shusaku Endo Literature Museum was established in May 2000, with the cooperation of his widow and family, under one premise, that it in built and commands a view of the calm Goto-Nada Sea.  The Museum is located in Sotome, Nagasaki and is known as the area where the Nagasaki Christians were persecuted during the ban on Christianity.  While not originally from Nagasaki, Mr Endo felt a strong bond with the district, in fact he referred to Sotome many times as his 2nd home.

The Museum contains more than 25 000 exhibits as well as the traces of his life. It also displays items connected to Mr. Endo's literature. Born in Tokyo in 1923, Shusaku was baptized as a Catholic at the age of 11. As an adult, he pursued the question of Japan's spiritual climate and Christianity. He was an author who, throughout his lifetime, used the approach of literature to investigate the issue of religion in depth.

My time at the Museum was enjoyable and educational.  I learnt many a new thing about the region, the history of Japan and Nagasaki as well as about the writer of course.  Someone could easily spend 3 or 4 hours just at the Museum itself but with many new attractions in and around Sotome linked to the Hidden Christians of Nagasaki, maybe 1 to 2 hours would be a more than necessary in order to fit more destinations into one`s itinerary

The area is in a rural setting outside of Nagasaki City, so of course a private tour would seem to be the best options in order to navigate this rather out of the way region.  There are buses that frequent the area but they are limited and don`t allow for very much flexibility.


A real find this place especially if you are looking for stories and information about Nagasaki’s Hidden Christians.

Please look below to see the Shusaki Endo Literary Museum of a map:

 



Please click on the photos below to enlarge:



Amazing views

The Museum

Silence

Mr Endo`s desk

A picture of Martin Scorcese 




The man himself


The Library


Well presented

Plenty to see





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