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On the hillside behind the Tsuwano station, a small chapel retains the memory of Urakami Christians banished and tortured at the beginning of the Meiji era. Otoma Pass is, above all, a place of witness and martyrdom; but it is also a Marian place, because the tradition of the prisoners themselves recalls that a Lady dressed in blue comforted the young Yasutaro during his confinement.
Name: Mary of Otome Pass; memorial chapel of Mary.
Local name: .女. · Otome Tōge Maria Seidō.
Place: Otome Pass, Ushiroda, Tsuwano, Kanoashi district, Shimane Prefecture, Japan.
Jurisdiction: Catholic diocese of Hiroshima; pastoral care from the parish of Tsuwano.
Deportation: 1868-1873.
Deported to Tsuwano: 153 Christians of Urakami.
Dead: 37, according to diocesan documentation.
Current Chapel: built in 1951 on the initiative of Father Paul Nebel, S.J.
Main pilgrimage: Otome Pass festival, every 3 May.
The Christians discovered in Urakami
In 1865, a group of clandestine Christians appeared before Father Bernard Petitjean in the church of Ōura, Nagasaki. His ancestors had kept faith for more than two centuries without priests. The discovery caused international astonishment, but the Japanese authorities still maintained the prohibition of Christianity.
After a new persecution, thousands of Catholics from Urakami were separated from their families and sent to different domains to force them to bet. In 1868, 153 people arrived in Tsuwano. They were held in the old Kōrinji temple and subjected to hunger, cold, confinement and torture.
Thirty-seven lives delivered
The diocese of Hiroshima recalls that thirty-seven deportees died in Tsuwano. These include Wasaburo, Yasutaro, Yujiro and a girl named Mori. The diocesan Church is currently promoting the study of her testimony with a view to discerning a possible cause of beatification.
The national prohibition of Christianity was withdrawn in 1873 and the survivors were able to return to Urakami. The place of suffering was left for decades without a proper memorial, although the memory was preserved in the families and in the stories of the companions.
Yasutaro and the Lady dressed in blue
Yasutaro was locked in an extremely narrow cage and exposed to winter. His companions said that, despite the torture, he appeared serene and joyful. He would have trusted them that a beautiful lady dressed in blue was coming at night, talking to him and comforting him.
The tradition identified that Lady with the Virgin Mary. In the current compound, sculptures represent the prisoner and Mary by the cage. This story gave a new resonance to the name Otoma Tōge, "step of the maiden," linking it to the Blessed Virgin.
The capital memorial of 1951
In 1939, Father Cermenya acquired the land of the former Kōrinji. In 1951, the German Jesuit Paul Nebel, then responsible for the Tsuwano community, raised the small chapel of Mary to remember the deceased and offer a stable place of prayer.
The windows narrate the sufferings of Christians. The simplicity of the building harmonizes with the forest and avoids turning memory into a spectacle: the pilgrim enters a sober space to contemplate fidelity, forgiveness and hope.
El festival de Otome Pass
Every 3 May, faithful from various regions participate in a Marian procession from the church of Tsuwano to the chapel. The pilgrimage culminates with the Eucharist in the open air and prayer for those who gave their lives.
The procession brings together two inseparable dimensions: Mary accompanies the persecuted Church and leads the disciples to Christ. The centre is not an extraordinary curiosity, but the faith held under torture and the hope of reconciliation.
A Memory for Religious Freedom
Otoma Pass recalls the human price of denying freedom of conscience. His history invites him to defend the dignity of every person, also of those who profess a different faith, and to reject any religious coercion.
The answer of Christians was not revenge. The diocesan prayer calls for the Gospel to spread in Japan and entrusts witnesses to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the martyrs.
Verified location
The chapel is located on the mountain immediately west of Tsuwano Station. OpenStreetMap identifies it individually as & quot;, & quot;, & quot;, & quot;, & quot;, & quot;. The marker is set at 34.47313, 131.77077 (WGS-84), co-incident with 8Q6HFQFC + 78 open source and Shimane tourist mapping.
Prayer to Mary of Otoma Pass
Holy Mary, Mother of the martyrs, you stayed by the cross and know the solitude of those who suffer. It accompanies the persecuted, strengthens those who are tempted to abandon the truth and comforts those who live in fear. By the memory of the witnesses of Otoma Pass, teach us to defend freedom, forgive those who harm us and remain faithful to Jesus. Amen.
Sources consulted
- Diocese of Hiroshima: parish of Tsuwano, deported, dead, chapel and pilgrimage.
- diocesan canonization commission: acquisition of land, construction and Yasutaro tradition.
- Archdiocese of Tokyo: pilgrimage, history of the chapel and memory of Yasutaro.
- Shimane official guide: historical and tourist description of the chapel.
- Japan National Tourism Organization: construction in 1951 and memorial function.
- Mapcara / OpenStreetMap: name, node, coordinates and location code.
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