() is the
capital and the largest
city of
Nagasaki Prefecture in
Japan. It was formerly part of
Nishisonogi District.
Description
Nagasaki was the second city in the world to be bombed by a
nuclear weapon (
plutonium bomb), following
Hiroshima.
It was variously used as a centre of European influence from the 16th century until the
Meiji Restoration of the late 1800s. Nagasaki became a major
Imperial Japanese Navy base during the
First Sino-Japanese War and
Russo-Japanese War.
Geography
Nagasaki and Nishisonogi Peninsulas are located within the city limits. The city is surrounded by the cities of
Isahaya and
Saikai, and the towns of
Togitsu and
Nagayo in
Nishisonogi District.
Nagasaki lies at the head of a long bay which forms the best natural harbor on the island of Kyūshū. The main commercial and residential area of the city lies on a small plain near the end of the bay. Two rivers divided by a mountain spur form the two main valleys in which the city lies. The heavily built-up area of the city is confined by the terrain to less than 4 square miles.
History
Medieval era
Founded before
1500, Nagasaki was originally secluded by harbors. It enjoyed little historical significance until contact with European explorers in
1542, when a
Portuguese ship accidentally landed nearby, somewhere in
Kagoshima prefecture. The Portuguese
Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier arrived in another part of the territory in
1549, but left for
China in
1551 and died soon afterwards. His followers who remained behind converted a number of
daimyo (feudal lords). The most notable among them was
Omura Sumitada, who derived great profit from his conversion through an accompanying deal to receive a portion of the trade from Portuguese ships at a port they established in Nagasaki in
1571 with his assistance.
Kameyama Ware Jar With Nagasaki Dutch Trading Ship, 19th Century
The little harbor village quickly grew into a diverse port city, and Portuguese products imported through Nagasaki (such as
tobacco,
bread,
textiles and a Portuguese sponge-cake called ''
castellas'') were assimilated into popular Japanese culture.
Tempura, while not Portuguese in origin, takes its name from the Portuguese word, 'Tempero,' another example of the enduring effects of this cultural exchange. The Portuguese also brought with them many goods from
China.
Due to the instability during the Warring States period, Sumitada and Jesuit leader
Alexandro Valignano conceived a plan to pass administrative control over to the
Society of Jesus rather than see the Catholic city taken over by a non-Catholic daimyo who was not quickly ascending to in Kyūshū. Thus, for a brief period after 1580, the city of Nagasaki was a Jesuit colony, under their administrative and military control. It became a refuge for Christians escaping maltreatment in other regions of Japan.
[Diego Paccheco, Monumenta Nipponica, 1970.]. In
1587, however,
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaign to unify the country arrived in Kyūshū. Concerned with the large
Christian influence in southern Japan, as well as the active and somewhat arrogant role the Jesuits were playing in the Japanese political arena, Hideyoshi ordered the expulsion of all
missionaries, and placed the city under his direct control. However, the expulsion order went largely unenforced, and the fact remained that most of Nagasaki's population remained openly practicing
Catholics.
In
1596, the Spanish ship ''San Felipe'' was wrecked off the coast of
Shikoku, and Hideyoshi learned from its pilot (so says the Jesuit account) that the Spanish
Franciscans were the vanguard of an Iberian invasion of Japan. In response, Hideyoshi ordered the crucifixions of twenty-six Catholics in Nagasaki on Feb. 5 of that year. Portuguese traders were not ostracized, however, and so the city continued to thrive.
''Meganebashi'' (''Spectacles Bridge'')
In
1602,
Augustinian missionaries also arrived in Japan, and when
Tokugawa Ieyasu took power in
1603, Catholicism was still grudgingly tolerated. Many Catholic daimyo had been critical allies at the
Battle of Sekigahara, and the Tokugawa position was not strong enough to move against them. Once
Osaka Castle had been taken and
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's offspring killed, though, the Tokugawa dominance was assured. In addition, the Dutch and English presence allowed trade without religious strings attached. Thus, the hammer fell in
1614, with Catholicism officially banned and all missionaries ordered to leave. Most Catholic daimyo apostatized, and forced their subjects to do so, although a few would not renounce the religion and left the country as well. A brutal campaign of persecution followed, with thousands across
Kyūshū and other parts of Japan killed, tortured, or forced to renounce their religion.
Catholicism's last gasp as an open religion, and the last major military action in Japan until the
Meiji Restoration, was the
Shimabara rebellion of
1637. While there is no evidence that Europeans directly incited the rebellion, Shimabara had been a Christian ''han'' for several decades, and the rebels adopted many Portuguese motifs and Christian icons. Consequently, in Tokugawa society the word "Shimabara" solidified the connection between Christianity and disloyalty, constantly used again and again in Tokugawa propaganda.
The Shimabara rebellion also convinced many policy-makers that foreign influences were more trouble than they were worth. The Portuguese, who had been previously living on a specially-constructed island-prison in Nagasaki harbor called
Deshima, were expelled from the archipelago altogether, and the Dutch were moved from their base at
Hirado into the trading island. In
1720 the ban on Dutch books was lifted, causing hundreds of scholars to flood into Nagasaki to study European science and art. Consequently, Nagasaki became a major center of
rangaku, or "Dutch Learning". During the
Edo period, the
Tokugawa shogunate governed the city, appointing a
hatamoto, the Nagasaki ''bugyō'', as its chief administrator.
Consensus among historians was once that Nagasaki was Japan's only window on the world during its time as a closed country in the Tokugawa era. However, nowadays it is generally accepted that this was not the case, since Japan interacted and traded with the
Ryukyus,
Korea and
Russia through
Satsuma,
Tsushima and the north of
Honshū respectively. Nevertheless, Nagasaki was depicted in contemporary art and literature as a cosmopolitan port brimming with exotic curiosities from the Western World..
[Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan, Richard Bowring and Haruko Laurie]
In 1808, the
Royal Navy frigate
HMS ''Phaeton entered Nagasaki harbour in search of Dutch trading ships. The local magistrate was unable to resist the British demand for food, fuel, and water, later committing
seppuku as a result. Laws were passed in the wake of this incident strengthening coastal defenses, threatening death to intruding foreigners, and prompting the training of
English and
Russian translators.
The ''Tōjinyashiki'' or Chinese Factory in Nagasaki was also an important conduit for Chinese goods and information for the Japanese market. Various colorful Chinese merchants and artists sailed between the Chinese mainland and Nagasaki. Some actually combined the roles of merchant and artist such as 18th century
Yi Hai.
Modern era
Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 60,000 feet into the air on the morning of
August 9 1945 landed in
1853. The
Shogunate crumbled shortly afterward, and Japan opened its doors once again to foreign trade and diplomatic relations. Nagasaki became a
free port in
1859 and modernization began in earnest in
1868.
With the
Meiji Restoration, Nagasaki quickly began to assume some economic dominance. Its main industry was
ship-building. This very industry would eventually make it a target in
World War II, since many warships used by the
Japanese Navy during the war were built in its factories and docks.
Main articles: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On
9 August 1945, Nagasaki was the target of the world's
second atomic bomb attack at 11:02 a.m., when the north of the city was destroyed and an estimated 40,000 people were killed. According to statistics given at the
Nagasaki Peace Park, the dead totaled 73,884, injured 74,909 and diseased several hundred.
[1] 
Catholic Church in Nagasaki
The city was rebuilt after the war, albeit dramatically changed. New temples were built, as well as new churches due to an increase in the presence of Christianity. Nagasaki is the seat of a Catholic archdiocese led by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Tagami. Some of the rubble was left as a memorial, such as a one-legged
torii gate and an arch near
ground zero. New structures were also raised as memorials, such as the
Atomic Bomb Museum. Nagasaki remains first and foremost a port city, supporting a rich shipping industry and setting a strong example of perseverance and peace.
Nagasaki in Western music and song
Nagasaki is the title and subject of a
1928 song with music by
Harry Warren and lyrics by
Mort Dixon. A popular success in its day, the music remains a popular base for jazz improvisations. The lyrics today are enjoyed for their ludicrous incongruity and their lack of political correctness. The song asserts: "Hot ginger and dynamite/There's nothing but that at night/Back in Nagasaki/Where the fellers chew tobaccy/And the women wicky wacky woo." The song is featured prominently in Bob Clampett's 1943 Warner Brothers cartoon, ''Tin Pan Alley Cats''.
Nagasaki is also the setting for
Puccini's opera
Madama Butterfly.
Schools
Universities
Junior Colleges
Transportation
The nearest airport is
Nagasaki Airport in the neighboring city of Ōmura. The
Kyushu Railway Company provides rail transportation on the
Nagasaki Main Line, whose terminal is at
Nagasaki Station. In addition, the
Nagasaki Electric Tramway operates five routes in the city. The
Nagasaki Expressway serves vehicular traffic with interchanges at Nagasaki and Susukizuka. In addition, six
national highways crisscross the city:
Routes 34,
202,
251,
324, and
499.
Tourism
Sights
Monument at the atomic bomb hypocenter in Nagasaki
Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims
Nagasaki's vibrant waterfront features events like visits from sailing ships
★
Ōura Church (大浦天主堂)
★
Sōfuku-ji (崇福寺)
★ Dejima Museum of History
★ Former residence of Shuhan Takashima (高島秋帆旧宅)
★
Mount Inasa (稲佐山)
★
Megane Bridge (眼鏡橋)
★
Nagasaki Peace Park (平和公園)
★
★
Atomic Bomb Hypocenter (Located near the Peace Park)
★
Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum [2] (Located next to the Peace Park)
★
Nyoko-do Hermitage
★
Urakami Cathedral (浦上天主堂)
★
Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan(日本二十六聖人殉教の地)
★
Sanno Shrine - One-Legged Arch (山王神社)
★
Glover Garden (グラバー園)
★
★ Former Glover Residence
★
★ Former Alt Residence
★
★ Former Ringer Residence
★
★ Former Walker Residence
★ Higashi-Yamate Juniban Mansion (東山手十二番館)
★ Former site of Latin Seminario (旧羅典神学校)
★ Former site of the British Consulate in Nagasaki (旧長崎英国領事館)
★ Former site of Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Nagasaki Branch (旧香港上海銀行長崎支店)
★
Kōfuku-ji (興福寺)
★
Confucius Shrine (孔子廟)
★ Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown
[3] (長崎新地中華街)
★
Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture [4] (長崎歴史文化博物館)
★ Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium
[5] (長崎ペンギン水族館)
★ Nagasaki Science Museum
[6] (長崎市科学館)
★
Gunkanjima (軍艦島)
★
Siebold Memorial Museum
★
Suwa Shrine
★ Tateyama Park (立山公園)
Events
The
Prince Takamatsu Cup Nishinippon Round-Kyūshū Ekiden, the world's longest
relay race, begins in Nagasaki each November.
Kunchi, the most famous festival in Nagasaki, is held from 7-9 October.
The Nagasaki Lantern Festival
[7], celebrating the Chinese New Year, is celebrated from 2/18 to 3/4 in 2007.
Foods and souvenirs
★ Champon
★ Sara udon
★ Shigeki Biwa
★ Kasutera |
★ Chinese Confections
★ Urakami Soboro
★ Shippoku Cuisine |
★ Toruko rice (''Turkish rice'')
★ Karasumi
★ Nagasaki Kakuni Manju |
Shopping
★ You-me Plaza
★ Hamanomachi Shopping Arcade
★ AMYU Plaza
Sister cities
This sculpture at Peace Park commemorates Nagasaki's sister-city relationship with Saint Paul.
The city of Nagasaki maintains sister-city or friendship relations with other cities worldwide.
[8]
Within Japan
★
Hiroshima
Outside Japan
★
Saint Paul, Minnesota,
United States - (1955) Oldest sister city in Japan
★
Santos,
Brazil (1972)
★
Porto,
Portugal (1978)
★
Middelburg,
Netherlands (1978)
★
Fuzhou,
People's Republic of China (1980)
See also
★
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
★
Ground Zero
★
Foreign cemeteries in Japan
★
Gunkanjima
★
Hiroshima
★
Hiroshima (film) (about the decision process behind the dropping of the nuclear bombs)
★
Kokura (
Kitakyushu)
External links
★
Official website
★
Footage of the bombing of Nagasaki
★
Nuclear Files.org Comprehensive information on the history, and political and social implications of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
★
'Nagasaki's Sister Cities
★ Nagasaki JALT [Japan Association for Language Teaching]
[9]
★
Nuclear Weapons and Warfare
★
Why Hiroshima And Nagasaki
★
Nagasaki Prefectual Tourism Federation
★
Nagasaki Social Networking Service
★
Nagasaki Product Promotion Association
★
Lucadea.com - Many recent pics about Nagasaki
References
1. Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR VII) report to the Natianal Academies of Science, 2007
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