On the "26 Martyrs of Japan Memorial Museum and Chapel"

On a more personal note, I have visited this place several times. The first time was in my late teens, when I was aspiring to be an architect and was fascinated by Le Corbusier and Mies, and this memorial hall and cathedral was beyond my comprehension. Still, it was somehow in the back of my mind, and I always visited here whenever I went to Nagasaki. As I continued to visit, perhaps as I gained more experience as an Architectural Design, I became obsessed with the indescribable charm of this architecture, where you can sense the scent of people and their thoughts.

The building is located on a small hill called Nishizaka in Nagasaki. In 1597, 26 Christians were crucified here during the history of the oppression of non-believers. After climbing the steep slope in front of Nagasaki Station, you will soon arrive at the park called Martyrs' Hill. If you pass by the monument with the bronze statues of the 26 martyrs in front of you, you will see the stone monument called "Road to Nagasaki" on the back and the entrance to the memorial hall across the courtyard. The entrance to the memorial hall and the stone monument are connected by a canopy called "Bridge of Martyrs" supported by a twisted concrete pillar called "Column of Martyrs" that depicts the suffering of the martyrs. Of course, all of the ceramic fragment mosaics on the distinctive twin towers of the cathedral, the ceramic fragment mosaics on the east and west walls of the memorial hall, and the stone monument in the courtyard are handmade. The pottery fragments were collected from Seto, Oribe, Shigaraki, Karatsu, Oribe, etc., following the path of a saint who was captured in Kyoto and sent to Nagasaki. The composition of this courtyard and the pottery fragment mosaic, which he himself named the Phoenix Mosaic, condense and express the various thoughts of the late architect Kenji Imai, but discussing them is not the purpose of this paper.

This building is a mysterious piece of architecture. Although there are some slight irregularities on the roof and some distinctive elements such as spear-shaped columns between the concrete louvers on the exterior wall, the memorial hall is a modern building made of exposed concrete with a rational structural form. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary building, except for the ceramic shard mosaics on the east and west walls. The church also does not seem to be a particularly unusual building, except for the twin towers decorated with ceramic shard mosaics. Nevertheless, it conveys the scent of people, human thoughts, hopes, fears, and other fundamental human emotions. This is probably due in part to the warmth and nostalgia that natural materials such as concrete, natural stone, and wood create over time. Another reason is that this memorial hall and church are religious buildings. However, there is another main reason. The details carefully and meticulously applied to every part of the building, such as the stone exterior walls and wooden lattices on the first floor, the interior doors, stairs, handrails, and the skylight in the atrium, all convey the passion that one architect and the people who supported him poured into this building. Just like the ceramic shard mosaics and stone monuments, this building is a culmination of passion and emotion that is embedded in every part of it, and that is why it conveys fundamental human emotions such as hope and awe. It is a fascinating piece of architecture that is filled with love for people and for creativity.

This building is constructed with materials that are familiar to us even today, such as exposed concrete and natural wood. These are materials that can directly express the scent and warmth of people. However, the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan Memorial Hall and Cathedral teaches us that architecture that resonates with people's hearts can only be created by putting the passion and feelings of the creator into it.