Ikitsuki Island

This island is located to the northwest of Hirado Island. It is connected to Hirado Island by the Ikitsuki Ohashi Bridge, and has a population of approximately 6,000 people. Besides many Christians living there and being known as a land of martyrdom where severe repression was carried out during the period Christianity was banned, it prospered as the largest whaling base in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). At the Hirado City Ikitsuki-cho Municipal Museum Shima no Yakata, there are exhibits related to the history of the island including those on hidden Christians and whaling.