Introduction to Underground and Hidden Christians
The documentary Hidden Christians: Japan examines the lives of hidden Christians (隠れキリシタン, kakure kirishitan), the descendants of underground Christians, in modern society. On Ikitsuki Island and the Gotō Islands, islands north of Nagasaki that have large Christian populations, Christians recall the oppression and danger that their ancestors faced during the Edo period. The documentary showcases how contemporary Christians continue to incorporate rituals and objects of worship from Shintō and Buddhism as their forbearers did. Also, it discusses how Buddhist monks accommodate Christians still hidden to their communities.
Tenchi hajimari no koto (The Beginning of Heaven and Earth)- PDF on external site
Tenchi hajimari no koto (天地始まりのこと) is the main text of worship for underground Christians and the only surviving primary source from Edo-period Christians. Christal Whelan translated into English Ebisawa Arimichi's reconstruction of the Zen and Hatakeda transcripts, based on the original oral stories told in western Japan. Tenchi retells the story of the Bible as recalled by Japanese Christians who heard it from European missionaries, and like many other facets of underground Christianity, it incorporated figures and concepts from Shinto and Buddhism. This text formed the crux of underground Christian practice and the worship of Christianity with elements of Buddhism and Shinto.