() is the
Capital and the largest
City of
Nagasaki Prefecture in
Japan . It was formerly part of
Nishisonogi District .
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 .
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.
- redundant w/table: Geographical location
2005 (UTC) --->
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.
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.
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 .
1945 ]]
U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry 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.
See Also: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On , the dead totaled 73,884, injured 74,909 and diseased several hundred. Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR VII) report to the Natianal Academies of Science, 2007
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 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 .
The nearest airport is ,
202 ,
251 ,
324 , and
499 .
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
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- You-me Plaza
- Hamanomachi Shopping Arcade
- AMYU Plaza
The city of Nagasaki maintains sister-city or friendship relations with other cities worldwide.
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