Catholic Tsuruoka Church

The black madonna statue

Black Madonnas are very unusual in Japan and it is even more unusual to find one in such a small city as Tsuruoka. This little church is very simple and small. The wooden floor and the red carpet co...

One of the few Catholic churches

One sees a lot of church like structures in Japan, but usually those are wedding venues. This is a real church housed in a simple wooden structure and without the elaborate painted windows or ceilings...

The White Hall of Fame with the Red Tower

Original Text

　I found a church with a very prominent red tower about ２００ｍ on the east side of Tsuruoka Park. That was the Catholic Church of Tsuruoka. When I went around the outside of the church, there was a magnificent gate like a samurai residence on the south side of the chalk church. The magnificent gate of the black Edo period was a very good contrast between the red tower and the white church wall. It seems that it was a church built in 1873, but it is still in good condition ...

It's a beautiful church.

Original Text

It is a white wall and a red spire building near the ruins of Tsurugaoka Castle. According to the information board, it seems to have been built in the Meiji period and is designated as a cultural property of Yamagata Prefecture. Inside, a pipe chair is placed on the tatami mats. I want to hear the sound of a pipe organ above the entrance.

Tsuruoka Catholic Church

Original Text

Tsuruoka Catholic Church Tenshudo is located in the center of Tsuruoka City, near the ruins of Tsurugaoka Castle. It was built in 1903 and has a history, and it is a very rare church in Japan where the buildings of that time remain. The church is a very beautiful building because the chalk wall and the holy tower are thin and high.