Bro. Prasanna Perera, OMI – Nagasaki, a city of unforgettable joy and pain, carries both discovered and hidden history. I first learned about this city while I was in Sri Lanka, when I participated in the Holy Mass on February 6, the feast day commemorating Saint Paul Miki and his companions, who gave their lives for Christ in this city in 1597.
On March 27, 2026, after graduating from Japanese Language School, I was blessed to visit Nagasaki. It had been a long-awaited journey because I had always wanted to see the very places where early Christians preserved their faith amid the persecutions of Japanese rulers in the 16th century.
As I mentioned in my previous article, Silence, directed by Martin Scorsese, gave me a first impression of the Christian mission in Japan. When I traveled from Fukuoka to Nagasaki, I saw misty mountains, the calm sea, and small rocky islands along the way. These scenes immediately reminded me of the landscapes shown in the movie. I kept gazing at those mountains, admiring their unique beauty. It increased my curiosity to see Nagasaki with my own eyes.
After a two-and-a-half-hour journey from Catholic Koga Church, we arrived in Nagasaki. Our first stop was Oura Church, one of the most significant landmarks in the history of Christianity in Japan. The museum beside the church was like a treasure. While walking through it, I learned that Saint Maximilian Kolbe had once served as a missionary in Japan and arrived in Nagasaki in 1930. As we know, Father Kolbe later returned to Poland because of poor health. In 1941, he was captured by the Nazis and was killed by a lethal injection.
Our next destination before lunch was the Nagasaki Peace Park. As I quietly walked through the Peace Park, my eyes fell upon the words written beside the huge statue at the center of the park.
A Word from the Sculptor Seibo Kitamura
After experiencing that nightmarish war,
that blood-curdling carnage,
that unendurable horror,
who could walk away without praying for peace?
This statue was created as a herald
for the struggle for global harmony.
Standing ten meters tall,
it conveys the profundity of knowledge and
the beauty of health and virility.
The right hand points to the atomic bomb,
the left hand points to peace,
and the face is in solemn prayer for the victims of the war.
Transcending the barriers of race and evoking the qualities of both Buddha and God,
it is a symbol of the greatest determination ever known in the history of Nagasaki
and of the highest hope of all mankind.
These words deeply touched me. The huge statue in the center stood as a powerful symbol of peace and prayer for the victims of war.
We took some photos and walked toward the right side of the park, where we saw the exact place where the atomic bomb exploded. There, we could see how deeply the bomb had scarred the earth and destroyed the landscape and all living beings.
Next, we had lunch and tasted the famous Nagasaki dish, Champon. Then, visited the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. It was heartbreaking to see how iron had melted and how the bomb killed around 246,000 people within moments. Looking at the displays and images, I quietly prayed for all those innocent people who suffered so greatly.
As I walked further through the museum, I remained silent, but I felt that the monuments still had something to say. It was as if they had been forced into silence, yet their pain still spoke.
After lunch, we visited the magnificent Urakami Cathedral, one of the most important Catholic churches in Japan. It had been completely destroyed by the atomic bomb blast.
Urakami cathedral in Nagazaki, Urakami cathedral in Nagazaki, before the Atomic after the Atomic Bomb blast. Bomb blast.
When I entered the cathedral, although there were many pews, the atmosphere was deeply peaceful. A cool freshness filled the interior. Once inside, I naturally felt like kneeling and praying. That calmness brought healing.
I found something unique in Nagasaki compared with the other cities I have visited in Japan. One reason may be its deep religious background shaped by European missionaries. Another may be its beautiful landscape: mountains, blue sea, and scenic coastal roads. If I posted a photo of the blue sea and mountains, some people might think it was artificial intelligence rather than reality. Its beauty seems almost unbelievable.
The most important thing I discovered there was a sacred silence that brings peace and calm. No matter what condition you are in, this silence has the power to make you feel at peace.
May peace be with you always.
