OVERVIEW

This Christian tombstone has a semi-cylindrical stone type lid, presenting onlookers with a beautiful symmetrical shape. The characteristic of this tombstone are the cross and the epigraph inscribed on it. Across the top of the lid there is a flower cross inscribed. On the front there is a double relieved surface and inside it a clover cross is carved. In the back another edge is double relieved and in the inside there is a wedge cross and few words written in the Roman alphabet. This is the oldest inscription of Roman letters in Japan. It is also the oldest inscription in Japan with a mixture of Christian and Japanese chronologies. This tombstone was discovered in 1929 after underground excavations were conducted. On July 24, 1959, the tombstone was recognized as an historic site designated by the national government.