Urakami

A district in the northern part of central Nagasaki City. Formerly Urakami Yamazato Village and Nishi-Urakami Village. JR Nagasaki Main Line Urakami Station is located here. It has been a Christian village since the late Middle Ages, and even after the Edo Shogunate began its oppression, the area continued to practice its faith, but suffered four major oppressions since 1790 (Kansei 2) (Urakami Kuzure). The fourth Kuzure, from 1867 to 1868 (Keio 3 to Meiji 1), was the most severe, and the entire village (3,394 people) was exiled, and they finally returned to the village in 1873. In the Meiji era, although it was adjacent to Nagasaki City, it was mainly farming and livestock, but in the Taisho era, Mitsubishi Weapons Factory and Mitsubishi Steel Works were established, and urbanization progressed, developing into an educational and residential area. On August 9, 1945 (Showa 20), an atomic bomb was dropped on Urakami, causing extensive damage within a four kilometer radius of the city, with 73,884 deaths and the city being burned down. Currently, the area is home to Urakami Cathedral, Peace Park, Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, as well as the Nagasaki University School of Medicine and Nagasaki University Hospital.

[Yasuyoshi Ishii]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

長崎市の中心市街北部の一地区。旧浦上山里(やまざと)村、西浦上村。JR長崎本線浦上駅がある。中世末からキリシタンの里で、江戸幕府の弾圧開始後も信仰を守り続けたが、1790年（寛政2）以後4回の大きな弾圧を受けた（浦上崩れ）。1867～1868年（慶応3～明治1）の四番崩れがもっとも厳しく、全村総流罪（3394人）の受難にあい、1873年にやっと帰村している。明治時代は長崎市街地に隣接しながらも農牧を主としていたが、大正時代に入って三菱(みつびし)兵器製作所や三菱製鋼所の設立があり、都市化が進み、文教、住宅地区として発展した。1945年（昭和20）8月9日、原爆投下にあい、浦上を中心に半径4キロメートル圏内は大きな被害を受け、死者7万3884人を出し、街は焼失した。現在、浦上天主堂、平和公園、長崎原爆資料館のほか、長崎大学医学部や長崎大学病院などがある。

［石井泰義］

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