20 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Vase for holy oil used by ‘hidden Christians’ in Japan

After the family that had passed it down through the generations permitted the artifact to be examined, a relic from the era of the “hidden Christians” in Japan centuries ago is creating a stir here.

Although the item may seem like a simple vase, it’s a word painted on the bottom that makes it important. The word suggests the vase held fragrant oil used during Catholic Mass, and likely for a very important person.

The artifact is 25 centimeters tall and painted in three colors. It was made in China around 1600. The item is owned by a family who lives in the Sotome district, where Japanese Catholics were driven underground during the Edo Period (1603-1867) to avoid persecution.

During the Tokugawa shogunate or Edo period, Japan was effectively isolated in a rigid isolationist autarchy for 265 years. Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) supported Christianity at first but later persecuted it.

On March 24, 1603, he officially established the shogunate that bears his name (to be continued by his dynasty) in Edo (giving the name to the homonymous period in Japanese history), which is now Tokyo, Japan’s capital.

After the revolt of Shimabara in 1637, the Tokugawa shogunate and dynasty’s policy of strict isolationism became even more difficult when shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu(1604-1651) declared Japan to be “Sakoku” (“chained country”).

A Dehua porcelain "Guanyin bringing child" statue, interpreted to be "Maria Kannon" in connection with Christian worship. Nantoyōsō Collection, Japan.
A Dehua porcelain “Guanyin bringing child” statue, interpreted to be “Maria Kannon” in connection with Christian worship. Nantoyōsō Collection, Japan.

Christian converts, both peasants and swordsmen, took up arms in response to the persecution. Those who survived the carnage and others who escaped death became known as “Kakure Kirishitan,” or “hidden Christians” in the new Japanese “catacombs.”

The vase may have been used in a ceremony for Konishi Yukinaga, a Christian feudal lord in the 16th century, according to a May 16 theory by the Nagasaki prefectural government. Due to the scarcity of records from that time period, the prefectural government designated the vase as an important item, saying it provided insight into how Christian churches were run in Japan.

As a “treasured item,” only the head of the household historically was allowed to view the vase, the owner said. The vase was dubbed “Yokahito-sama” and used as an object to venerate when saying prayers.

Until now, it had not been known what the vase was for, the owner said.

While studying the vase, the prefectural government last year noticed that a foreign word, “Escencia,” is written in ink on the base. The term literally means “fragrant oil.” The prefectural government concluded the artifact was used for holy oil.

This suggests the vase featured in ceremonies such as consecration or celebration at Mass that only bishops are allowed to perform, prefectural government experts said.

Luis de Cerqueira was the bishop of Japan back then. He is said to have conducted a “confirmation” ceremony in the Amakusa Islands in 1599 to affirm Yukinaga’s religious faith.

According to Yohei Kawaguchi, an archeologist and official with the prefectural government’s arts and culture division, the vase was likely secretly moved somewhere after the Edo Shogunate banned Christianity in 1614, resulting in the expulsion of missionaries from Japan and the destruction of churches.

He believes that Christians at the time may have called the vase “Yokahito,” which means “good person,” to refer to the bishop, who was most likely the vase’s original owner.

Cover Photo: The word “Escencia” is written on the base of the vase. It means “fragrant oil.” Photo: Nagasaki prefectural government

Related Articles

Dingoes were regarded as “almost human” in pre-colonial Australia

21 October 2023

21 October 2023

When it comes to Australia’s wild dingoes, the phrase “a dog is a man’s best friend” takes on new meaning....

Archaeologists discovered medieval Bury St Edmunds Abbey ‘Bishop Boy’ token in Norfolk

19 December 2023

19 December 2023

Archaeologists have discovered token in Norfolk in the East of England, dating from between 1470 and 1560, given to the...

Excavations at the ‘Westminster Abbey of Wales’ Yielded a Few Surprises: a lost Aqueduct and a Buried Celtic Treasure

12 March 2024

12 March 2024

Archaeologists working in Wales revealed recently they may have discovered a Celtic monastery at the site of a 12th-century Cistercian...

Over 7,000-Year-Old Traces of Life Discovered in Ratina Cave on Šćedro Island, Croatia

28 February 2025

28 February 2025

Recent archaeological excavations on Šćedro Island, located south of Hvar, have unveiled significant findings that challenge previous understandings of the...

The Famous Cueva de Ardales cave in Spain was used by ancient humans for over 50,000 years

8 June 2022

8 June 2022

Cueva de Ardales cave in Málaga, Spain,  famed for the extensive prehistoric art on its walls was excavated for the...

An Ancient Site Found in UAE may be Sixth-Century Lost City of Tu’am

18 June 2024

18 June 2024

Ruins from the sixth century have been discovered during excavations in the United Arab Emirates Umm Al Quwain region, which...

Thousands of Ancient Tombs Discovered in Xian

23 February 2021

23 February 2021

According to the Shaanxi Provincial Archaeological Institute, more than 4,600 ancient cultural remains were discovered during the expansion project of...

The Discovery of nobleman Khuwy could rewrite Egypt history

25 October 2021

25 October 2021

The mummified corpse of an ancient Egyptian nobleman named Khuwy, discovered in 2019, showed the ancient Egyptians were carrying out...

The oldest evidence of human cannibalism as a funerary practice in Europe

7 October 2023

7 October 2023

According to a new study, cannibalism was a common funerary practice in northern Europe around 15,000 years ago, with people...

A Connection Between Viking Knots And Quantum Vortices Discovered

14 December 2022

14 December 2022

Scientists demonstrated how three vortices can be linked in such a way that they cannot be dismantled. Although this study...

Cyprus’ Lost Terracotta Warriors: Unearthing a 2,500-Year-Old Army at Agia Eirini

23 May 2025

23 May 2025

Hidden beneath the sands of time in the tranquil Morphou Bay lies Agia Eirini (Turkish: Akdeniz), a seemingly quiet village...

Human Relief Found at Million Stone Excavation Site in İstanbul

18 July 2021

18 July 2021

The Milion Stone (also known as the Million Stone) from the Eastern Roman period is one of important the historical...

Two Deep Ritual Wells Sealed with 3100-year-old Calcium Carbonate Discovered on Greek Island

6 August 2024

6 August 2024

Aerial photographs of the “Kotroni” Lakithra region, strategically located on the island of Cephalonia, west of the Greek mainland, revealed...

Archaeologists uncovered a Roman settlement and what is thought to be an extremely rare early Medieval longhouse in North East Wales

16 August 2024

16 August 2024

The team from the University of Chester, Heneb: the Trust for Welsh Archaeology (Clwyd-Powys region), and the Portable Antiquities Scheme...

A bronze seal matrix of St George slaying the dragon has been discovered at the royal Château of Villers-Cotterêts in northern France

21 March 2022

21 March 2022

A previously unpublished and unknown bronze seal matrix of Saint George slaying the dragon has been discovered at the royal...