Inasago Shinjikoku Saibochi Inasa Goshinji International Cemetery

Of the three international cemeteries in the city, it is the oldest and largest in size.

Located at the foot of Mt. Inasa, which is famous for its night view, and within the precincts of Goshinji Temple, a Jodo sect Buddhist temple, it is a rare international cemetery that has been protected by successive chief priests.

This cemetery, which is a Buddhist temple, is where people of different nationalities and religions are buried, including Chinese, Russians, Portuguese, Dutch, French, British, Spanish, Americans, Indians, and Jews. Most of the deaths occurred during the voyage or in Nagasaki City.

The majority of the cemetery is occupied by Chinese (Tang) graves. The first Chinese cemetery was built in 1602, as influential Chinese people who came to Nagasaki in the early Edo period made Goshinji their family temple.
The Dutch Cemetery is home to the oldest remaining Western graves in Japan. At the time, the condition of the Dutch on Dejima was that they not engage in any religious activities, but even so, they allowed a cross to be carved on their tombstones and acquiesced, showing the understanding of the Nagasaki people towards Westerners.

It is a place with characteristics typical of Nagasaki, which has long accepted foreigners and adopted different cultures.

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Busan Area: Nagasaki city center area (Peace Park, Mt. Inasa, Glover Garden, etc.)

Categories: History/cultural assets

Let's find out more! Inasa Goshinji International Cemetery

Wilkens' grave with an impressive flower cross/gravestone carved with a ball

The writing on the tombstone is proof of a romance with a prostitute~1

There are not many gravestones that can provide clues about the life and occupation of the person buried there. The inscriptions generally consist of names, dates of death, and short religious poems or admonitions.

However, the two tombstones at Inasa Goshinji International Cemetery take us back to the romance of the distant past. Inscribed in small letters on the tombstone is the name of the Japanese geisha who built the tomb for his deceased lover. The owner of the tomb with its eye-catching flower cross is Gustav Wilkens, a German-American merchant. When he died, he gave all of his property to the Maruyama prostitute Tamakiku, who used most of her fortune to build an extraordinarily large tombstone. The words ``Tsumokuniya Tamakiku'' are certainly engraved on the side of the tombstone.
Dutch cemetery attached to Japanese cemetery/Rheinford grave

The writing on the tombstone is proof of romance with a prostitute ~2

Also, in the Dutch cemetery surrounded by a brick wall, which is surrounded by silence, is the last resting place of James Reinford, a trader in Nagasaki, who was the last person to be buried in the Dutch cemetery at Goshinji. I am.
The words "Eight bridges built" are engraved on his gravestone.
Little is known about it other than that it was built by a Maruyama geisha named Yatsuhashi.
These letters alone quietly but clearly convey the love between these two people.
The name of the prostitute Yatsuhashi is on the tombstone.

The writing on the tombstone is proof of romance with a prostitute ~2

Also, in the Dutch cemetery surrounded by a brick wall, which is surrounded by silence, is the last resting place of James Reinford, a trader in Nagasaki, who was the last person to be buried in the Dutch cemetery at Goshinji. I am.
The words "Eight bridges built" are engraved on his gravestone.
Little is known about it other than that it was built by a Maruyama geisha named Yatsuhashi.
These letters alone quietly but clearly convey the love between these two people.

Basic Information

Address	852-8008 Akebono-cho, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture 6-14
Phone	095-861-2654(Goshinji Temple)
Opening hours	10:30～15:00 *Some of the cemeteries are locked, so if you would like to take a tour, please contact Goshin-ji Temple directly.
Days Off	Open all year round
Transportation access	From JR Nagasaki Station, take the bus bound for Inasa for about 10 minutes and get off at Goshinji-mae. Approximately 5 minutes by car from JR Nagasaki Station
Link URL	Nagasaki web magazine "Nagajin"