On this small island in rural Nagasaki, Japan, a community of Hidden Christians gathers to worship what they call the Closet God.
In a special room, barely larger than a tatami mat, hangs a scroll painting of a kimono-clad Asian woman. She may resemble a Buddhist Bodhisattva holding a baby, but for the faithful, this is a concealed version of Mary and the baby Jesus. Another scroll shows a man wearing a kimono covered with camellias, an allusion to John the Baptist’s beheading and martyrdom.
