The largest of the islands in the archipelago of Amakusa, which stretches out to the southwest of Kumamoto in the East China Sea, is Shimo-jima. Here, as odd as it may seem, a few fishing villages house a church, attesting to the archipelago's religious history. It was used by the first (Portuguese) missionaries, who converted the Japanese to Christianity. The repression Japanese Christians suffered before they were once again able to practice their faith freely and rebuild their places of worship is well documented.