Hanare Kirishitan
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Hanare Kirishitans are Christians who, after the Roman Catholic Church was allowed back into Japan in the 1800's during the Meiji Restoration, did not rejoin the church and continued to practice their "hidden" version of Christianity. The Hanare Kirishitans have their roots in the Kakure Kirishitan's who were Christians that continued to practice Christianity during the 1600's and 1700's. The exact number is not known but shrines, called so because of fear of being called church, are still maintained. It has been suggested that Hanare Kirishitans can be classified as Protestant due to the fact that they did not rejoin to the Catholic Church and maintain their traditional beliefs[citation needed].
