- Type
- Ruin
- Origins
- 1496 · 15th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
- Heritage
- part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (an old town or a valley, for example)
- Coordinates
- 32.6333°, 130.2560°
History
The castle on a seaside hill in the south of the Shimabara Peninsula was built in 1496 by Arima Takazumi as a subsidiary fortress of the clan's main seat, Hinoe Castle. In 1599–1604 Arima Harunobu turned it into an up-to-date stronghold with stone walls and several enclosures. When the Arima were moved to Nobeoka in Hyūga province in 1614 and the new lords built Shimabara Castle, it was abandoned. In late 1637 it was occupied by the Shimabara rebels – peasants, mostly Christians, and masterless samurai led by the young Amakusa Shirō. For more than three months they held off a huge shogunate army, until the fortress fell in April 1638 and its defenders were massacred. After the rising the remains of the castle were burned and buried together with the bodies of the dead.
What to see
On the hill above the sea the outlines of the enclosures and stretches of stone wall survive, some uncovered by excavation. In the former main enclosure stand a statue of Amakusa Shirō, a cross and his gravestone. Finds such as small crosses, medals and rosary beads are shown in a nearby museum. The ruins are part of the UNESCO listing of the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q2498312
Popularity: articles about this site in 15 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).