- Located in Nagasaki prefecture in the southern part of the Shimabara peninsula.
- Hara castle was another of the castles belonging to the Arima clan (in addition to Hinoe castle). It was the largest-scale castles to be built within what is now Nagasaki prefecture.
- The stone wall fortification technique that was used in Hara castle’s construction is characteristic of castles built around the time of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
- Once the Matsukura clan had taken over the Arima clan’s domain, Christians began to suffer torture in the “jigoku” at Unzen (“jigoku” literally means “hell” and in this context refers to hot springs of extremely high temperatures). These tortures were performed with the intention of forcing Christians to renounce their faith. Many refused to do so, however, and were martyred.
- In 1637, at the time of the Amakusa-Shimabara rebellion, rebel forces barricaded themselves in Hara castle.
- After the rebellion, Christians were wiped out. However, many people migrated to the area from elsewhere, and worked hard to revive it.
Website of the Churches and Christian Historical and Cultural Heritage of Nagasaki
Registered asset
Site of Hara Castle
Articles related to this asset
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Stone-walled castles
Through the ruins of Hara castle, we can witness the early days of the stone wall fortification technique which was in fashion around the time of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Castle construction was in a period of transition between medieval and early modern times.
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The Amakusa-Shimabara rebellion
Many Christians fought in the Amakusa-Shimabara rebellion. At Hara castle, an estimated 27,000 men, women and children lost their lives.
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Abandoned castles
The Arima clan, which had governed the Shimabara peninsular for generations, left and moved to another domain.
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The cause of the rebellion
A great number of Christian artefacts have been uncovered during archaeological excavations at Hara castle.
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Hara castle, completely destroyed
Hara was destroyed out of fear that the dead might rise. People from a different religion later came here to mourn the dead.
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The martyrs of Unzen
Many Christians were tortured and killed at Unzen, a place of numerous burning hot springs
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Hara’s revival
Although Hara castle was completely destroyed by the army of the shogunate, the area subsequently underwent a revival.
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Preserving Minami-Shimabara’s history
After the Amakusa-Shimabara rebellion, there was group migration into Arima, with many people coming and settling there.
