Shimabara Castle has white Tenshukaku that stands on a hill called Moritake in Shimabara City. Matsukura Bungonokami Shigemasa completed the castle over a period of about seven years, from 1618.
Shimabara Castle was built in the style of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1603), with a 33-meter-high, five-story Tenshukaku (castle tower) on the main block with Ninomaru and Sanomaru on the north side, and large and small turrets in key locations. A moat surrounds the castle, and the stone walls stand vertically with gentle curves, retaining their original appearance even now, 400 years after the castle was built.
The castle was used as a Kyojo (residence and base )for 19 generations of the four lords for about 250 years after its construction and withstood the Shimabara Rebellion but was abandoned after the Meiji Restoration. It was dismantled, leaving only the stone walls and moat, restored by 1964 (Showa 39).
Nowadays, In the Tenshukaku (castle tower), historical documents of the Christians, local history, and ethnic history are exhibited. There you can take a look at the statue of Maria Kannon and a portrait of Shiro Amakusa. The fifth floor is open as an observatory where you can see Shimabara City and Mt.Bizan.
On the east side of the castle, there is the "Tatsumi Tno Yagura," the "Saibou Memorial Hall," which displays the works of Kitamura Saibou, the author of the Peace Statue, and the Tourism Reconstruction Hall, which introduces the disaster of the Unzen Fugendake volcano eruption.
Highlights
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"The Shimabara Castle Shichimangoku Busho-Tai," warriors associated with Shimabara Castle, entertain visitors on a daily basis and perform dances on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
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The first lord of Shimabara Castle, Tadafusa Matsudaira, had a bell called the Toki Bell Tower (restored) cast.
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There are 285 red and white plum trees in the castle, including the Furuno Ume Garden next to the castle tower, and their fragrance is sweet in spring.
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In the moat, lotus flowers bloom in summer.
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Shimabara Castle is available to visit at night. (Specific dates only. Please check the official website for schedule.)
