Hirado Castle and Nanban Trade: A Sea Castle Standing at the First Western Trade Site

Hirado Castle: A Sea Castle Conveying the History of Nanban Trade

"Hirado Castle (Hirado-jo, also known as Kameoka Castle)" on Hirado Island in Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture, is a castle construction begun in 1704 and completed in 1718 as the residence of the Matsuura family. Hirado was Japan's first Western trade site where trade with China, Portugal, and the Netherlands (nanban trade, vermilion seal ship trade) was conducted from the Muromachi to Warring States periods, serving as the center of foreign trade until it moved to Tsushima in the early Edo period.

Coexistence of Church and Castle

Hirado's unique scenery is the "coexistence of castle and church." Photos with both Hirado Xavier Memorial Church (built 1931) and Hirado Castle's keep in the same frame are often used in tourism pamphlets — scenery representing Hirado. It symbolizes the history of Hirado where Christian (Christian) and warrior culture coexisted.

Hirado's Hidden Christian Culture

Many settlements retaining the tradition of "hidden Christians" exist on outlying islands around Hirado. The culture of "hidden Christians" who secretly maintained faith under the Edo period ban on Christianity continues to be passed down on Ikitsuki Island and others, registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2018 as "Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region."

Access

Approximately 1 hour 40 minutes by bus from JR Sasebo Line "Sasebo Station." Or approximately 20 minutes by bus from Matsuura Railway "Tabira Hiradoguchi Station."