Shimabara Castle
島原城
A white five-story keep in a flatland castle. Inside, exhibits cover the Shimabara Rebellion and Christian history, and the castle town has samurai residences and a “Carp Swimming Town.”
Shimabara Castle was built between 1618 and 1624 by Matsukura Shigemasa. Heavy taxes and the suppression of Christianity sparked the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637. After being demolished in the Meiji era, the five-story keep was rebuilt in 1964. It now serves as a museum displaying Christian relics, the history of the Shimabara Rebellion and the castle town. The top floor offers views over the Ariake Sea and Mount Unzen. Admission is about 700 yen, including the Tourism Revival Memorial Museum. Northwest of the castle is the Samurai Residences street, with preserved water channels, and in the city center, the clear, flowing channels of the “Carp Swimming Town” are home to numerous koi. Try kanzarashi, a Shimabara specialty of chilled white mochi dessert. The Shimabara Railway’s Shimabara Station is about 5 minutes’ walk away. It can be visited on the same day as Unzen.
Opening hours
09:00–17:30
Nearby sights
- Shimabara Samurai Residences
- Shimabara Carp Streets & Shimeiso Garden
- Mt. Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall
- Mount Fugen
- Nita Pass & Unzen Ropeway
- Unzen Jigoku & Unzen Onsen
- Obama Onsen
- Hara Castle Ruins