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Hara Castle was first built between 1599 and 1604 in the Arima domain (present day Minamishimabara) by the Catholic feudal lord, Harunobu Arima.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The construction was intricate, and as it was also surrounded by the sea on three sides, the castle could be protected with ease. It was built following the leading technology of the time as exemplified by the size of the gateway, almost half that of the inner keep and one of the biggest entrances of a Japanese castle, as well as by the large masugata <\/em>(the rectangular area between gates for troops to gather).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The area surrounding the castle was densely populated by Catholic converts, thanks to the activity of European missionaries lead by the Jesuit visitor Alessandro Valignano during the late 16th century. After missionaries were banned in 1587, the persecution against Kirishitan<\/em> (Japanese Catholic Christians) intensified, with a series of bans and numerous executions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Arima himself, after the Okamoto Daihachi incident, was executed, and the shogunate sent a new lord (Matsukura) to replace him. Wanting to impress the shogun, he increased taxation on the population to help build a new castle in Shimabara as a show of strength, after abandoning Hara Castle and Hinoe Castle, the Arima clan\u2019s main castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The local population, cornered by the extremely high taxation and a succession of poor harvests, coupled with a renewed crackdown on Kirishitan<\/em>, took up arms during the Shimabara-Amakusa Rebellion (1637-38).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The uprising was quelled by the shogunate army and the approximately 37,000 rebels, largely Kirishitan<\/em>, who had found refuge inside Hara Castle, were executed. The castle was demolished, its remains buried to prevent it ever sheltering a new insurrection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New inhabitants were brought from other parts of Japan to take over the crops, thereby introducing new customs and a characteristic mix of dialects to the area. The remaining Kirishitan<\/em> in the region went into hiding on the islands surrounding Nagasaki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rebellion greatly\ncontributed to the start of Japan\u2019s seclusion period, which brought the\nisolation of the country from foreign forces, and an even stricter enforcement\nof the ban on Christianity. The shogun, who had already been worried that the\nmissionary activities were a ploy put in place by European forces to conquer\nJapan, was in fact only further convinced of the dangers of Christianity as a\ndestabilizing element in society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The importance of Hara castle is thus twofold. On one hand, its remains and the findings of archaeological excavations provide us with important clues to that historical period. Primary examples are the fore On the other, and perhaps\neven more importantly, the site is an intangible cultural heritage because of\nits history as a testimony to the resilience and strength of the faith of the\nrebels. This faith was maintained and then transformed within the small pockets\nof remaining Hidden Christians, who would go on to develop unique systems of\nfaith based within their communities, and which were maintained for generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Remains of Hara Castle is open to the public, and its history and heritage are detailed alongside displays of archaeological findings in the nearby Arima Christian Heritage Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/betsu1.jpg\")
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i<\/s>gn porcelains and numerous crosses and medals — evidence of the faith of a large percentage of the rebels — found at the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/91393fb7c3b7f57206b09ded82abe42d.png\")
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