Hara Castle
Hara Castle was originally built in 1496 as a subsidiary fortification to nearby Hinoe Castle, with upgrades made from 1599 to 1604. Later dismantled and abandoned by the then daimyo (lord) Matsukura Shigemasa (1574-1630), it was briefly occupied by the rebels who took part in the Shimabara Rebellion (1637-38). It now exists as a series of ruins accessible by bus from the city of Shimabara.
Hara Castle & the Arima Clan
Arima Takazumi, the then daimyo of the Hinoe domain (located east of Nagasaki on Japan's southern island of Kyushu and later referred to as the Shimabara domain), constructed Hara Castle as a supporting fortification for nearby Hinoe Castle (they were spaced about 5 kilometres or 3 miles apart). It was situated on a hillside coastline bordering the Ariake Sea and was regarded as a highly defensible stronghold.
It was later upgraded by Arima Harunobu (1567-1612), the daimyo at that time and a descendant of Arima Takazumi, from circa 1599 to 1604, and it was designated as the area's primary castle. It contained main, second, and third baileys (honmaru, ninomaru, and sannomaru respectively), as well as outer baileys (such as the named Amakusamaru). The main bailey also included a tenshu (keep). The upgrades Arima Harunobu made included stone walls, dry moats, and updates to the gates and yagura (watchtowers).
Although initially an opponent of Christianity in Japan, Harunobu eventually converted and was even baptised by Alessandro Valignano (1539-1606), a prominent Jesuit priest in Japanese history. Notably, many of these improvements later enabled the Christian rebels of the Shimabara Rebellion to resist the shogunate's (military dictatorship) siege for as long as they did. Further, these rebels and Harunobu shared the same fate in that their deaths were ordered by the shogunate.
Harunobu's son, Arima Naozumi (1586-1641), played a significant part in his father's death and went on to inherit Harunobu's lands. At the behest of then shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), he renounced his Christian faith and began persecuting followers of the religion in his domain. Eventually frustrated with persistent Christian uprisings, he was voluntarily transferred out of Shimabara, and Matsukura Shigemasa (1574-1630) took his place.
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⇒ Hara Castle