Nagasaki · City
Shimabara
島原市しまばらしShimabara-shiSpring water, samurai lanes and a volcano on the doorstep
Shimabara is a castle town on the eastern coast of the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki Prefecture, at the foot of the Unzen volcano. It is known for Shimabara Castle, its abundant spring water and as the setting of the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637 to 1638.
Overview
Shimabara faces the Ariake Sea across from Kumamoto, with the Unzen massif rising directly behind it. Groundwater filtered through the volcano emerges at dozens of springs in the town, feeding stone channels in which ornamental carp swim, and the town calls itself a 'city of water'.
The white five-storey keep of Shimabara Castle, built by Matsukura Shigemasa in the 1620s and reconstructed in 1964, dominates the centre. Matsukura's heavy taxation and persecution of Christians contributed to the Shimabara Rebellion, the largest uprising of the Edo period, whose final stand at Hara Castle in the south of the peninsula is now part of the Hidden Christian Sites.
The town has lived with the volcano throughout its history. In 1792 the collapse of Mount Mayuyama sent a landslide into the sea and a tsunami across to Higo, and between 1990 and 1995 the eruption that built Heisei Shinzan buried villages on its southern outskirts under pyroclastic flows and mudflows. The peninsula is a UNESCO Global Geopark.
Landmarks
Shimabara Castle
島原城Shimabara-jōReconstructed keep and turrets housing museums on Christian history and the Shimabara Rebellion.
Samurai residences of Teppōchō
武家屋敷buke yashikiLane of lower-ranking samurai houses with a stream running down the middle of the street.
Carp-filled waterways
鯉の泳ぐまちKoi no oyogu machiStone channels in the Shinmachi district fed by clear spring water, home to hundreds of carp.
Shimeiso
四明荘ShimeisōEarly twentieth-century house built over a spring-fed pond garden.
- 雲仙岳災害記念館Unzen-dake Saigai Kinenkan
Museum on the 1990–1995 eruption and volcanic science, built on land formed by pyroclastic deposits.
Buried houses of Mizunashi
土石流被災家屋保存公園Doseki-ryū Hisai Kaoku Hozon KōenPark preserving houses half buried by volcanic mudflows in the 1990s.
Districts
Castle quarter
The castle, samurai lanes and temples on the higher ground west of the port.
Shinmachi
新町ShinmachiOld merchant streets with springs, carp channels and traditional shops.
Shimabara Port
島原港Shimabara-kōFerry harbour with car ferries and fast boats across the Ariake Sea to Kumamoto.
History
The peninsula was ruled by the Arima clan, Christian daimyo whose lands were a stronghold of the Jesuit mission. After the Arima were transferred in 1614, Matsukura Shigemasa built a new castle at Shimabara and began harsh persecution. His son's oppressive rule, famine and religious persecution led peasants and masterless samurai of Shimabara and Amakusa to rise in 1637 under the teenage Amakusa Shirō; the shogunate crushed them at Hara Castle in 1638. Later domains, above all the Matsudaira from 1669, rebuilt the region. Shimabara's modern history is marked by natural disasters, from the Unzen landslide and tsunami of 1792 to the eruption of 1990 to 1995.
1618–1624
Matsukura Shigemasa builds Shimabara Castle.
1637–1638
Shimabara Rebellion; the rebels are annihilated at Hara Castle.
1669
The Fukōzu Matsudaira clan takes over the domain and rules until 1871.
1792
Collapse of Mount Mayuyama; the landslide and tsunami kill some 15,000 people around the Ariake Sea.
1940
Shimabara becomes a city.
1964
The castle keep is reconstructed.
1991
A pyroclastic flow from Unzen on 3 June kills 43 people, including journalists and volcanologists.
2009
The Shimabara Peninsula becomes one of Japan's first UNESCO Global Geoparks.
Culture
Water defines daily life in Shimabara, from springs used as neighbourhood wash places to the carp in the canals. The town's museums and the geopark present the peninsula's history of volcanic disaster and recovery, while the castle's Christian collections recall the peninsula's past as a centre of the Jesuit mission.
Festivals
Shimabara Water Festival
Summer festival celebrating the town's springs.
Shimabara Castle cherry blossoms
In spring the castle grounds and moats are lined with cherry trees.
Food
Guzōni
具雑煮guzōniRice-cake soup with many ingredients, said to go back to the provisions of the rebels at Hara Castle.
Kanzarashi
かんざらしkanzarashiSmall rice-flour dumplings chilled in spring water and served in a honey syrup.
Rokubee
ろくべえrokubeeNoodles made from sweet-potato flour in a hot broth, born of famine years on the peninsula.
Getting around
- The private Shimabara Railway runs along the coast from Isahaya, where it connects with JR and the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen.
- Car ferries and high-speed boats cross the Ariake Sea from Shimabara Port to Kumamoto Port in roughly one hour or less.
- Buses link Shimabara with Unzen Onsen and Nagasaki; the town centre is compact and walkable from Shimabara Station.
Day trips
Hot-spring village and hiking base for Fugen-dake and Heisei Shinzan.
- 原城跡Hara-jō ato
Site of the rebels' last stand in 1638, in Minamishimabara; part of the Hidden Christian Sites.
Obama Onsen
小浜温泉Obama OnsenSeaside hot spring on the western coast of the peninsula.
Castle city across the Ariake Sea, reached by ferry.
The park links the Unzen volcano with the islands of Amakusa to the south.
Other cities in the prefecture
Frequently asked questions
What was the Shimabara Rebellion?
An uprising of largely Christian peasants and masterless samurai of Shimabara and Amakusa in 1637 to 1638 against heavy taxation, famine and persecution. It ended with the fall of Hara Castle and led the shogunate to expel the Portuguese.
Is Unzen still active?
Yes. Unzen is an active volcano monitored by the Japan Meteorological Agency; its last eruption, from 1990 to 1995, formed the Heisei Shinzan lava dome. Check JMA alert levels before hiking.
Why are there carp in Shimabara's streets?
Spring water from Unzen flows through stone channels in the Shinmachi district, and residents have kept ornamental carp in them since the late 1970s.
How do I get from Shimabara to Kumamoto?
By car ferry or high-speed boat across the Ariake Sea from Shimabara Port to Kumamoto Port.
Related
Sources
- 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
- 2.島原市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 島原市
- 3.島原半島ユネスコ世界ジオパーク (opens in a new tab) — 島原半島ジオパーク協議会
- 4.Japan Meteorological Agency: volcano information (opens in a new tab) — Japan Meteorological Agency