Also known as Moridake Castle, it took Shigemasa Matsukura seven years and three months from 1618 to build the castle at Moridake in the center of the Shimabara Peninsula. His son Katsuie was accused of being responsible for the Shimabara Rebellion and had his territory confiscated and condemned.
Thereafter, Takanori Tadafusa, Matsudaira Tadafusa, and others became the lord of the castle, and the Meiji Restoration took place under the Matsudaira clan.
In 1964, the castle tower was restored, and the turrets of the Tatsumi and Ushi-no-Tora were reconstructed and turned into the Kitamura Nishimochi Memorial Hall and the Folk Art Museum, respectively.
Shigemasa Matsukura (1573-1630)
A feudal lord in the early Edo period. Served under Ieyasu and became lord of Shimabara after the Battle of Osaka. He was famous for his suppression of Christianity in his domain. His harsh administration was a cause of the Shimabara Rebellion.
9:00-17:30
Open all year round
Admission fee
Adult 550 yen
Elementary, junior high and high school students 280 yen
5 min. walk from Shimabara Station