Hirado Castle

In 1599, the 26th Shigenobu Matsura built Hinodake Castle, but set himself on fire in 1613. The castle was then based at Odate (the current location of the Matsuura Museum of History) for about 100 years, but was rebuilt by the 29th Shigenobu and the 30th Munakata. In 1718, during the reign of Atsunobu Matsura the 31st, he designed and completed Hirado Castle together with Soko Yamaga.

The current castle was restored in 1962 and reopened in April 2021 after major renovation work in the Heisei era.

Hirado Castle is a three-main-floors, five-story castle tower, with digital artwork on the second through fourth floors to introduce the history of Hirado. Panoramic images on a large screen, illustrations of the "Linked Head Sword," a national important cultural property, and items from the Nanban trade are on display. Visitors can enjoy the "Ishigaki Puzzle," a model replica of the Ote Gomon gate, the "Narrow Gap Experience," a view from the narrow space in the stone wall, and the "Hirado Dreamscape Scroll Embellished with Calligraphy," a digital calligraphy experience using a screen. On the 5th floor, there is an observation deck overlooking the Hirado Straits, where visitors can take commemorative photos with the “Sessya-no Castle Tower” in the background.