Shimabara Castle Museum

Shimabara Castle is an early modern five-story, seven-floor castle built in 1624 (Kanei 1) by Matsukura Shigemasa, and celebrated its 400th anniversary of construction in 2024. The castle keep, reconstructed in 1964, is open to the public as a museum exhibiting Christian historical materials, folk artifacts, and military weapons and swords related to the Shimabara Rebellion (1637–38). Because the Matsudaira family's hereditary swords are specially displayed each year at the "Shimabara Castle Sword Exhibition," the castle has become an important destination for sword enthusiasts.

Matsudaira Family Swords and Nagasaki Prefectural Important Cultural Properties

The Shimabara domain passed from the Matsukura clan to the Fukōzu-Matsudaira clan, with the Matsudaira family serving as domain lords throughout the Edo period. Among the sword collection accumulated by successive Matsudaira lords, two blades — "Shinki" (神気) and "Shinzoku" (神息) — are designated as Nagasaki Prefectural Important Cultural Properties. They are specially exhibited at the Tourism Restoration Memorial Museum from New Year's Day through the pine-decoration period each year. Both Shinki and Shinzoku possess advanced swordsmithing technique and historical provenance, holding high research value as concrete examples of sword culture in an early modern daimyo household.

Shimabara Rebellion Materials

The museum's exhibition stands out for the richness of primary sources related to the Shimabara Rebellion (1637–38). This uprising, where a peasant revolt and Christian faith converged, was the largest domestic conflict of the early modern period, claiming over 37,000 lives and directly leading to the strengthening of the sakoku (closed-country) policy. The "Christian Historical Materials Room" inside the castle holds fumie (objects trampled to deny faith), relics, and implements of hidden Christians, presenting an exhibition where visitors can directly feel the weight of history. Military equipment and armor are also displayed, helping visitors concretely understand the siege warfare of that era.

400th Anniversary and Tourism Restoration Memorial Museum

A special exhibition held in conjunction with the 400th anniversary of the castle's construction in 2024 gathered swords, armor, and documents associated with Shimabara in one place. The "Tourism Restoration Memorial Museum" adjacent to the keep also exhibits records of the 1991–95 Unzen-Fugen volcanic eruptions, offering a unique museum experience where natural history, castle history, and weapons history intersect.