[Japan's Top 100 Castles] <90 Hirado Castle>

Hirado Castle, one of the top three castles in Nagasaki Prefecture, is one of Japan's top 100 castles and is famous as the residence of the Matsura clan. In 1599 (Keicho 4), Matsura Shigenobu began building the castle as Hinojogaku Castle, but in 1613 (Keicho 18), just before it was completed, he set fire to the castle himself out of consideration for the Tokugawa shogunate. After that, Shigenobu built the Gokan, which became the residence of the Hirado domain for generations. In the mid-Edo period, the 5th lord of the domain, Matsura Taka, needed to guard the East Sea, so in February 1704 (Genroku 17), he began rebuilding the castle on the site of Hinojogaku Castle, which was completed in 1707 (Hoei 4). The reconstruction was designed according to the military studies of Yamaga Soko, and along with Akashi Castle, it is one of the few castles in the Yamaga style. The current castle site has been developed as the grounds of Kameoka Shrine and Kameoka Park, with a simulated keep and turret built.