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Shimabara Rebellion

Peasant-led uprising in early Edo period in Shimabara and Amakusa against government persecution of Christianity and oppressive government

The Shimabara Rebellion, also called the Amakusa Rebellion or Shimabara-Amakusa Rebellion, was an uprising based at Hara Castle by the residents of Shimabara Peninsula of Hizen Province and of the Amakusa Islands of Higo Province. It lasted from the 11th month of 1637 through the 2nd month of the following year. Christianity had been widespread in this region under the rule of the Arima and Konishi clans. But the new lords Matsukura of Shimabara and Terazawa of Amakusa persecuted Christianity and demoted former retainers to the status of commoners. Despite the severe drought happening at the time, which caused repeated crop failures (the Kan’ei Great Famine), Matsukura continued to force peasants to pay punishing land rents, which led to mounting dissatisfaction among the people. Against this backdrop, a teenager named Shiro Amakusa (Tokisada Masuda) reputedly led a relief campaign, and the residents of Shimabara rose up in an attempt to take over Shimabara Castle. Those in Amakusa followed suit and attacked Tomioka Castle, which ruled over Amakusa.

The Tokugawa Shogunate dispatched Shigemasa Itakura as commander-in-chief and ordered both the Matsukura and Terazawa clans, as well as daimyo in Kyushu, to send out their armies. The rebel forces of Shimabara and Amakusa, which consisted of a coalition of over 37,000 Christians and peasants, reinforced Hara Castle with palisades and barricaded themselves inside, fighting for five months. Early in the new year, 1638, Itakura launched an all-out attack, but it was rebuffed and Itakura himself was killed. A member of the council of elders, Nobutsuna Matsudaira, was brought in as a replacement, and he adopted the tactic of surrounding the rebel forces to cut off their supplies. In late February, his 124,000-member army launched a full-scale attack, which wiped out the rebel forces. After the rebellion, the Shogunate tightened its crackdown on Christianity and in 1639 cut off commerce with Portugal. In 2018 the remains of Hara Castle, Oura Cathedral, and areas including Hirado, Amakusa, and Goto were given World Heritage status as “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region.”

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  • 歴史的概略、一揆にまつわる場所、関連の遺跡(原城跡、石碑、攻略トンネル跡)などを紹介する。南島原市教育委員会のサイト。

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