CastleHilltop castle (hirayamajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 90
What makes this castle distinctive
Its lord burned his own castle just before it was finished, and it was rebuilt a century later.
Why?
In 1613, Matsura Shigenobu (known as Hoin) set fire to his newly completed Hinotake Castle himself. One theory is that his family's close ties to the Toyotomi made the Tokugawa shogunate suspicious of him. For about a century afterward the Matsura family governed from a residence without a castle, until they rebuilt it on the same site starting in 1704.[4]
The Hirado Strait around the castle, the harbor, and the turrets in the grounds
Why it's interesting
Hirado Castle is a hilltop castle on a promontory jutting into the Hirado Strait, and the view makes its sea-girt position clear. From the 16th century Hirado was an international trading port, visited first by Portuguese ships and later by Dutch and English ones. The official site promotes the 360-degree view from "a castle floating on the sea."[1][4][6]
Tanuki Yagura and Kita-koguchi Gate, survivors from the Edo period
Where
On the north side of the second enclosure; Kita-koguchi Gate is the north gate near the lord's garden
What to look at
Kita-koguchi Gate, with a turret spanning two stone walls, and the nearby Tanuki Yagura
Why it's interesting
Most of the buildings in the grounds were rebuilt in the 20th century, but Tanuki Yagura is the only turret surviving from the domain era, and Kita-koguchi Gate is the only surviving wooden gate. Tanuki Yagura's formal name is Tamon Yagura; legend says that during repairs a tanuki (raccoon dog) took the form of a page boy, appeared before the lord and begged to be allowed to keep living there, and the turret has been called Tanuki Yagura ever since.[3]
Can you see it?
Partly visibleExteriors can be seen. Whether the interiors are open is not confirmed.
03
Loopholes built into the stone wall
Where
The stone wall near Tanuki Yagura
What to look at
Openings left between the stones of the wall for firing guns (sama)
Why it's interesting
Loopholes are usually cut into plastered walls, but at Hirado Castle they were built into the stone wall itself, which the official site describes as unusual. On the third floor of the keep you can try looking through a replica.[3][6]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideVisible as you walk around the grounds.
At a glance for visitors
Nearest station
10 min walk from Hirado Shiyakusho-mae bus stop (Saihi Bus)
Climb
Some climbing
Time neededEditors' estimate
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the keep and a loop of the turrets and walls.
Admission
Adults 520 yen, high school students 310 yen, elementary and junior high students 200 yen. Groups of 30+: 410, 250 and 160 yen.
Hours
8:30–18:00 (April 1 – September 30); 8:30–17:00 (October 1 – March 31)
Access
Open to visitors
The grounds (Kameoka Park) can be explored on foot. The keep and the Kenso Yagura facilities charge admission. Kaiju Yagura is lodging (paid, by reservation). Groups such as schools and tours must book in advance.
Hirado Castle is a hilltop castle (hirayamajiro) on a rise called Kameoka that juts into the Hirado Strait. The first Portuguese ship arrived at Hirado in 1550, a Dutch trading post opened in 1609, and an English one in 1613. Until the early Edo period, the harbor below the castle was one of Japan's key gateways for overseas trade.[1][4]
02
Historical record
The first castle, burned by its own lord
In 1599, Matsura Shigenobu (Hoin) began building a new castle on the Kameoka hill, then called Hinotake. In 1613, however, he burned the newly finished castle down himself. One theory is that his family's close relationship with the Toyotomi had made the shogunate suspicious. For about the next hundred years the Matsura family was based at a residence called Oyakata, on the site of today's Matsura Historical Museum.[4]
03
Historical record
Rebuilt after a hundred years
When Matsura Takashi, the domain's fifth lord, was appointed a commissioner of temples and shrines for the shogunate, the family began rebuilding the castle. Work started in 1704 and finished in 1718. The castle is said to have been laid out according to the Yamaga school of military science.[1][4]
04
Historical record
One turret and one gate survived
In the Meiji era the castle was abolished and most of its buildings were lost. Only Tanuki Yagura and Kita-koguchi Gate survive from the domain era. The stone walls, however, remain throughout the grounds, including those of the main gate and the unusual loopholes built into the stone.[1][3]
05
Historical record
A 1962 keep and a turret you can stay in
In 1962 a three-roofed, five-story keep was built in reinforced concrete, and the castle was later named one of Japan's 100 Fine Castles. A major renovation turned the inside of the keep into a hands-on exhibition with video displays. Kaiju Yagura in the second enclosure has become a permanent castle-stay lodging, the first among the 100 Fine Castles.[1][3][6][9]
A three-roofed, five-story keep built in reinforced concrete in 1962. The official site calls it a restoration, but the castle rebuilt in 1704–1718 is said never to have had a keep, with the Inui turret serving in its place (Wikipedia).
The site today
The site is now Kameoka Park and the grounds of Kameoka Shrine, with the 1962 keep, rebuilt turrets, the surviving Tanuki Yagura and Kita-koguchi Gate, and stone walls.
The only surviving wooden structure; a gate with a turret bridging two stone walls.[3]
Modern reconstruction
Keep (tenshu)
Built in reinforced concrete in 1962 and regarded as a mock keep (see above). Now a hands-on history museum.[1][6][10]
Modern reconstruction
Kenso, Kaiju, Jizozaka and Inui turrets
Turrets rebuilt in the 20th century. Kenso Yagura is a rest area and Kaiju Yagura is lodging.[3][10]
Modern reconstruction
Saiwaibashi Gate
Rebuilt in 1984 along with the restoration of Saiwaibashi Bridge.[3]
Key facts
Type
Castle
Setting
Hilltop castle (hirayamajiro)built on a low hill rising from the plainEditorial article
Period
Early modern (1570s–1871)Editorial article
Keep (tenshu)
Mock keepa keep-shaped building where no keep existed, or where its appearance is unknownEditorial article
Built by
Matsura ShigenobuJapan Castle Foundation
Built
1704Japan Castle Foundation
Main lords
Matsura clanJapan Castle Foundation
Abandoned
1871Wikipedia (ja)
Remains to see
Turrets or turret bases, Gates, Stone walls, Fortified gateways (koguchi)Editorial article
Selection
Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 90Japan Castle Foundation
Visiting
Access
Open to visitors
The grounds (Kameoka Park) can be explored on foot. The keep and the Kenso Yagura facilities charge admission. Kaiju Yagura is lodging (paid, by reservation). Groups such as schools and tours must book in advance.
Hirado Shiyakusho-mae bus stop (Saihi Bus)Saihi Bus (about 1 hour 30 minutes from Sasebo)
about 10 min walk · Some climbing
About 10 minutes on foot from the bus stop, with steps and stone-wall stairs up to the keep. A direct Satsuki Kanko bus also runs from Hakata (about 2 hours 30 minutes).[5][2]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Tabira-Hiradoguchi Station (Matsuura Railway)Matsuura Railway Nishi-Kyushu Line (about 1 hour 20 minutes from Sasebo)
Not confirmed
About 10 minutes by taxi from the station (across the Hirado Bridge).[5]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Hours and admission
Hirado Castle keep
Hours
8:30–18:00 (April 1 – September 30); 8:30–17:00 (October 1 – March 31)
Closed
December 30–31
Admission
Adults 520 yen, high school students 310 yen, elementary and junior high students 200 yen. Groups of 30+: 410, 250 and 160 yen.[2][7]
Checked: 2026-10-03
By car / parking
Parking: P1 (100 cars, 2 buses), P2 (20 cars) and P3 (7 cars); fees not confirmed. From Hakata, use the Nishi-Kyushu Expressway via Matsuura IC; from Nagasaki or Saga, via Saza IC.[5]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the keep and a loop of the turrets and walls.
Steps, slopes and footing
There are steps and stone-wall stairs up to the keep, and they get slippery in the rain.[2]
Wheelchairs and strollers
Visitors with limited mobility can use the emergency access road (a ramp) from the Kaiju Yagura side behind the keep. There is no castle parking near its entrance, so drop passengers off and park at the shared lot of the Mirai Sozokan and Hirado City Library.[2]Checked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Not confirmed
English signs / audio guide
The official website has English, Chinese and Korean pages. English signage inside is not confirmed. Free Wi-Fi is available.[11][2]
Seasons
The grounds have Hirado Nidozaki-zakura, a cherry whose double blossoms open in two stages.[3]
Photography
No flash photography in the exhibits, and avoid lingering in one spot to shoot for long.[2]
Works, closures and restrictions
Winter hours (8:30–17:00) apply from October 1, 2026.[7]Checked: 2026-10-03
Museum displaying the collections of the Matsura lords of Hirado, housed in the family's 1893 residence on the site of Oyakata, the Matsura base before the castle was rebuilt. About 5 minutes by car from the castle.[8][4]
A 2011 reconstruction of the trading post's stone warehouse of 1639, with displays on the Dutch trade. About 5 minutes by car from the castle.[8]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Editors' guide
An editorial guide based on sources and confirmed information — not a first-hand visit report.
Who will enjoy it
For lovers of sea-and-castle scenery, and anyone interested in Hirado's history of trade with Portugal and the Netherlands. The keep's many hands-on exhibits also make it easy to enjoy with children.
What makes it interesting
Take in the Hirado Strait from the top of the keep, then seek out the Edo-period Tanuki Yagura and Kita-koguchi Gate and the loopholes built into the stone wall. Comparing the new buildings with the old reveals the castle's twisting history.
Before you go
The keep dates from 1962, and some accounts say the Edo-period castle never had one. Public transport from Sasebo and elsewhere takes time, so check return buses before you go.
Ways to enjoy it
The keep has plenty of hands-on displays, like the stone-wall puzzle and loophole experience on the third floor and a history quiz answered with a sword on the fourth. Pair the castle with the Matsura Historical Museum and the Dutch Trading Post to see how Hirado's story fits together.
Photos
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Open questions
The official site describes the keep as restored in 1962, but Wikipedia says the rebuilt castle never had a keep, with the Inui turret serving instead, and calls it a mock keep. This article treats it as a mock keep.
The reason for the 1613 burning is uncertain; avoiding the shogunate's suspicion is one theory.
The official completion date is 1718; Wikipedia says the castle was largely finished in 1707.
The Japan Castle Foundation lists one nationally designated property, but which one could not be confirmed (the keep displays an illustration of a ring-pommel sword that is an Important Cultural Property). The Foundation also names the builder as the Matsura clan rather than the individual lords named by the official site.
Heritage designations for Tanuki Yagura and Kita-koguchi Gate, whether their interiors open, parking fees, toilet locations and grounds hours could not be confirmed. The origin of the Tanuki Yagura name is a legend.
さかおりCC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
