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SHIMABARA |
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The port town of SHIMABARA has had a chequered history. Following
the ructions of the Shimabara Rebellion , it was decimated when Unzen-dake
erupted in 1792, sending rock and hot ash tumbling into Shimabara Bay.
An estimated 15,000 people died in the disaster, mostly from huge tidal
waves that swept the Ariake Sea. The volcano then lay dormant until
Fugen-dake burst into life again in 1990 and cut a swathe through the
town's southern reaches; they're still busily restoring the roads and
rice terraces, while photos of the eruption appear all over Shimabara.
Though the brooding mountain makes a dramatic backdrop, the only reason
to stop here is to visit its castle, Shimabara-jo , which hosts an
interesting museum about Japan's early Christians and the local
rebellion.
Completed in 1625, the castle took seven years to build - it was partly
the taxes and hard labour demanded for its construction that provoked
the Shimabara Rebellion. Entry to the grounds is free, while the
reconstructed turrets contain three museums (daily: April-Oct
9am-5.30pm; Nov-March 9am-5pm; ¥520) of which priority should go to the
main keep's local history exhibits, including some interesting relics of
clandestine Christian worship. The modern building in the northwest
corner shows a short video in English about Fugen-dake's most recent
eruption, while fans of Nagasaki's Peace Statue will be interested in
the Kitamura Seibo Memorial Museum located in the southeast turret.
Kitamura, a local sculptor who died in 1987, specialized in powerful
bronzes, the best of them gripped by a restless, pent-up energy.
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