Hirado, Nagasaki
Encyclopedia
is a city
in Nagasaki Prefecture
, Japan. The part historically named Hirado is located on the island of the same name. With recent mergers, the city's boundaries have expanded, and Hirado now occupies parts of the main island of Kyūshū
. The components are connected by the Hirado Bridge
.
. During the Kamakura
and Muromachi period
s, the local Matsuura clan held the rights to trade with Korea and with Sung Dynasty China. During the Sengoku
and early Edo period
s, Hirado's role as a center of foreign trade increased, especially vis-a-vis Ming Dynasty
China and the Dutch East India Company
(VOC). The Portuguese arrived in 1550; and the English and Dutch initially reached Japan at the beginning of the 17th century.
The first step in the profitable Dutch-Japanese trading relationship was the Shogun's grant of a trading pass (handelspas) in 1609.
At its maximum the Dutch trading center covered the whole area of present-day Sakikata Park. In 1637 and in 1639, stone warehouses were constructed, and the Dutch builders incorporated these dates into the stonework. However, the Tokugawa shogunate disapproved of the use of any Christian Era year dates, and therefore demanded the immediate destruction of these two structures. This failure to comply with strict sakoku
practices was then used as one of the Shogunate's rationales for forcing the Dutch traders to abandon Hirado for the more constricting confines of Dejima, a small artificial island in the present-day city of Nagasaki. The last VOC Opperhoofd
or Kapitan at Hirado and the first one at Dejima was François Caron
, who oversaw the transfer in 1641. However, modern research indicated that this incident might actually have been an excuse for the Shogunate to take the Dutch trade away from the Hirado clan. The stone warehouse from 1639 that was torn down has been reconstructed in its original form in 2011.
During the Edo period, Hirado was the seat of the Hirado Domain
. Hirado Castle
is today an historical and architectural landmark.
The modern city was founded on January 1, 1955. The city expanded by merging on October 1, 2005, with the neighboring towns of Tabira
, Ikitsuki
, and the village of Ōshima
. The local economy is dominated by agriculture, fishing and food processing.
(Sister city) Nan'an, Fujian
, China (Friendship city)
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
in Nagasaki Prefecture
Nagasaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. The capital is the city of Nagasaki.- History :Nagasaki Prefecture was created by merging of the western half of the former province of Hizen with the island provinces of Tsushima and Iki...
, Japan. The part historically named Hirado is located on the island of the same name. With recent mergers, the city's boundaries have expanded, and Hirado now occupies parts of the main island of Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. The components are connected by the Hirado Bridge
Hirado Bridge
The is a suspension bridge in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It connects the islands of Hirado and Kyūshū. Completed in 1977, it has a main span of 465.5 meters and total length of 665 m. From April 1, 2010, no fee is required to pass the bridge.-External links:...
.
History
Hirado had been a port of call for ships between the Asian mainland and Japan since the Nara periodNara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784...
. During the Kamakura
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
and Muromachi period
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
s, the local Matsuura clan held the rights to trade with Korea and with Sung Dynasty China. During the Sengoku
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
and early Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
s, Hirado's role as a center of foreign trade increased, especially vis-a-vis Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
China and the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
(VOC). The Portuguese arrived in 1550; and the English and Dutch initially reached Japan at the beginning of the 17th century.
The first step in the profitable Dutch-Japanese trading relationship was the Shogun's grant of a trading pass (handelspas) in 1609.
At its maximum the Dutch trading center covered the whole area of present-day Sakikata Park. In 1637 and in 1639, stone warehouses were constructed, and the Dutch builders incorporated these dates into the stonework. However, the Tokugawa shogunate disapproved of the use of any Christian Era year dates, and therefore demanded the immediate destruction of these two structures. This failure to comply with strict sakoku
Sakoku
was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
practices was then used as one of the Shogunate's rationales for forcing the Dutch traders to abandon Hirado for the more constricting confines of Dejima, a small artificial island in the present-day city of Nagasaki. The last VOC Opperhoofd
Opperhoofd
Opperhoofd is a Dutch word which literally means 'supreme head'.The Danish equivalent Overhoved, which is derived from a Danish pronunciation of the Dutch word, is also treated here....
or Kapitan at Hirado and the first one at Dejima was François Caron
François Caron
François Caron was a French Huguenot refugee to the Netherlands who served the Dutch East India Company for 30 years, rising from cabin boy to Director-General at Batavia , only one grade below Governor-General...
, who oversaw the transfer in 1641. However, modern research indicated that this incident might actually have been an excuse for the Shogunate to take the Dutch trade away from the Hirado clan. The stone warehouse from 1639 that was torn down has been reconstructed in its original form in 2011.
During the Edo period, Hirado was the seat of the Hirado Domain
Hirado Domain
was a tozama han of Edo period Japan, with its territory extending from northern Hizen Province to the offshore Iki Province...
. Hirado Castle
Hirado Castle
was the seat of the Matsuura clan, the daimyo of Hirado Domain, of Hizen province, Kyūshū. It is located in present-day Hirado city Nagasaki prefecture, Japan...
is today an historical and architectural landmark.
The modern city was founded on January 1, 1955. The city expanded by merging on October 1, 2005, with the neighboring towns of Tabira
Tabira, Nagasaki
was a town located in Kitamatsuura District, Nagasaki, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Tabira, along with the town of Ikitsuki, and the village of Ōshima, both from Kitamatsuura District, was merged into the expanded city of Hirado. Its top attraction is Tabira Insect Park.As of 2003, the town had an...
, Ikitsuki
Ikitsuki, Nagasaki
is a former town on the island of the same name located in Kitamatsuura District, Nagasaki, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Ikitsuki, along with the town of Tabira, and the village of Ōshima, both from Kitamatsuura District, was merged into the expanded city of Hirado....
, and the village of Ōshima
Oshima, Nagasaki (Kitamatsuura)
was a village located on an island in Kitamatsuura District, Nagasaki, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Ōshima, along with the towns of Ikitsuki and Tabira, both from Kitamatsuura District, was merged into the expanded city of Hirado....
. The local economy is dominated by agriculture, fishing and food processing.
Famous people connected with Hirado
- The TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese national hero and Ming general KoxingaKoxingaKoxinga is the customary Western spelling of the popular appellation of Zheng Chenggong , a military leader who was born in 1624 in Hirado, Japan to Zheng Zhilong, a Chinese merchant/pirate, and his Japanese wife and died in 1662 on the island of Formosa .A Ming loyalist and the arch commander of...
(1624–1662) and the Japanese diplomat Inagaki ManjiroInagaki Manjirowas a Japanese diplomat and political theorist that was active during the Meiji period of Japan.- Early life :Inagaki was born in Nagasaki, as the son of a samurai of the Hirado Domain...
(1861–1908) were born in Hirado. - William AdamsWilliam Adams (sailor)William Adams , also known in Japanese as Anjin-sama and Miura Anjin , was an English navigator who travelled to Japan and is believed to be the first Englishman ever to reach that country...
(1564–1620), the English navigator, died there. - Camillus CostanzoCamillus CostanzoCamillus Costanzo SJ was an Italian soldier, law student and Jesuit missionary in Japan. When he was burned alive in 1622, he became a Roman Catholic martyr.-Missionary:...
(1571–1622), Italian Jesuit martyr, was burnt alive in Hirado.
Sister city relations
Hirado has one sister city in Japan and one friendship city outside Japan. Zentsūji, KagawaZentsuji, Kagawa
is a city in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan.As of June 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 34,114 with 13,079 householdd and a population density of 855.42 persons per km². The total area is 39.88 km²....
(Sister city) Nan'an, Fujian
Nan'an, Fujian
Nan'an is a county-level city within the Quanzhou prefecture level city, Fujian province, China. As of 2010 the city has a population of 1,500,000. More than 3,000,000 overseas Chinese trace their ancestry to Nan'an. -History:...
, China (Friendship city)