was a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in Minamitakaki District,

Nagasaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,246,4 ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. As of 2003, the town had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 6,023 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' (or ''d'') can also be u ...

of 259.05 persons per km². The total area was 23.25 km². On March 31, 2006, Minamiarima, along with the towns of

Arie Arie is a masculine given name. As a Dutch name, Arie * Arie Altman (Plant Biology and AgBiotech) (born 1937), Israeli Professor of Agriculture * (1903–1982), Dutch composer * Arie van Beek (born 1951), Dutch music teacher and conductor *Arie B ...

, Fukae,

Futsu was a town located in Minamitakaki District, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 4,788 and a density of 455.13 persons per km2. The total area was 10.52 km2. On March 31, 2006, Futsu, along with the ...

, Kazusa, Kita-Arima, Kuchinotsu and Nishi-Arie (all from Minamitakaki District), was merged to create the city of Minamishimabara. Minami-Arima was the site of

Hara Castle The was a Sengoku period Japanese castle cemetery located in the Minami-Arima neighbourhood of city of Minamishimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture Japan. Its ruins were designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1938. Overview Hara Castle is ...

. The fortress was destroyed following the deaths of 37,000 rebels and their leader,

Amakusa Shirō , also known as , was a Japanese Christian of the Edo period and leader of the Shimabara Rebellion, an uprising of Japanese Roman Catholics against the Shogunate. His Christian name was Geronimo and was later known as Francisco. The uprising ...

, at the hands of

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

forces in the final battle of the

Shimabara Rebellion The , also known as the or , was an rebellion, uprising that occurred in the Shimabara Domain of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan from 17 December 1637 to 15 April 1638. Matsukura Katsuie, the ''daimyō'' of the Shimabara Domain, enforced unpo ...

(1637–1638).

References

External links

Minamishimabara official website
Dissolved municipalities of Nagasaki Prefecture Minamishimabara {{Nagasaki-geo-stub