Hirado, Nagasaki
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Hirado (平戸市; Hirado-shi) is a city in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It occupies an island connected to Kyūshū by a bridge.
During the Sengoku and early Edo Periods, Hirado was a major centre of foreign trade, especially with the Ming Dynasty of China and the Dutch. Later, the Tokugawa Shogunate moved trade to Dejima, an island in the present-day city of Nagasaki.
Also during the Edo Period, Hirado was the seat of the Hirado Han, and their Hirado Castle is a landmark on the island.
In 2003, the city had an estimated population of 23,057 and a density of 136.65 persons per square kilometre. The total area is 168.73 square kilometres.
Famous people associated with Hirado
The Taiwanese national hero and Ming general Koxinga (1624–1662) and the Japanese diplomat Inagaki Manjiro (1861–1908) were born in Hirado. William Adams (1564–1620), the English navigator, died there.
HiradoOhashi.jpg
External links
- Official website (http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/) in Japanese