View source for Hirado, Nagasaki

{{Redirect|Hirado}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Hirado
| official_name = 
| native_name = {{nobold|{{nobold|{{lang|ja|平戸市}}}}}}
| native_name_lang = ja
| settlement_type = [[Cities of Japan|City]]
| other_name = 
<!-- images, nickname, motto -->

| image_skyline = HiradoJapan-PanoramicFromHiradoCastle.jpg

| imagesize = 
| image_caption = View of Hirado port from the castle
| image_flag = Flag of Hirado, Nagasaki.svg
| image_seal = Emblem of Hirado, Nagasaki.svg
| seal_type = Emblem
<!-- maps and coordinates -->
<!-- maps and coordinates -->
| image_map= {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=shape|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|zoom=8}}
| image_map1 = Hirado in Nagasaki Prefecture Ja.svg
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = Location of Hirado in Nagasaki Prefecture
| pushpin_map = Japan
| pushpin_relief = 
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Japan
| coordinates = {{coord|33|22|05|N|129|33|13|E|region:JP-42|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
<!-- location -->
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Japan
| subdivision_type1 = [[List of regions of Japan|Region]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Kyushu]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Prefectures of Japan|Prefecture]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Nagasaki Prefecture|Nagasaki]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Districts of Japan|District]]
| subdivision_name3 = 
<!-- established -->
| established_title = <!-- Settled -->
| established_date = 
| extinct_title = Now part of
| extinct_date = 
| founder = 
| named_for = 
<!-- seat, smaller parts -->
| seat_type = <!-- defaults to: Seat -->
| seat = 
<!-- government type, leaders -->
| government_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| leader_party = 
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Naruhiko Kuroda (since October 2009)
| leader_title1 = Vice Mayor
| leader_name1 = 
<!-- display settings -->
| total_type = <!-- to set a non-standard label for total area and population rows -->
| unit_pref = Metric
<!-- area -->
| area_magnitude = <!-- use only to set a special wikilink -->
| area_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| area_total_km2 = 235.12
| area_land_km2 = 
| area_water_km2 = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_note = 
<!-- elevation -->
| elevation_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_m = 
<!-- population -->
| population_footnotes =  <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| population_total = 28,172
| population_as_of = June 1, 2024
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_est = 
| pop_est_as_of = 
<!-- time zone(s) -->
| timezone1 = [[Japan Standard Time|JST]]
| utc_offset1 = +09:00
<!-- postal codes, area code -->
| postal_code_type = 
| postal_code = 
| area_code_type = <!-- defaults to: Area code(s) -->
| area_code = 
<!-- blank fields (section 1) -->
| blank_name_sec1 = City hall address
| blank_info_sec1 = 1508-3 Iwanoue, Hirado-shi, Nagasaki-ken 859-5192
<!-- blank fields (section 2) -->
| blank_name_sec2        = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info_sec2        = [[Humid subtropical climate|Cfa]]
<!-- website, footnotes -->
| website = {{Official|1=http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp}}
| footnotes = 
| module = {{Infobox place symbols| embedded=yes
 | tree = [[Podocarpaceae]]
 | flower = [[Rhododendron|Hirado Rhododendron]]
 | bird = 
 | flowering_tree = 
 | butterfly = 
 | fish = 
 | other_symbols = 
}}
}}
[[File:HiradoCastle3.jpg| thumb|right|270px|Hirado Castle]]
[[File:HiradoCastle2.jpg| thumb|right|270px|View of Hirado bay from Hirado castle]]
[[File:HiradoOhashi.jpg| thumb|right|270px| Hirado Bridge]]

{{nihongo|'''Hirado'''|平戸市|Hirado-shi}} is a [[Cities of Japan|city]] located in [[Nagasaki Prefecture]], [[Japan]]. {{As of |2024|06|01}}, the city had an estimated [[population]] of  28,172, and a [[population density]] of 120 people per km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="Hirado-hp">{{cite web |url=https://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/kurashi/gyosei/toukei/jinkou/index.html|title= Hirado City official statistics|location= Japan|language= ja}}</ref> The total area of the city is {{cvt|235.12|km2}}

Historically, Hirado has been an important port city and a gateway for foreign trade between Japan and Europe, especially during the 16th–17th centuries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hidden Christian Sites in Nagasaki Region – Japan Guide |url=https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4495.html |website=Japan-Guide.com |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref>  Its rich history blends samurai culture, foreign influence, and maritime trade. Today, Hirado is also recognized for its role in Japan’s early international connections, as part of the broader UNESCO World Heritage Sites related to <em>Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region.</em><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1495/ |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref>

==Geography==
Hirado City occupies the northern part of Nagasaki Prefecture, the northwestern tip of the [[Kitamatsuura Peninsula]], [[Hirado Island]], which lies to the west of the peninsula across the Hirado Strait, Ikitsuki Island, which lies to the northwest of Hirado Island, Takushima Island, which lies directly north of Hirado Island, and Matoyama-Oshima Island, which lies directly north of Tsushima. It is located about 25 kilometers northwest of Sasebo City and about 80 kilometers north-northwest of Nagasaki City. The [[Hirado Bridge]] connects Hirado Island to the Kyushu mainland, and the [[Ikitsuki Bridge]] connects Hirado Island to Ikitsuki Island.

The western end of Hirado Island is west of [[Kōzakihana]], the westernmost point of Kyushu, and is the westernmost of all areas that can be traveled between the mainland of Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu) or the mainland of Japan by land transportation alone.

=== Surrounding municipalities ===
Nagasaki Prefecture
* [[Matsuura, Nagasaki|Matsuura]]
* [[Sasebo, Nagasaki|Sasebo]]

==Climate==
Hirado has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]:''Cfa'') with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is much higher in the summer, although the relatively low latitude and its coastal location the city receives snow in small quantities but enough to "mark" the winter every year despite being in 33 ° N receives intrusions from the Arctic cold of the [[Siberia]] air combined with the humidity of the [[Sea of Japan]].<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web  |url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/JP/47805.TXT  |title = Hirado Climate Normals 1961-1990  |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]  |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201031082431/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/JP/47805.TXT  |archive-date = 2020-10-31  |url-status = dead  |access-date = January 6, 2013}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|width= auto
|collapsed = Y
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|location = Hirado (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1940−present)
|Jan high C = 9.6
|Feb high C = 10.6
|Mar high C = 13.5
|Apr high C = 17.7
|May high C = 21.6
|Jun high C = 24.1
|Jul high C = 27.8
|Aug high C = 29.6
|Sep high C = 26.3
|Oct high C = 22.1
|Nov high C = 17.2
|Dec high C = 12.1
|Jan mean C = 7.0
|Feb mean C = 7.6
|Mar mean C = 10.3
|Apr mean C = 14.2
|May mean C = 18.0
|Jun mean C = 21.1
|Jul mean C = 25.1
|Aug mean C = 26.5
|Sep mean C = 23.5
|Oct mean C = 19.2
|Nov mean C = 14.2
|Dec mean C = 9.3
|Jan low C = 4.4
|Feb low C = 4.7
|Mar low C = 7.1
|Apr low C = 11.0
|May low C = 15.0
|Jun low C = 18.9
|Jul low C = 23.2
|Aug low C = 24.2
|Sep low C = 21.2
|Oct low C = 16.4
|Nov low C = 11.1
|Dec low C = 6.4
|Jan record high C = 18.7
|Feb record high C = 20.4
|Mar record high C = 22.3
|Apr record high C = 25.7
|May record high C = 29.3
|Jun record high C = 31.2
|Jul record high C = 34.4
|Aug record high C = 35.1
|Sep record high C = 34.0
|Oct record high C = 30.1
|Nov record high C = 25.0
|Dec record high C = 23.1
|year record high C= 35.1
|Jan record low C = -5.7
|Feb record low C = -5.8
|Mar record low C = -4.0
|Apr record low C = 1.8
|May record low C = 7.3
|Jun record low C = 12.4
|Jul record low C = 16.1
|Aug record low C = 17.0
|Sep record low C = 13.6
|Oct record low C = 5.9
|Nov record low C = 1.7
|Dec record low C = -3.6
|year record low C= -5.8
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 84.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 93.6
|Mar precipitation mm = 148.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 189.0
|May precipitation mm = 198.4
|Jun precipitation mm = 319.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 345.7
|Aug precipitation mm = 289.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 223.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 116.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 112.3
|Dec precipitation mm = 85.3
|year precipitation mm= 
|Jan rain days = 8.6
|Feb rain days = 8.3
|Mar rain days = 9.9
|Apr rain days = 9.6
|May rain days = 8.8
|Jun rain days = 12.1
|Jul rain days = 11.9
|Aug rain days = 9.9
|Sep rain days = 9.6
|Oct rain days = 6.7
|Nov rain days = 8.1
|Dec rain days = 8.0
|Jan snow cm = 0
|Feb snow cm = 1
|Mar snow cm = 0
|Apr snow cm = 0
|May snow cm = 0
|Jun snow cm = 0
|Jul snow cm = 0
|Aug snow cm = 0
|Sep snow cm = 0
|Oct snow cm = 0
|Nov snow cm = 0
|Dec snow cm = 0
|year snow cm= 
|Jan humidity = 65
|Feb humidity = 65
|Mar humidity = 69
|Apr humidity = 74
|May humidity = 79
|Jun humidity = 87
|Jul humidity = 89
|Aug humidity = 85
|Sep humidity = 81
|Oct humidity = 72
|Nov humidity = 69
|Dec humidity = 65
|year humidity= 
|Jan snow days = 0
|Feb snow days = 0.2
|Mar snow days = 0
|Apr snow days = 0
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0
|Nov snow days = 0.1
|Dec snow days = 0
|Jan sun = 94.0
|Feb sun = 115.8
|Mar sun = 157.7
|Apr sun = 179.0
|May sun = 194.3
|Jun sun = 125.3
|Jul sun = 146.9
|Aug sun = 196.7
|Sep sun = 158.9
|Oct sun = 174.6
|Nov sun = 132.8
|Dec sun = 104.6
|year sun= 
|source 1 = [[Japan Meteorological Agency]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_s.php?prec_no=84&block_no=47805&year=&month=&day=&view=
|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）
| publisher = [[Japan Meteorological Agency|JMA]]
| access-date = February 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=84&block_no=47805&year=&month=&day=&view=
|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値） 
| publisher = [[Japan Meteorological Agency|JMA]]
| access-date = February 17, 2022}}</ref>}}

===Demographics===
Per Japanese census data, the population of Hirado is as shown below:

{{Historical populations
| 1940 | 53473
| 1950 | 69121
| 1960 | 67880
| 1970 | 55,661
| 1980 | 50,849
| 1990 | 46,572
| 2000 | 41,586
| 2010 | 34,905
| 2020 | 29,365
|align       = none
| footnote = 
}}

==History==
Hirado has been a port of call for ships between the [[East Asia]]n mainland and Japan since the [[Nara period]]. During the [[Kamakura period|Kamakura]] and [[Muromachi period]]s, the local Matsuura clan held the rights to trade with Korea and with [[Song dynasty|Song-dynasty China]]. During the [[Sengoku period|Sengoku]] and early [[Edo period]]s, Hirado's role as a center of [[foreign trade]] increased, especially ''[[wikt:vis-a-vis|vis-à-vis]]'' [[Ming dynasty|Ming-dynasty China]] and the [[Dutch East India Company]] (''Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie'' or VOC). The Portuguese arrived in Japan in 1543; after the [[Battle of Fukuda Bay]] in 1561 the Portuguese stayed for a few more years until they settled in the city of [[Nagasaki]] in 1571. 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 Shōgun's grant of a trading pass (''handelspas'') in 1609.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-08-29|title=Van hier tot Tokio. 400 jaar handel met Japan|trans-title=From here to Tokyo. 400 years of trade with Japan|url=https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/actueel/nieuws/2009/hier-tot-tokio-400-jaar-handel-japan|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805000209/http://www.gahetna.nl/actueel/nieuws/2009/hier-tot-tokio-400-jaar-handel-japan|archive-date=2012-08-05|access-date=2021-06-21|website=archive.is|quote=The first Dutch trading post is located in Hirado. In the Japanese fight against Christianity, the Shôgun decided thirty years later that the country should be protected from any foreign influence. Only the Dutch can stay on the isolated island of Deshima. Every year the main Dutch officials visit the Shôgun. They overload the Shôgun with the curiosities he ordered, such as horses, a pearl diver and Delft Blue porcelain. No effort is spared to please the Shôgun, all to preserve the trade monopoly.}}</ref> In 1613, the British ship ''[[Clove (ship)|Clove]]'' arrived in Japan and its Captain [[John Saris]] was able to gain the shogunate's permission to establish in Hirado a commercial house of the British [[East India Company]]. However, the company soon came to consider this outpost to be unprofitable, especially due to their inability to obtain Japanese [[raw silk]] for import to China. Therefore, the British closed their factory in 1623, voluntarily leaving the Dutch as the sole European presence.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Akira|last1=Hayami|title=Japan's Industrious Revolution: Economic and Social Transformations in the Early Modern Period|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z-1rCQAAQBAJ|year=2015|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-4-431-55142-3|page=49}}</ref>

At its maximum extent, the Dutch trading center covered the whole area of present-day [[Sakikata Park]].<ref>Edo-Tokyo Museum exhibition catalog. (2000). ''A Very Unique Collection of Historical Significance: The Kapitan (the Dutch Chief) Collection from the Edo Period – The Dutch Fascination with Japan'', p.206.</ref>  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 year dates, and therefore demanded the immediate destruction of these two structures.<ref name="catalog207">Edo-Tokyo Museum exhibition catalog, p. 207.</ref>  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, Nagasaki|Nagasaki]].<ref name="catalog207"/> The last VOC ''[[VOC Opperhoofden in Japan|Opperhoofd]]'' or ''Kapitan'' at Hirado and the first one at Dejima was [[François Caron]], who oversaw the transfer in 1641.<ref>Caron lived in Japan from 1619 to 1641. ''A Collector's Guide to Books on Japan in English'' by Jozef Rogala, p.31 [https://books.google.com/books?id=29cty-eprmgC&dq=Fran%C3%A7ois+Caron+years+Japan&pg=PA31]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=SqTQjve2VLsC&dq=Fran%C3%A7ois+Caron+Nagasaki+Hirado&pg=RA1-PA459 ''Asia in the Making of Europe'', p.459]</ref> Modern research indicated this incident might have been an excuse for the Shogunate to take the Dutch trade away from the Hirado clan.<ref name="catalog207"/> The stone warehouse from 1639 that was torn down was reconstructed back to its original form in 2011.<ref>[http://www.hirado-shoukan.jp/ "Kuni shitei shiato 'hirado waran shoukan ato' fukugen kenzobutsu"] Hirado Oranda Shokan</ref>
 
During the Edo period, Hirado was the seat of the [[Hirado Domain]]. [[Hirado Castle]] is today a historical and architectural landmark.

Following the [[Meiji restoration]], the town of Hirado and the villages of Hirado, Nakano, Shishi, Himosashi, Nakatsura, Tsuyoshi, Shijiki, Tahibira, Minami-Tabira, Ikitsuki and Oshima were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The village and town of Hirado merged on April 1, 1925. Ikitsuki was raised to town status on April 17, 1940. On April 1, 1954 Tabira and Minami-Tabira merged to form the town of Tabira. On January 1, 1955 - Hirado Town, and the villages of  Nakano, Shishi, Himosashi, Nakatsura, Tsuyoshi, and Shijiki merged to form the city of Hirado.  The city expanded by merging on October 1, 2005, with the neighboring towns of [[Tabira, Nagasaki|Tabira]], [[Ikitsuki, Nagasaki|Ikitsuki]], and the village of [[Ōshima, Nagasaki (Kitamatsuura)|Ōshima]]. The local economy is dominated by agriculture, fishing and food processing.

==Government==
Hirado has a [[mayor-council]] form of government with a directly elected mayor and a [[unicameral]] city council of 18 members. Hirado contributes one member to the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the [[Nagasaki 3rd district]] of the [[House of Representatives of Japan|lower house]] of the [[Diet of Japan]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-28 |title=公職選挙法の一部を改正する法律 |url=https://www.shugiin.go.jp/internet/itdb_housei.nsf/html/housei/21020221128089.htm |access-date=2025-02-04 |publisher=[[House of Representatives (Japan)|Shugiin]]}}</ref> The city was previously part of Nagasaki 4th district, which was abolished in 2022.

== Economy ==
The economy of Hirado is heavily dependent on [[commercial fishing]], agriculture and tourism.

==Education==
Hirado has 15 public elementary schools and eight public junior high schools, and three public high schools operated by the Nagasaki Prefectural Board of Education.

==Transportation==
===Railways===
[[file:Matsuura Railway logo.jpg|25px]] [[Matsuura Railway]] - [[Nishi-Kyūshū Line]]
* {{STN|Higashi-Tabira|x}} - {{STN|Naka-Tabira|x}} - {{STN|Tabira-Hiradoguchi|x}} - {{STN|Nishi-Tabira|x}}

=== Highways ===
* [[File:JP Expressway E35.svg|25px|link=|alt=]] [[Nishi-Kyūshū Expressway]]
* {{jct|country=JPN|Route|204}}
* {{jct|country=JPN|Route|383}}
==UNESCO World Heritage Site Listing==

Hirado is part of the [[Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region]], a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1495/ |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref> This designation recognizes locations where Japanese Christians practiced their faith in secret during the period of national isolation (Sakoku) from the early 17th to the late 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kasuga Village and Sacred Places in Hirado |url=https://kirishitan.jp/components_en/com002 |website=Kirishitan.jp |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref>  The sites in Hirado, including Kasuga Village and other sacred places, illustrate how Christian communities adapted and preserved their religious practices despite persecution.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hidden Christian Sites in Nagasaki Region – Japan Guide |url=https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4495.html |website=Japan-Guide.com |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref> These locations include churches, memorials, cemeteries, and other cultural landscapes associated with the Hidden Christians, highlighting both the resilience of religious faith under oppression and the cultural exchanges between Japan and Europe during the early modern period.

==Sister cities==
Hirado has one [[Twin towns and sister cities|sister city]] in Japan and one sister city and one friendship city outside Japan.<ref name="Hirado Nagasaki twinnings">{{cite web | url =http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/exchange/exchange.htm | title = Exchange programmes between Hirado and China, Hirado and Holland and other exchange programmes in Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan | access-date = 2013-12-17 | publisher = City of Hirado, Nagasaki Official Website | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120212185721/http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/exchange/exchange.htm | archive-date=2012-02-12}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Zentsūji, Kagawa|Zentsūji]], [[Kagawa Prefecture|Kagawa]], Japan (sister city)<ref name="Hirado Nagasaki twinnings"/>
*{{flagicon|PRC}} [[Nan'an, Fujian|Nan'an]], [[Fujian]], China (friendship city)<ref name="Hirado Nagasaki twinnings"/>
*{{flagicon|NED}} [[Noordwijk]], [[South Holland]], Netherlands (sister city)<ref>{{Cite web|title=参加者を募集します（オランダ王国ノールトワイク市姉妹都市交流事業）｜HIRADOじかん情報｜文化・スポーツ｜長崎県 平戸市（ひらどし）ホームページ|url=https://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/kurashi/culture/kouryu/kouryu-jigyou/2019-0314-1507-109.html|access-date=2020-09-25|website=www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp}}</ref> (previously with [[Noordwijkerhout]], which lost its municipal status in 2019 when it merged with Noordwijk)

==Local attractions==
[[File:Hirado Dutch Trading Post 01.jpg|right|thumb|270px|Hirado Dutch Trading Post]]
*[[Hirado Castle]]
*[[Hirado Dutch Trading Post]], National Historic Site
*[[Matsura Historical Museum]]

* [[Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region]], Kasuga Village and Sacred Places in Hirado 
==Notable residents of Hirado==
* [[William Adams (sailor, born 1564)|William Adams]] (1564&ndash;1620): Miura Anjin (三浦按針: "the pilot of [[Miura Peninsula|Miura]]"), an English navigator and senior advisor to the [[Tokugawa shogunate]],  resided in Hirado during the 1610s and died there. He was the model for the character of [[John Blackthorne]] in [[James Clavell]]'s novel ''[[Shōgun (novel)|Shōgun]]'' (1975).
* [[Camillus Costanzo]] (1571&ndash;1622): Italian [[Jesuit]] martyr.  [[Death by burning|Burnt alive]] in Hirado.<ref>Boero, Giuseppe. (1868) [https://books.google.com/books?id=h98MAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA249  ''Les 205 martyrs du Japon, béatifiés par Pie IX en 1867,'' p. 249.]</ref>
* [[Richard Cocks]] (1565&ndash;1624): merchant of the [[East India Company|British East India Company]].
* [[Li Dan (magnate)|Li Dan]] (d. 1625): Chinese merchant
* [[Koxinga]] (1624&ndash;1662): founder of [[Kingdom of Tungning]] and [[Southern Ming]] general. Born in Hirado.
* [[Kazuya Maekawa]] (1968&ndash;): former [[Association football|football]] player and current coach
* [[Inagaki Manjiro]] (1861&ndash;1908): Diplomat. Born in Hirado.
* [[Tagawa Matsu]] (1601&ndash;1646): wife of [[Zheng Zhilong]], mother of [[Koxinga]] and Shichizaemon
* [[Willem Verstegen]] (1612&ndash;1659): merchant of the [[Dutch East India Company]]
* [[Ryusaku Yanagimoto]] (1894&ndash;1942): captain of the [[Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū|''Sōryū'']] in the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] during [[World War II]]
* [[Zheng Zhilong]] (1604&ndash;1661): Chinese merchant and pirate, father of Koxinga
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Hirado City Hall.jpg|Hirado City Hall
File:HiradoJapan-AerialPortPanoramic.jpg|Aerial Panoramic of Hirado Port with Hirado Castle in background

File:HiradoJapan-DutchTradingHouseFromHiradoCastle.jpg|Dutch Trading House from Hirado Castle

File:HiradoJapan-EnglishTradingSite-Marker.jpg|Hirado English trading site commemorative marker
File:HiradoJapan-EnglishTradingSite-Sign.jpg|English Trading Site Location Sign in Hirado
File:HiradoJapan-EnglishTradingSite-Street.jpg|English trading area in Hirado from 1613-1623

File:HiradoJapan-NakayamaFamilyResidence-Sign.jpg|Nakayama Family Residence sign in Hirado historical area

File:HiradoJapan-NakayamaFamilyResidence.jpg|Nakayama Family Residence in Hirado historical area


File:HiradoJapan-WilliamAdams-DeathSiteMarker.jpg|Location where William Adams died in Hirado

File:HiradoJapan-WilliamAdams-Grave-SignCloseup.jpg|William Adams grave site sign

File:HiradoJapan-WilliamAdams-GraveSign.jpg|William Adams Grave Stone in Hirado

File:HiradoJapan-WilliamAdams-GraveSite-NotingEnglishWife.jpg|William Adams Gravestone noting English Wife
File:HiradoJapan-WilliamAdams-GraveSiteArea.jpg|William Adams Grave Site Area in Hirado
File:HiradoJapan-WilliamAdams-MemorialGardenSign-Letter.jpg|Text of a letter written by William Adams in 1611
File:HiradoJapan-WorldHeritage-HiddenChristianSites-Sign.jpg|UNESCO World Heritage Site Sign: Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region - Kasuga Village and Sacred Places in Hirado
File:HiradoJapan-RiceTerraces.jpg|Rice terraces in Hirado in the area of the UNESCO World Heritage Site (Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region - Kasuga Village and Sacred Places in Hirado)

</gallery>
==Notes==

{{reflist|30em}}


==References==
* de Winter, Michiel. (2006). [http://www.uchiyama.nl/artikelen/VOCinJapan.pdf  "''VOC in Japan: Betrekkingen tussen Hollanders en Japanners in de Edo-periode, tussen 1602-1795''"] ("VOC in Japan: Relations between the Dutch and Japanese in the Edo-period, between 1602-1795"). {{in lang|nl}}
* Edo-Tokyo Museum exhibition catalog. (2000). ''A Very Unique Collection of Historical Significance: The Kapitan (the Dutch Chief) Collection from the Edo Period—The Dutch Fascination with Japan.'' Catalog of "400th Anniversary Exhibition Regarding Relations between Japan and the Netherlands", a joint-project of the Edo-Tokyo Museum, the City of Nagasaki, the National Museum of Ethnology, the National Natuurhistorisch Museum" and the National Herbarium of the Netherlands in Leiden, the Netherlands. Tokyo.
* [[Ernest Mason Satow|Satow]], Ernest Mason, ed. (1900). ''The Voyage of Captain John Saris to Japan, 1613.'' London: Hakluyt Society.[https://books.google.com/books?id=Hok7AAAAIAAJ&q=ernest+satow ..Link to digitized version from the collection of the University of California]

==External links==
{{Commons category|Hirado, Nagasaki}}
* [http://en.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/ Hirado City official website]
* [http://www.hirado-shoukan.jp/ The Dutch Trading Post in Hirado]
* [https://hirado-tourism.com/ Hirado City Tourism Association]
* {{osmrelation-inline|4012054}}

{{Nagasaki}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hirado, Nagasaki| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Nagasaki Prefecture]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Japan]]