Why this ride
121 km from Ushibukamachi to Ushibukamachi, about 2 h 25 of riding. On the way it passes Remains of Hara Castle and Sakitsu Village in Amakusa.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Sakitsu Village in Amakusa and Remains of Hara Castle
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 121 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 25
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Takashima Coal Mine/ Takashima Coal Mine → Remains of Hara Castle
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 64 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 61 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Sakitsu Village in Amakusa
A small Gothic church with a spire stands right at the water's edge in Sakitsu, a fishing village tucked into an inlet on the southern coast of Amakusa's Shimoshima island. It looks almost Breton, a surprise in rural Kyushu, and the story behind it is one of the most moving in Japanese history. When Christianity was banned in the early seventeenth century, the people of Sakitsu kept their faith in secret for over two centuries, disguising prayers and objects as Buddhist or Shinto practice, and using things from their own fishing life, such as abalone shells whose inner patterns recalled holy images, as objects of devotion.
Read the complete Sakitsu Village in Amakusa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sakitsu Village in Amakusa is where the day begins. Next is Takashima Coal Mine/ Takashima Coal Mine.
2. Remains of Hara Castle
On a headland overlooking the Ariake Sea, at the southern tip of the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki prefecture, the grassy ruins of Hara Castle mark the scene of one of the darkest episodes in Japanese history. In the winter of 1637 to 1638, thousands of peasants, many of them Christians, rose up against heavy taxation and religious persecution, and took refuge in the abandoned castle under the leadership of a charismatic teenager, Amakusa Shirō. The shogunate besieged the castle for months with a huge army, and when it finally fell, almost all the defenders, including women and children, were killed.
Read the complete Remains of Hara Castle write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 60 km into the recorded legs you reach Remains of Hara Castle. Next is back through Takashima Coal Mine/ Takashima Coal Mine.
3. Back to Sakitsu Village in Amakusa
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sakitsu Village in Amakusa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Takashima Coal Mine/ Takashima Coal Mine, late in the day. Next is Sakitsu Village in Amakusa.
4. Sakitsu Village in Amakusa
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sakitsu Village in Amakusa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Sakitsu Village in Amakusa. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Sakitsu Village in Amakusa to Remains of Hara Castle
Sakitsu Village in Amakusa → Remains of Hara Castle is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Remains of Hara Castle to Back to Sakitsu Village in Amakusa
Remains of Hara Castle → Back to Sakitsu Village in Amakusa is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.