Sold out on August 19, 2023] Notice of the start of sales of the 2023 edition of the “400th Anniversary Seal of Shimabara Castle”.

The 2023 edition was sold out on Saturday, August 19, 2023.
Next year, the 2024 edition will go on sale on Saturday, April 6.

Sales of the 2023 edition will begin on April 6, “Castle Day”.

From April 1, 2023, both the regular and limited edition sets will be available for purchase for those who have not yet entered the castle keep.

Shimabara Castle was completed around 1624 (Kan’ei era), about seven years after Lord Matsukura Bungo-mamoru Shigemasa, who moved from Gojo, Nara, began construction in 1618 (Genna 4).

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the castle, a limited edition of 400 commemorative castle seals will be sold each year for five years from April 6, 2020, “Castle Day,” to 2024! On April 6 of each year, the castle seal for that year will go on sale!

Both characters of the castle seal are written by Fukuoka-based calligrapher Ryuichiro Inoue, and the paper is recycled paper made from 1,000 paper cranes that were handed to Nagasaki City Peace Park. In addition, the special mount for viewing is decorated with an old map of Shimabara Castle, which is different every year. The red seal is decorated with the crests of the successive lords of Shimabara Castle and is stamped directly on the seal by the customer who purchases it. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the commemorative castle seal will be donated to the Nagasaki Peace Promotion Foundation for peace-related projects. *The regular version has the family crest and Shimabara Castle keep printed on it.

Commemorative castle stamp sales are limited to 400 sets, one set per person. The regular edition is available to all visitors to the castle without quantity limitation.

The 2023 version of the seal is from the “Old Map of Shimabara Castle Inside and Outside” in the Hizen Shimabara Shohei Bunko collection.

The closed mount and the regular version of the castle seal

◎ Location of sale

Shimabara Castle Ticket Office

Sales will take place during the opening hours of 9:00-17:30.
Sales will end as soon as the quantity is reached.
Sales are not available at nighttime events (e.g., nighttime camps, etc.).

◎ Price

◆ Shimabara Castle 400th Anniversary Seal and Shimabara Castle Seal (regular edition) set: 11,500 yen (tax included)

Limited to 400 each year, sales will begin on April 6 (Castle Day) of each year.
Sales will end as soon as the quantity is reached.

◆ Shimabara Castle Seal (standard edition): 300 yen (tax included)300円

◎ Conditions of purchase

One set per person
※There is no limit to the number of stamps that can be purchased for the standard edition.

【Profile of Ryuichiro Inoue】

1952 Born in Fukuoka City, Japan.
1977 Graduated from Doshisha University, Faculty of Theology.
1980 Worked as an elementary school teacher in Fukuoka City.
In 2001, he began exhibiting his works. Since then, he has held solo exhibitions in Shimabara City and Fukuoka City every year for the past 20 years.
2005: Resigned from elementary school teaching to support Dr. Satoshi Nakamura, who is constructing an irrigation canal in Afghanistan.
2020: Wrote a huge 10-inch signboard for the “Farewell Party for Dr. Satoshi Nakamura,” which was attended by more than 5,000 people.

Publications

Anger at the adults who trampled on children’s expression” (1990)
The Guernica Incident: Which is True Education?
Teachers in Japan” (Gyosei, 1992)
Calligraphy and Drawings: I Want to See Your Smile” (Ishikaze, 2006)

Calligraphy work

Television, commercials, etc.

Core 21 “Geishun” (2006)
Tea shop Yamaguchien (2008)
RKB TV “My Enemy is Violentism, Peshawar Kai: The Struggle of Satoshi Nakamura” (2008)
RKB TV drama “More than a bullet, an irrigation channel” (2008)
KBC TV drama “Cradle” (2009)
Peshawar Association DVD
- Title: “Afghanistan: Opening Up Irrigation Canals in a Land of Drought” (2012)
- Title: “Afghanistan: Blessings and Peace Brought by Irrigation Canals” (2016)

Package artwork

Dazaifu Sanjusang Tea House “Tea
MUZE “Incense, Yuu
Tofu shop’s tofu “Morimasa Yoshikura” (Japanese only)
2011 Calendar” by Chofu Seisakusho
Gaudi “Sakurazaka Mansion signboard
Photo book “Momoiro Clover Z” title
Photo book “Kanjani Eight” title
T-shirt “Love and Peace” in Afghan Pashto
Shimabara Railway wrapping bus “Shibazakura Festival” and “Autumn Cherry Blossom Festival
Other company logos and signboards

Relationship with Shimabara

In 2001, 10 years after the eruption of Mt. He sympathized with the activities and the people of Shimabara, and planned to hold an exhibition of his works in Shimabara. Since then, he has held a solo exhibition every year for the past 20 years. When he first visited Shimabara, he was amazed by the beauty of the stone walls surrounding the fields. This was because he felt the diligence and sincerity of the people of Shimabara, who had built it up over hundreds of years. It has now become my second home. In addition, we have collaborated with the Shimabara Agricultural High School Taiko drumming club in their performances at the spring and fall festivals at the Hibariyama Flower Park. We hope that this huge work, measuring 10ⅿ in width and 4ⅿ in height, will give courage and energy to the people of Shimabara.