Career
He was one of the most powerful feudal lords of Kyūshū and one of the first to allow trading with Europeans, particularly the Portuguese, through whom he amassed great profits in the import of western firearms. He was also an early host and patron to the Jesuits, who he hoped would help secure an increase in trade with the Portuguese and other European traders. After becoming lord of Hirado in 1543, the 15-year-old Takanobu was advised by Yasumasa Toyohisa.
During the 1550s, he was involved in a fierce rivalry with the rival Ōmura clan, the Christian convert Ōmura Sumitada, who also competed for Portuguese trade.
This led to many armed conflicts, including one attempt at taking the Portuguese black ship in the Battle of Fukuda Bay by Takanobu. This recent surge in religious violence forced Takanobu to ask Vilela to leave.
His great-grandson, baptized in 1591 and also named Matsura Takanobu, was the 3rd daimyo of Hirado Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. Matsura Takanobu died in 1599.