Background
Shigenobu Matsuura was born in 1549. He was the son of Matsuura Takanobu.
Shigenobu Matsuura was born in 1549. He was the son of Matsuura Takanobu.
In 1587 succeeded his father as lord of Hirado. He was among the most famous and well informed of the lords of Kyushu, and in 1587 assisted Toyotomi Hideyoshi in bringing the island under control. Later, at the time of Hideyoshi’s campaigns against Korea, he presented Hideyoshi with a map of Korea and, joining the fighting forces, distinguished himself in battle.
In 1600 he sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu at the battle of Sekigahara and was subsequently confirmed in the possession of his domain. He took an interest in foreign trade and gave permission to the Dutch to open a trading office at Hirado.
In 1613 similar permission was given to the English, and for a time Hirado flourished side by side with Nagasaki as a center of foreign trade. Through Matsuura's intervention, John Saris, the head of the British East India Company at Hirado, was able to obtain an interview with Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Matsuura was also noted as an expert in the tea ceremony. He died in 1614.