Obi Castle

Obi Castle in Nichinan was the seat of the Ito family, the lords of the Obi Domain.

History

Ito Yoshisuke took the castle from the Shimazu, who had held it until then. Defeated by Shimazu Yoshihiro at the Battle of Kizakibaru in 1572, the Ito lost their lands to the Shimazu in 1577 and fled to Bungo province.

Yoshisuke's son Ito Suketake served Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and in 1587, for his part in the conquest of Kyushu, Hideyoshi gave him Obi Castle. Fourteen generations of the Ito family ruled the Obi Domain from here until the domains were abolished in 1871.

The castle town

The streets of samurai houses below the castle are a typical example of a small provincial castle town. In 1977 Obi became the first place in Kyushu chosen as a national Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. The Obi Castle History Museum, opened in July 1978, stands on the castle grounds.