Kuroda Yoshitaka (1546–1604) was one of the closest advisors to the legendary military commander Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He took part in key military campaigns of the late 16th century, including the campaign against Shikoku in 1585 and the campaign against Kyushu in 1587. Later, during the second campaign in Korea, Yoshitaka served as chief advisor to the commander of the invasion forces, Kobayakawa Hideaki. After Hideyoshi's death, he swore allegiance to Tokugawa Ieyasu, thereby securing his influence and patronage under Japan's new leader.
In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi commissioned Yoshitaka to build a new castle on the current site. By 1588, the main buildings had been completed. This castle was named Nakatsu and became one of the rare examples of so-called mizujiro, or “castles on water.” One side of the fortress faced directly onto the sea, and during high tide, seawater filled the moats, turning the castle into a natural fortress. The layout of the castle resembled an open fan, which is why it was also given the poetic name Ogijō, meaning “fan castle.”
After the great battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which brought victory to Tokugawa Ieyasu, Kuroda Yoshitaka received richer possessions in the territory of modern Fukuoka Prefecture. Nakatsu Castle was transferred to Hosokawa Tadaoki. The new owner fortified and expanded the castle, but at the same time began construction of his new residence, Kokura Castle. When Kokura was ready, Tadaoki transferred Nakatsu to his son, Hosokawa Tadatosi.
Later, the castle passed into the possession of the Ogasawara clan, and in 1717 it was given to Okudaira Masashige. The Okudaira clan owned the fortress until the Meiji Restoration. At various times, famous people lived within the walls of Nakatsu: the scholar Maeno Ryotaku (1723–1803), author of a Japanese-Dutch dictionary, and the outstanding Meiji-era philosopher Fukuzawa Yukichi (1834–1901).
In 1877, during Saigo Takamori's rebellion against the new Japanese government, the castle was severely damaged, with 22 watchtowers and the main keep burned down. It was not until 1964 that the keep was rebuilt in reinforced concrete with funds from the descendants of the Okudaira clan. Since the original drawings and images of the castle were not preserved, archival photographs of Hagi Castle, destroyed in 1874, were used for the reconstruction.
Until 2010, the castle buildings were privately owned, after which they were purchased by a company from Saitama Prefecture. The modern donjon of Nakatsu Castle consists of five tiers and five floors, and its walls are covered with black boards. A two-tiered watchtower stands nearby, and the residence of Yukichi Fukuzawa has also been restored.
Today, the donjon houses a historical museum with an interesting collection of artifacts. Matchlock guns occupy a special place, as there are quite a few of them here. In addition, reenactment festivals are regularly held near the castle, where shooting with ancient weapons is demonstrated.
Nakatsu Castle is also associated with the descendants of the samurai Ochia Michihisa, the very warrior who depicted the crucified Torii Sunemon, the hero of the siege of Nagashino Castle, on his battle flag.
See also
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Nadzima Castle
It is believed that the first structures on this site were built by Tachibana Akitoshi (?-1568), head of the Tachibana clan, a branch family of the Ōtomo clan, as auxiliary fortifications for Tachibanayama Castle. In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi established control over the island of Kyushu and granted Chikuzen Province to Kobayakawa Takakage, one of the leading vassals of the Mori clan. Takakage began construction of a new castle on the site of the existing fortifications in 1588. The exact date of completion is unknown, but by the time the invasion of Korea began in 1592, the castle had already been finished, as records note that Toyotomi Hideyoshi stayed there overnight on his way to Hizen Nagoya Castle, which served as the headquarters of the invasion forces.
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Kubota Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be Satake Yoshinobu (1570–1633). Yoshinobu was one of the six great generals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Odawara Campaign of 1590, he took part in the siege of Oshi Castle under the command of Ishida Mitsunari, with whom Yoshinobu developed a good relationship.
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Kavanhoe Castle
Kawanoe Castle is located on the small Wasi-yama hill near the port area of the Kawanoe district in the city of Shikokuchuo, occupying a central position along the northern coast of Shikoku Island. Kawanoe was also known as Butsuden Castle. The term “butsuden” in Japan refers to temple halls, and for this reason it is believed that a Buddhist temple once stood on the site before the castle was built. Due to its location at the junction of four provinces on Shikoku Island, Kawanoe held significant strategic importance and was repeatedly targeted by rival forces seeking military control over the region.
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Yokote Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be the Onodera clan. The Onodera were originally a minor clan from Shimotsuke Province and served Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), the founder of the first shogunate. The Onodera distinguished themselves in battle against the Fujiwara clan of the Ōshū branch and were rewarded with lands around Yokote. Around the 14th century, the Onodera moved to Yokote as their permanent residence. Their original stronghold was Numadate Castle, but after a series of clashes with the powerful Nambu clan, they relocated their base to the site of present-day Yokote Castle. It was likely during this time that the first fortifications appeared at the castle.
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Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered his uterine brother, Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidenaga, to construct a castle on the site of the recently captured Ota Castle. The purpose of this construction was to secure control over the likewise newly conquered Province of Kii. Following an already established tradition, Hidenaga entrusted the project to his castle-building expert, Todo Takatora. Takatora carefully inspected the future castle site, personally drew up several designs, created a model of the planned castle, and took part in the work of laying out the grounds (nawabari). For the construction he brought in more than 10,000 workers and completed the large-scale project within a single year, which was considered extremely fast by the standards of the time.
Toyama Castle
Toyama Castle is located almost in the very center of the former province of Etchū and is surrounded by a wide plain with a large number of rivers. The very first castle on the banks of the Jinzu River was built in 1543 by Jimbo Nagamoto. The Jimbo clan were vassals of the Hatakeyama clan and governed the western part of Etchū Province. The eastern part of the province belonged to their rivals, the Shiina clan, who were also Hatakeyama vassals. Beginning in the 15th century, the influence of the ancient Hatakeyama clan gradually weakened, and as a result, the Jimbo and the Shiina fought constant wars for control of the province. Meanwhile, the forces of the Ikkō-ikki movement periodically intervened, helping first one side and then the other.
Takada Castle
During the Sengoku period, the lands where Takada Castle would later be built were part of Echigo Province and were controlled by the Uesugi clan.
Kishiwada Castle
The celebrated 14th-century military commander Kusunoki Masashige (1294–1336), who owned extensive lands south of what is now the city of Osaka, ordered one of his vassals, Kishiwada Osamu, to build a fortified residence. This order was carried out around 1336. These fortifications became the first structures on the site of what would later become Kishiwada Castle. From the beginning, the castle stood in a strategically important location—roughly halfway between the cities of Wakayama and Osaka, south of the key port of Sakai. Because of this position, it changed hands several times during periods of warfare.
