Oita Funai Castle Gosho-in (Castle Seal)

Japan's Top 100 Castles: Oita Funai Castle Goshuin (Castle Seal)

Oita Castle, originally built by Shigekatsu Takenaka who took over from Naotaka Fukuhara, brother-in-law of Mitsunari Ishida who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was also known as Funai Castle.

Funai Castle is said to have been started by Naotaka Fukuhara, brother-in-law of Mitsunari Ishida, who entered the residence of the Otomo clan, who once ruled this area, in 1597 (Keicho 2). He began construction at Ni-ochi, a river port on the Oita River, and completed most of the castle, which featured a four-story keep with a watchtower, two years later. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Shigekatsu Takenaka, who became the lord of the castle, carried out major renovations, including changing the original keep to a new style of tiered construction. In 1607 (Keicho 12), he completed the castle with the main keep, second keep, Yamato-maru, and Kita-no-maru arranged in a ladder-like formation, utilizing the sea to the north and the marshland at the mouth of the Oita River to the east as natural defenses. Later, in 1743 (Kanpo 3), a fire from the castle town destroyed the keep and many other buildings, and the keep was never rebuilt. The Chakuto Yagura (arrival turret) and Otemon (main gate), which survived the fire and remained after the Meiji Restoration, were lost in wartime damage, leaving only the Hitojichi Yagura (hostage turret) and Shumon Yagura (religious gate turret). However, in 1965 (Showa 40), the Otemon and four turrets were restored, and the following year, the corridor turret connecting Nishimaru and Yamato-maru was restored.