The Nakatsu castle was originally one of the three “castles on the sea” (mizujiro), together with the Takamatsu castle and the Imabari castle. Only the stone wall and the moat with sea water remained from the original construction, but the tower was reconstructed of concrete in 1964 by a direct descendant of the samurai clan that originally owned it, the Okudaira clan.

The reconstructed castle belonged to the family until 2007, when it was put on sale and was sold to a company from Saitama. Today, the Nakatsu castle is an important tourist attraction in the Oita Prefecture.

Nakatsu Castle, Nakatsu, Oita

EXIF Info:

Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese castle stone