Nakatsu: Castle Town, History and Hamo

Nakatsu’s history as a castle town comes to life through its striking historical sites: from the castle on the Yamaguni River to historic residences and museum spaces, and a street whose arrangement of temples recalls the town’s past. There is also local cuisine, with restaurants in the castle town area serving a variety of hamo dishes. You can shape your trip to Nakatsu around different interests, with history, personal memorial sites, the townscape or food as your focus.

Castle and Town History

The history of Nakatsu Castle began when Kuroda Yoshitaka, also known as Josui, built it at the mouth of the Yamaguni River. The keep displays historical materials from the Okudaira family, including clothing, swords, military equipment, old maps and historical documents. These different types of objects offer insights into both military equipment and written and cartographic records.

The Nakatsu City History Museum offers another perspective. One fully glazed side of the museum provides a view of the stone walls of Kyushu’s oldest early-modern castle, built by Kuroda Kanbei. The museum’s Stone Wall Theatre shows the origins of Nakatsu castle town on a large screen. If you are particularly interested in the town’s development, the focus here is on its history and architectural remains; the keep, by contrast, features historical materials from the Okudaira family.

Fukuzawa Yukichi: Residence and Memorabilia

The former residence of Fukuzawa Yukichi preserves the house where he spent his childhood and youth, before leaving for a period of study in Nagasaki. The preserved house also includes an earthen storehouse that Fukuzawa converted into a study. The residence brings his early years to life through the house and a specific space where he studied.

The Fukuzawa Memorial Museum complements this biographical perspective with Fukuzawa Yukichi’s writings, letters and photographs. The collection on display also includes writings by his father, Hyakusuke, materials relating to people in Fukuzawa’s circle, and the first 10,000-yen banknote, serial number A000001B. The two Fukuzawa sites therefore have different focuses: the residence preserves the house where he spent his childhood and youth, while the museum displays documents, photographs and other memorabilia.

Medical History and Teramachi

The Oe Medical History Museum was established around the former residence of the Oe family and the family’s materials. Its permanent exhibition features materials on Dutch learning and medicine, including the work “Kaitai Shinsho.” This collection offers a different way of exploring Nakatsu’s past from the castle and Fukuzawa sites: here, the focus is on medicine and Dutch learning.

Teramachi is also part of Nakatsu’s history as a castle town. This temple district is home to twelve temples. The main street has a stone-paving-style surface, and the row of temples gives a sense of what the former castle town was like. If you are interested in the townscape, Teramachi offers a contrast to the exhibitions: rather than individual historical materials, the temples and their arrangement shape the impression of the district.

Combine History with Local Cuisine

Restaurants in the castle town area serve a variety of hamo dishes. This lets you complement your interest in Nakatsu’s history with a culinary experience. When choosing a holiday rental in Nakatsu, you can consider which of these themes you want to shape your trip: the castle and its historical materials, Fukuzawa Yukichi’s life story, the history of medicine and learning, the temple district or local cuisine. These sites and themes offer different discoveries, without limiting your trip to just one way of experiencing the city.

If you would like to discover more destinations, find Kunisaki, Usuki, Bungo-Takada, Saiki, Kusu District, Yufu, Taketa and Usa here.

For the broader travel overview: Ōita Prefecture.