Obi castle town

Entrance to Obi castle

Obi is a town in Miyazaki’s Nichinan city, which has well preserved samurai houses. Obi castle dates back to 15th century. The castle was built by the Shimazu family of Kagoshima to protect them from Itoh family, their arch rivals.

Stone walls and steps at Obi castle

During a war in 1484, Itoh family captured the castle. Shimazus recaptured it almost 100 years later. However they lost it again to Hideyoshi Toyotomi, a famous warlord and ally of the Itoh family. It was Itoh family which ruled the castle for the next fourteen generations.

Inside Obi castle

Traditional houses in town

A traditional house in Obi castle town

Garden at a traditional house

traditional Japanese meal

(all pictures shot on Sony Alpha 6500 in May 2018)