Get to know the castle
Castle at a glance
- Site & layout
- Lowland castle enclosed by moats and walls
- Origins
- Begun 1597; developed in the early Edo period
- Builders & patrons
- Fukuhara Naotaka and Takenaka Shigetoshi
- Other names
- Funai Castle; Niage Castle
- What remains today
- Shumon and Hitojichi turrets, walls, moat and keep platform; covered bridge reconstructed
THE STORY
The story behind the walls
Fukuhara Naotaka began construction in 1597. Takenaka Shigetoshi continued the work and developed the castle. The keep burned in 1743 and was never rebuilt. The surviving Shumon Turret dates to 1859 and Hitojichi Turret to 1861. A covered bridge was reconstructed in 1995, adding interpretation to the historic remains.
LAYOUT & ARCHITECTURE
Read the landscape and the buildings.
Moats and walls divided the flat site into enclosures connected by bridges and gates. The empty keep platform contrasts with two turrets surviving from the late Edo period. The reconstructed covered bridge helps explain connections between spaces that are less obvious from outside.
A CLOSER LOOK
Details worth a closer look.
Edo-period turrets
Shumon and Hitojichi turrets survive from the late Edo period. They postdate the castle’s foundation but are historic structures rather than modern imitations.
Covered bridge
The covered bridge was reconstructed in 1995 using historical evidence. Its modern date can be compared with that of the surviving turrets.
Moat and keep platform
The walls across the moat and the empty keep platform suggest the lost castle. The absence of a keep is itself part of the castle’s history since 1743.
THROUGH THE YEARS
A short timeline
- 1597
Fukuhara Naotaka begins construction.
- 1743
The keep burns and is never rebuilt.
- 1859 and 1861
The surviving Shumon and Hitojichi turrets are built.
- 1995
The covered bridge is reconstructed.
BEFORE YOU GO
A note before you go.
Check separately for access to the grounds and turret interiors. Consult Oita City for construction or event-related changes.
Information checked: 27 September 2026
Sources & official information
Some official sources are available in Japanese only.
