Nakatsu: Castle, City History and Teramachi

Nakatsu offers several ways to explore its history as a castle town: the castle and its collections, historic residences and museums, the Teramachi temple district, and hamo dishes. When planning your stay, you can consider these themes separately: some focus on architectural history, while others explore personal histories, science or the townscape. This makes it easier to decide what interests you most, without reducing all the sites to a single theme.

The Castle and the City's History

The history of Nakatsu Castle began with its construction by Kuroda Yoshitaka (Josui) at the mouth of the Yamaguni River. The keep displays historical materials from the Okudaira family: clothing, swords, military equipment, old maps and historical documents. The collection brings together different kinds of historical evidence: items such as clothing and swords are shown alongside maps and documents. The castle theme therefore encompasses both the history of the building and materials associated with the Okudaira family.

The Nakatsu City History Museum also explores the historical heritage of the castle town, but through other specific features. One fully glazed side offers a view of the stone walls of Kyushu's oldest early-modern castle, built by Kuroda Kanbei. In the Stone Wall Theater, a large screen shows how Nakatsu castle town came into being. The museum thus combines a view of the stone walls with an account of the town's origins.

Fukuzawa Yukichi and Historic Residences

Fukuzawa Yukichi's former residence preserves the house where he spent his childhood and youth, up until his studies in Nagasaki. The site also includes an earthen storehouse that Fukuzawa converted into a place to study. This architectural feature makes the study space a tangible part of the residence's history.

The Fukuzawa Memorial Museum complements this biographical perspective with writings, letters and photographs of Fukuzawa Yukichi. It also features writings by his father, Hyakusuke, materials relating to people associated with him, and the first 10,000-yen banknote, with serial number A000001B. A preserved residence and written, visual and other historical materials thus offer different ways to learn about Fukuzawa. If you are interested in the place where he lived, the focus is on his former residence; if you would like to explore documents and photographs, the Memorial Museum offers a different perspective.

Science, the Temple District and Hamo

The Oe Medical History Museum was established around the former residence of the Oe family and their materials. Its permanent exhibition features materials on Dutch learning and medicine, including the work “Kaitai Shinsho.” This theme offers a different focus from the castle and military history or the Fukuzawa sites: it centers on Dutch learning and medicine.

Teramachi is part of Nakatsu castle town and comprises twelve temples. The main street has a stone-paved-style surface; the arrangement of the temples lining it gives a sense of the former castle town. Unlike museum collections, which display objects, letters or documents, the arrangement of the temples shapes the historical impression here. This offers a distinct way to experience the townscape if you are less interested in individual exhibits and more drawn to the traditional layout of the streets and temples.

Nakatsu also has a distinctive culinary connection: hamo is considered a local specialty, and restaurants in the castle town area serve a variety of hamo dishes. Local food culture thus complements the themes of the castle, museums and historic townscape. When choosing what to focus on during your stay, you can therefore consider the local cuisine alongside buildings and collections.

Discover more destinations: Beppu, Kusu District, Kunisaki, Ōita, Tsukumi, Hita, Yufu, Taketa

For the broader travel overview: Ōita Prefecture.